Hang Thun Hak ( km, ហង្ស ធុនហាក់; 2 August 1926 – 18 April 1975) was a
Cambodia
Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand t ...
n radical politician, academic and playwright.
Life
Hak studied theatre in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
, where he became associated with the group of radical students centered on
Keng Vannsak
Keng Vannsak ( km, កេង វ៉ាន់សាក់, ; 19 September 1925 – 18 December 2008) was a Cambodian scholar, philosopher and Khmer linguist. He invented the Khmer typewriter keyboard in 1952. He lived in exile in Paris, France, ...
, which included several future leaders of the Cambodian Communists. He returned to Cambodia in 1951, and spent some time with
Son Ngoc Thanh
Sơn Ngọc Thành ( km, សឺង ង៉ុកថាញ់; 7 December 1908 – 8 August 1977) was a Cambodian nationalist and republican politician, with a long history as a rebel and (for brief periods) a government minister.
Early li ...
's anti-colonial resistance fighters, operating from the forests in the area of
Siem Reap: Hak returned to public life in 1953, shortly prior to Cambodian independence.
Under the
Sangkum
The Sangkum Reastr Niyum ( km, សង្គមរាស្ត្រនិយម, , ;Headly, Robert K.; Chhor, Kylin; Lim, Lam Kheng; Kheang, Lim Hak; Chun, Chen. 1977. ''Cambodian-English Dictionary''. Bureau of Special Research in Modern Langu ...
regime of Prince
Norodom Sihanouk
Norodom Sihanouk (; km, នរោត្តម សីហនុ, ; 31 October 192215 October 2012) was a Cambodian statesman, Sangkum and FUNCINPEC politician, Norodom Sihanouk filmography, film director, and composer who led Cambodia in vari ...
, Hang Thun Hak taught at the National Theatre School, where his work was central to the development of modern Cambodian theatre. He served as Director of the
Royal University of Fine Arts
The Royal University of Fine Arts (RUFA; ; french: Université royale des beaux-arts) is a university in Chey Chumneas, Phnom Penh specialising in architecture and fine arts. It is the oldest university in Cambodia, having been in existence since ...
after its founding in 1965.
[Cody, G. and Sprinchorn, E. (eds), ''The Columbia encyclopedia of modern drama, Volume 1'', p.583] Many of his plays, such as ''Thma Raom'' and ''Kanya Chareya'' (both dating from the late 1950s) attacked government corruption, and contained a strong element of political satire; Hak's close links with the Queen Mother,
Sisowath Kosamak
Sisowath Kossamak ( km, ស៊ីសុវត្ថិ កុសមៈ; 9 April 1904 – 27 April 1975) was the queen consort of King Norodom Suramarit of Cambodia, who reigned from 1955 to 1960. After her husband's death in 1960, her son Noro ...
, helped to protect performances of these works.
The
Cambodian coup of 1970
Cambodian usually refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the country of Cambodia
** Cambodian people (or Khmer people)
** Cambodian language (or Khmer language)
** For citizens and nationals of Cambodia, see Demographics of Cambodia
** For ...
, carried out by General
Lon Nol
Marshal Lon Nol ( km, លន់ នល់, also ; 13 November 1913 – 17 November 1985) was a Cambodian politician and general who served as Prime Minister of Cambodia twice (1966–67; 1969–71), as well as serving repeatedly as defence min ...
, led to the end of Sihanouk's power and the establishment of the
Khmer Republic
The Khmer Republic ( km, សាធារណរដ្ឋខ្មែរ, ; french: République khmère) was a pro-United States military-led republican government of Cambodia that was formally declared on 9 October 1970. The Khmer Republic wa ...
. Hak was initially mooted as a leader of the ''
Pracheachon
The Krom Pracheachon ( km, ក្រុមប្រជាជន ; "People's Group"), often referred to simply as Pracheachon, was a Cambodian political party that contested in parliamentary elections in 1955, 1958 and 1972.
For much of its exi ...
'' party, a socialist party with which he had previously been involved, but eventually joined the
Social Republican Party
The Social Republican Party ( km, គណបក្សសាធារណរដ្ឋសង្គម; french: Parti républicain social, PRS) was a right-wing political party in Cambodia, founded by the then-Head of State Lon Nol in 10 June 1972 to ...
led by Lon Nol, and served as Prime Minister between 15 October 1972 and 6 May 1973.
By this time, however, the Republic had become embroiled in a
bitter war against the
GRUNK
The Royal Government of the National Union of Kampuchea (french: Gouvernement royal d'union nationale du Kampuchéa, GRUNK; km, រាជរដ្ឋាភិបាលរួបរួមជាតិកម្ពុជា) was a government-in-exile ...
, a coalition between Sihanouk and his former Communist opponents, the
Khmer Rouge. Despite the American policy, in force at the time, of ignoring Sihanouk in negotiations, Hak made attempts to contact him in the possibility of reaching a settlement; he also had some contact with the Khmer Rouge themselves through one of their leaders,
Hou Yuon
Hou Yuon ( km, ហ៊ូ យន់, 1930 – August 1975 (or later)) was a veteran of the communist movement in Cambodia. A member of the Communist Party of Kampuchea, also known as the Khmer Rouge, he served in several ministerial posts dur ...
.
[Clymer, K. ''The United States and Cambodia, 1969-2000: a troubled relationship'', 2004, p.95] He also ensured that
Queen Kossamak, Sihanouk's mother, remained protected, accompanying her to
Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
in 1973. Hak was forced to resign later in 1973.
After Lon Nol fled the capital on April 1, 1975, Hak was elected as a member of the Governing Council which sought to reach a ceasefire agreement with the Communists.
Execution
Hak who was urged to leave Cambodia after Khmer Rouge entered Phnom Penh, refused to do so due to his love for his native country. However, he was able to get his wife, son and daughters (he had 2 daughters) out of the country and into the US. However, he remained and was eventually executed on April 18.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hang, Thun Hak
Cambodian male writers
Royal University of Fine Arts faculty
1926 births
1975 deaths
20th-century Cambodian politicians
20th-century scholars
20th-century Cambodian writers
Cambodian socialists
Executed politicians
Executed Cambodian people
People executed by the Khmer Rouge
Pracheachon politicians
People who died in the Cambodian genocide
Khmer Republic
Social Republican Party politicians
Prime Ministers of Cambodia
People from Kampong Cham province
Cambodian dramatists and playwrights
Male dramatists and playwrights
20th-century dramatists and playwrights