Sisowath Sirik Matak ( km, ស៊ីសុវត្ថិ សិរិមតៈ; 22 January 191421 April 1975) was a Cambodian politician and member of the Cambodian royal family, under the
House of Sisowath
The House of Sisowath ( km, រាជវង្សស៊ីសុវត្ថិ) is one of the two royal houses of Cambodia, alongside its counterpart, the House of Norodom. Both it and its sister house have a claim to the throne as descendants of ...
.
Sirik Matak was mainly notable for his involvement in Cambodian politics, particularly for his involvement in the 1970 right-wing
coup against his cousin, then 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 ...
, and for his subsequent establishment, along with
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
The prime minister of Cambodia ( km, នាយករដ្ឋមន្ ...
, 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 ...
.
Early life
Sirik Matak was born in
Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh (; km, ភ្នំពេញ, ) is the capital and most populous city of Cambodia. It has been the national capital since the French protectorate of Cambodia and has grown to become the nation's primate city and its economic, indus ...
, and was a member of the
Sisowath
Sisowath ( km, ស៊ីសុវត្ថិ, ; 7 September 1840 – 9 August 1927) was King of Cambodia from 27 April 1904 to his death in 1927. He was the son of King Ang Duong and half brother of Prince Si Votha and King Norodom. He is the ...
family, being the great-grandson of
Sisowath of Cambodia
Sisowath ( km, ស៊ីសុវត្ថិ, ; 7 September 1840 – 9 August 1927) was King of Cambodia from 27 April 1904 to his death in 1927. He was the son of King Ang Duong and half brother of Prince Si Votha and King Norodom. He is the ...
by his grandfather Sisowath Essaravong and his father Sisowath Rathary. He was recruited into the colonial
civil service
The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...
in 1930.
Under the colonial
French-imposed constitution, any member of the
Norodom
Norodom ( km, នរោត្តម, ; born Ang Voddey ( km, អង្គវតី, ); 3 February 1834 – 24 April 1904) was King of Cambodia from 19 October 1860 to his death on 24 April 1904. He was the eldest son of King Ang Duong and was ...
or Sisowath branches of the family could be selected as king, and Sirik Matak was therefore one of the possible contenders to the Cambodian throne. In 1941, after the death of King
Sisowath Monivong
Sisowath Monivong ( km, ស៊ីសុវត្ថិ មុនីវង្ស, ;Headly, Robert K.; Chhor, Kylin; Lim, Lam Kheng; Kheang, Lim Hak; Chun, Chen. 1977. ''Cambodian-English Dictionary''. Bureau of Special Research in Modern Langua ...
, the French authorities selected Sirik Matak's cousin
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 ...
to be King, believing him to be relatively pliant. Sihanouk later accused Sirik Matak of harbouring a deep resentment against him, stating that he "hated me from childhood days because he thought his uncle, Prince
Sisowath Monireth
Sisowath Monireth ( km, ស៊ីសុវត្ថិ មុន្នីរ៉េត; 25 November 1909 – September 1975) was a Cambodian politician who served as the Prime Minister of Cambodia, during the French protectorate period, fr ...
, should have been placed on the throne instead of myself. He even had a notion that he himself should have been chosen".
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 ...
, ''My War with the CIA'', Pantheon, 1972, p.27
Political career
![President Richard Nixon and Sirik Matack](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7a/President_Richard_Nixon_and_Sirik_Matack.jpg)
After the Second World War, Sirik Matak became increasingly involved in Cambodian politics. As a part of the right-wing
Khmer Renovation
Khmer Renovation Party ( km, គណបក្សកំណែទម្រង់ខ្មែរ; ), also translated as Khmer Renewal Party, was an anti-communist, nationalist and royalist political party founded in Cambodia in September 1947. In 1955 ...
party headed by Lon Nol, he took part in the National Assembly elections in 1947, though the party failed to win any seats.
[Dommen, A. ''The Indochinese experience of the French and the Americans'', Indiana University Press, 2001, p.196] Sihanouk, then acting as Prime Minister, placed him in charge of defence in 1952,
[Dommen, p.210] formally appointing him
Minister of Defence
A defence minister or minister of defence is a Cabinet (government), cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from coun ...
in the interim government set up after independence in 1954; Sihanouk's
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 ...
movement absorbed the Khmer Renovation Party prior to the Sangkum victory in the
1955 elections.
