The Democratic National Union Movement (DNUM) ( km, ចលនាសហភាពជាតិប្រជាធិបតេយ្យ) was a Cambodian

political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology ...

founded after senior

Khmer Rouge The Khmer Rouge (; ; km, ខ្មែរក្រហម, ; ) is the name that was popularly given to members of the Communist Party of Kampuchea (CPK) and by extension to the regime through which the CPK ruled Cambodia between 1975 and 1979. ...

official

Ieng Sary Ieng Sary ( km, អៀង សារី; 24 October 1925 – 14 March 2013) was a Cambodian politician who was the co-founder and senior member of the Khmer Rouge. He was a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Kampuchea le ...

's defection from the

Cambodian National Unity Party The Cambodian National Unity Party ( km, គណបក្សសាមគ្គីជាតិកម្ពុជា) was a political party set up by the Khmer Rouge on November 30, 1992 during the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia to ...

in August 1996. A magazine entitled ''Phka Rik'' (Flower in Bloom) is associated with it. It was created primarily to facilitate Ieng Sary's reentry into civilian political life, claiming neutrality and that he had broken away from the Khmer Rouge and from the "fascism and cruelty of

Pol Pot Pol Pot; (born Saloth Sâr;; 19 May 1925 – 15 April 1998) was a Cambodian revolutionary, dictator, and politician who ruled Cambodia as Prime Minister of Democratic Kampuchea between 1976 and 1979. Ideologically a Marxist–Leninist a ...

regime In politics, a regime (also "régime") is the form of government or the set of rules, cultural or social norms, etc. that regulate the operation of a government or institution and its interactions with society. According to Yale professor Juan Jo ...

," naming

Nuon Chea Nuon Chea ( km, នួន ជា; born Lao Kim Lorn; 7 July 1926 – 4 August 2019), also known as Long Bunruot ( km, ឡុង ប៊ុនរត្ន) or Rungloet Laodi ( th, รุ่งเลิศ เหล่าดี), was a Cambodian co ...

Ta Mok Ta Mok ( km, តាម៉ុក; born Chhit Choeun (); 1924 – 21 July 2006) also known as Nguon Kang, was a Cambodian military chief and soldier who was a senior figure in the Khmer Rouge and the leader of the national army of Democratic Kamp ...

Son Sen Son Sen ( km, សុន សេន ; 12 June 1930 – 15 June 1997), alias Comrade Khieu () or "Brother Number 89", was a Cambodian Communist politician and soldier. A member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Kampuchea/ Party ...

and

Yun Yat Yun Yat ( km, យុន យ៉ាត; 1934 – 15 June 1997), also known by her alias Comrade At ( km, សមមិត្តនារីអាត, link=no), was the wife of Son Sen, Defense Minister of Democratic Kampuchea. On 9 October 1975, th ...

as Pol Pot's cohorts and "mass murderers of Cambodia." He stated that he was a supporter of "limited democracy," and named Thailand, Singapore and Japan as examples. Despite building up ties with the

Cambodian People's Party The Cambodian People's Party (CPP), UNGEGN: , ALA-LC: ; is a Cambodian political party which has ruled Cambodia since 1979. Founded in 1951, it was originally known as the Kampuchean People's Revolutionary Party (KPRP)., UNGEGN: , ALA-LC: ; ...

(CPP), founded by Hun Sen, the DNUM declined to participate in the 1998 elections. The Movement's support for the CPP-dominated government at the time allowed it considerable autonomy over

Pailin Pailin ( km, ប៉ៃលិន, ) is a province in western Cambodia at the northern edge of the Cardamom Mountains near the border of Thailand. This province is surrounded by Battambang province, and was officially carved out of Battambang ...

, an ex-Khmer Rouge stronghold notable for gem and timber exports.Susan E. Cook. ''Genocide in Cambodia and Rwanda: New Perspectives''. New Jersey: Transaction Publishers. 2006. p. 205.

References

See also