Despite the incorporation of much of the right-wing opposition into the Sangkum, Sirik Matak remained an implacable opponent of Sihanouk, and especially of the latter's toleration of
North Vietnam
North Vietnam, officially the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV; vi, Việt Nam Dân chủ Cộng hòa), was a socialist state supported by the Soviet Union (USSR) and the People's Republic of China (PRC) in Southeast Asia that existed f ...
ese activity within Cambodia's borders. Throughout the 1960s, Sihanouk attempted to minimize Sirik Matak's leverage on domestic politics by successively appointing him as Ambassador to China (1962-1964), the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
, and Japan.
Cambodian coup of 1970
Sirik Matak's power increased substantially after Lon Nol became
prime minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
in August 1969. After being appointed as Lon Nol's deputy, he proceeded to organise a series of economic
denationalisation
Privatization (also privatisation in British English) can mean several different things, most commonly referring to moving something from the public sector into the private sector. It is also sometimes used as a synonym for deregulation when ...
and
deregulation
Deregulation is the process of removing or reducing state regulations, typically in the economic sphere. It is the repeal of governmental regulation of the economy. It became common in advanced industrial economies in the 1970s and 1980s, as a ...
measures in opposition to Sihanouk's previous policy of state control of import and export, banking, and production of pharmaceuticals and alcohol.
[Sihanouk, p.41] Sirik Matak even visited
Hanoi
Hanoi or Ha Noi ( or ; vi, Hà Nội ) is the capital and second-largest city of Vietnam. It covers an area of . It consists of 12 urban districts, one district-leveled town and 17 rural districts. Located within the Red River Delta, Hanoi is ...
secretly to find out what could be done to remove Vietnamese troops from Cambodian soil. He was infuriated when he was shown documents signed by Sihanouk agreeing to the establishment of Vietnamese bases and the transport of Vietnamese supplies through Cambodian ports.
On 12 March 1970, while Sihanouk was on a trip abroad, Sirik Matak canceled Sihanouk's trade agreements and Lon Nol demanded that all North Vietnamese and
NLF troops leave Cambodia by dawn on March 15. The deadline passed without any response from the Vietnamese. On 18 March, Sirik Matak assisted Lon Nol in organising a vote of the National Assembly to depose Sihanouk as head of state. The pretext was given by a series of anti-Vietnamese riots - likely encouraged by the Prime Minister and his deputy - in front of the
North Vietnamese
North Vietnam, officially the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV; vi, Việt Nam Dân chủ Cộng hòa), was a socialist state supported by the Soviet Union (USSR) and the People's Republic of China (PRC) in Southeast Asia that existed f ...
embassy.
The Man Behind the Symbol
', TIME, 17-05-71
Foreign media subsequently suggested that Sirik Matak, who continued as Lon Nol's deputy in the new government, was the real organisational force behind the coup;
', TIME, 17-05-71 it was claimed that in order to finally convince Lon Nol, Sirik Matak had played him a tape-recorded press conference from Paris, in which Sihanouk threatened to execute them both on his return to Phnom Penh.
[Marlay, R. and Neher, C. ''Patriots and tyrants'', Rowman & Littlefield, 1999, p.165] It was even reported that Sirik Matak compelled Lon Nol at gunpoint to commit to deposing Sihanouk.
[Tucker, S. ''Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War: a political, social, and military history'', ABC-CLIO, 1998, p.389]
Sihanouk also assumed his cousin to be the main force behind the
coup, claiming that Sirik Matak (backed by the
CIA
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian intelligence agency, foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gat ...
, and in contact with long-time Sihanouk opponent
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 ...
) had already suggested the plan to Lon Nol as early as 1969.
[Sihanouk, pp.36-38] Sihanouk's suspicions seem to have rooted in fact: Prom Thos, one of Lon Nol's ministers, later told the historian
Ben Kiernan
Benedict F. "Ben" Kiernan (born 1953) is an Australian-born American academic and historian who is the Whitney Griswold Professor Emeritus of History, Professor of International and Area Studies and Director of the Genocide Studies Program at Yal ...
that in around March 1969 Sirik Matak had argued that Sihanouk should be assassinated, Lon Nol rejecting the plan as "criminal insanity".
[Kiernan, B. ''How Pol Pot came to power'', Yale UP, 2004, p.301]
With the declaration 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 ...
subsequent to the coup, Sirik Matak renounced his royal title, although he had initially planned in secret that his own son, or another member of the Sisowath family, possibly his son-in-law Prince Sisowath Duongchivin, should take the throne.
[Sorpong Peou, ''Intervention & change in Cambodia'', Palgrave Macmillan, p.49]
Khmer Republic
![John McCain and Sisowath Sirik Matak 1971](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/John_McCain_and_Sisowath_Sirik_Matak_1971.png)
For the first year of the Republic, during which Lon Nol was often in poor health, Sirik Matak - as acting Premier - retained the most prominent role in the government. It had an overtly military character, Sirik Matak usually appearing in his full uniform as a
Major-General
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
and carrying a
swagger stick
A swagger stick is a short stick or riding crop usually carried by a uniformed person as a symbol of authority. A swagger stick is shorter than a staff or cane, and is usually made from rattan. Its use derives from the vine staff carried by Rom ...
.
Henry Kamm
Henry Kamm (born June 3, 1925, in Breslau, Germany (now Wroclaw, Poland)) was a correspondent for ''The New York Times''. He reported for the ''Times'' from Southeast Asia (based in Bangkok), Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
In 1969, Kamm wo ...
, ''Cambodia: Report from a Stricken Land'', Arcade Publishing, 1998 , p.61 Whereas Lon Nol was particularly popular amongst anti-Sihanouk students in Cambodian cities, Sirik Matak had the support of the Westernised urban 'elite'; rural Cambodians remained overwhelmingly pro-Sihanouk.
[Sorpong Peou, p.91]
Sirik Matak also had relatively little personal support within the Cambodian political establishment; his power was gradually undermined by the Prime Minister's brother,
Lon Non
Lon Non ( km, លន់ ណុន; 18 April 1930(?) – 17 April 1975) was a Cambodian politician and soldier who rose to his greatest prominence during the Khmer Republic (1970–1975).
Non was the younger brother of Prime Minister (and lat ...
, and he resigned in 1972 after the latter had organised a series of demonstrations against him.
[Kamm, pp.110-112] Despite pressure from the United States, who were strong supporters of Sirik Matak, Lon Nol kept him under effective house arrest, and he became an increasingly vocal critic of the Khmer Republic regime.
By April 1973, Lon Nol had been compelled to remove Lon Non and suspended the National Assembly, appointing a "High Political Council" composed of himself, Sirik Matak,
Cheng Heng
Cheng Heng ( km, ឆេង ហេង, 10 January 1917 – 15 March 1996) was a Cambodian politician, who was the country's Head of State from 1970–1972, and was a relatively prominent political figure during the Khmer Republic period (1970–1 ...
and
In Tam
In Tam ( km, អ៊ិន តាំ ; 22 September 19161 April 2006) was a Cambodian politician who once served as the prime minister of the Khmer Republic. He served in that position from 6 May 1973 to 9 December 1973, and had a long career in ...
.
[Leifer, M. ''Selected Works on Southeast Asia'', Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 2005, p.420] Privately, however, Sirik Matak stated that under the circumstances it would be preferable to allow Sihanouk to return, due to his levels of popular support, stating "if the people wanted him, I would accept". On being informed of this, an enraged Sihanouk called Sirik Matak "one of the worst reactionaries and traitors of the history of Cambodia
..we are going to hang him, quite simply hang him, hang him".
[Kamm, p.114]
The fall of Phnom Penh
The
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. ...
communists initiated their dry-season offensive to capture the beleaguered Cambodian capital on 1 January 1975. On 1 April 1975, President Lon Nol resigned and fled the country into exile in
Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...
; the Khmer Rouge had published a 'death list' with his name at the top, and their forces had now surrounded the capital.
On 12 April 1975, United States Ambassador to Cambodia
John Gunther Dean
John Gunther Dean (February 24, 1926 – June 6, 2019) was an American diplomat. From 1974–1988, he served as the United States ambassador to five nations under four American presidents.
Early years
Dean was born as Gunther Dienstfertig in B ...
offered high officials of the Khmer Republic political asylum in the United States, but Sirik Matak,
Long Boret
Long Boret ( km, ឡុង បូរ៉េត, ; 3 January 1933 – 17 April 1975) was a Cambodian politician who served as the last prime minister of the Khmer Republic from 26 December 1973, to 17 April 1975. Highly regarded for his honesty, ...
and
Lon Non
Lon Non ( km, លន់ ណុន; 18 April 1930(?) – 17 April 1975) was a Cambodian politician and soldier who rose to his greatest prominence during the Khmer Republic (1970–1975).
Non was the younger brother of Prime Minister (and lat ...
, along with other members of Lon Nol's cabinet, declined - despite the names of Boret and Sirik Matak being published by the Khmer Rouge in a list of "Seven Traitors" marked for execution.
[The "Seven Traitors" were Sirik Matak, Lon Nol, ]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 ...
, In Tam
In Tam ( km, អ៊ិន តាំ ; 22 September 19161 April 2006) was a Cambodian politician who once served as the prime minister of the Khmer Republic. He served in that position from 6 May 1973 to 9 December 1973, and had a long career in ...
, Long Boret
Long Boret ( km, ឡុង បូរ៉េត, ; 3 January 1933 – 17 April 1975) was a Cambodian politician who served as the last prime minister of the Khmer Republic from 26 December 1973, to 17 April 1975. Highly regarded for his honesty, ...
, Cheng Heng
Cheng Heng ( km, ឆេង ហេង, 10 January 1917 – 15 March 1996) was a Cambodian politician, who was the country's Head of State from 1970–1972, and was a relatively prominent political figure during the Khmer Republic period (1970–1 ...
, and Sosthene Fernandez. See Karl D. Jackson, ''Cambodia, 1975-1978: Rendezvous with Death'', Princeton University Press, 1992
, p. 50. Sirik Matak's written response to the ambassador stated:
The letter was reproduced and added to the book ''
Autrefois, Maison Privée''.
Shortly after the surrender to the Khmer Rouge was announced, Sirik Matak sought refuge at the Hotel Le Phnom, where the
International Red Cross
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC; french: Comité international de la Croix-Rouge) is a humanitarian organization which is based in Geneva, Switzerland, and it is also a three-time Nobel Prize Laureate. State parties (signato ...
was attempting to create a safe zone. He was turned away once the Red Cross learned that his name was on the list of "Seven Traitors". Outside the hotel, Sirik Matak talked to reporters and distributed copies of his letter to Ambassador Dean.
François Bizot
François Bizot (born 8 February 1940) is a French anthropologist, the only Westerner to have survived imprisonment by the Khmer Rouge.
Arrival in Cambodia
Bizot arrived in Cambodia in 1965 to study Buddhism practised in the countryside. He t ...
reported that Sirik Matak sought political asylum at the French Embassy and that the Khmer Rouge threatened to come into the compound and remove certain individuals by force if they did not go voluntarily. Accompanied by the French Vice-Consul Jean Dyrac and journalist
Jon Swain
Jon (John) Anketell Brewer Swain (born 1948) is a British journalist and writer.
Swain's book ''River of Time: A Memoir of Vietnam '' chronicles his experiences from 1970 to 1975 during the war in Indochina, including the fall of Cambodia.
Ea ...
, Bizot took responsibility for informing Sirik Matak of the Khmer Rouge's demands, at which point he voluntarily surrendered and left on a Khmer Rouge Jeep with
Mam Nai
Mam Nai or Mam Nay ( km, ម៉មណៃ, born 1934), ''nom de guerre'' Comrade Chan (), is a Cambodian war criminal and former lieutenant of Santebal, the internal security branch of the Khmer Rouge communist movement, which ruled Democratic K ...
. Sirik Matak and the officials that remained along with him were likely executed by the Khmer Rouge on 21 April 1975.
The exact details of his death are unclear, but Sihanouk received confirmation that Sirik Matak, along with
Long Boret
Long Boret ( km, ឡុង បូរ៉េត, ; 3 January 1933 – 17 April 1975) was a Cambodian politician who served as the last prime minister of the Khmer Republic from 26 December 1973, to 17 April 1975. Highly regarded for his honesty, ...
, had been summarily executed by firing squad at the Phnom Penh ''Cercle Sportif'' on 21 April; other reports state he was beheaded.
Henry Kissinger
Henry Alfred Kissinger (; ; born Heinz Alfred Kissinger, May 27, 1923) is a German-born American politician, diplomat, and geopolitical consultant who served as United States Secretary of State and National Security Advisor under the presid ...
and others, however, note a report that Sirik Matak was shot in the stomach and left without medical aid to die over three days.
[Kissinger, H. ''Ending the Vietnam War'', Touchstone, 2003, p.530]
Quotes
*"Man is born to die. I will not move. I shall stay here and face everything that happens. They can arrest me. If they kill me, what of it? I stay for my country."
[Kamm, p. 114.]
Notes
References
External links
Before the Holocaust: The Coup
Bibliography
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sisowath, Sirik Matak
1914 births
20th-century Cambodian politicians
Cambodian princes
Cambodian military personnel
House of Sisowath
People of the Vietnam War
Cambodian republicans
Executed royalty
Executed politicians
Cambodian anti-communists
Defence ministers of Cambodia
1975 deaths
People executed by the Khmer Rouge
Executed Cambodian people
Government ministers of Cambodia
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