Lon Nil
Encyclopedia
Lon Nil was the brother of Cambodia
n Prime Minister Lon Nol
, and was a casualty of the Cambodian coup of 1970
.
Nil was the youngest son of Lon Hin, a district administrator in the French colonial era. Like his brother Lon Nol, he was educated at the Lycée Chasseloup-Laubat in Saigon, and like the rest of his family became employed in the state security apparatus. He eventually became police commissioner of Memot in Kampong Cham Province.
While Prince Norodom Sihanouk
was on a trip abroad in Beijing
, China
, on March 18, 1970, Prince Sirik Matak assisted Lon Nol in organizing a vote of the National Assembly to depose Sihanouk as Head of State, giving himself emergency powers.
On March 23, Sihanouk made a public appeal in China for Cambodians to revolt against the government. There was rioting in Kampong Cham
on March 26 in which the governor's palace was stormed and several officials killed by the crowd, notably two National Assembly deputies, Kim Phon and Sos Saoun. Lon Nol had sent his brother to Kampong Cham in order to monitor the situation there; Nil was chosen partly as he owned rubber plantations in the area and was therefore familiar with it. In Tonle Bet, Nil was set upon by a mob of pro-Sihanouk workers from the Chup plantation, and was beaten to death in the town marketplace.
There were persistent rumours that members of the crowd cut the liver from Lon Nil's body; it was then taken into a Chinese restaurant, where the owner was ordered to cook and slice it. It was then served to people in the immediate area. (Although the eating of an enemy's liver was considered a traditional act of revenge in Khmer culture, it was not commonplace, though it became a common propaganda device, as both sides in the subsequent Cambodian Civil War
regularly accused each others' troops of committing it). A resident of Kampong Cham later stated that the crowd had done this specifically "to express their extreme anger" towards Lon Nol.
Lon Nol's troops were subsequently to suppress the demonstrations, causing several hundred further deaths.
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
n Prime Minister Lon Nol
Lon Nol
Lon Nol was a Cambodian politician and general who served as Prime Minister of Cambodia twice, as well as serving repeatedly as Defense Minister...
, and was a casualty of the Cambodian coup of 1970
Cambodian coup of 1970
The Cambodian coup of 1970 refers to the removal of the Cambodian Head of State, Prince Norodom Sihanouk, after a vote in the National Assembly on 18 March 1970. Emergency powers were subsequently invoked by the Prime Minister Lon Nol, who became effective head of state...
.
Nil was the youngest son of Lon Hin, a district administrator in the French colonial era. Like his brother Lon Nol, he was educated at the Lycée Chasseloup-Laubat in Saigon, and like the rest of his family became employed in the state security apparatus. He eventually became police commissioner of Memot in Kampong Cham Province.
While Prince Norodom Sihanouk
Norodom Sihanouk
Norodom Sihanouk regular script was the King of Cambodia from 1941 to 1955 and again from 1993 until his semi-retirement and voluntary abdication on 7 October 2004 in favor of his son, the current King Norodom Sihamoni...
was on a trip abroad in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, on March 18, 1970, Prince Sirik Matak assisted Lon Nol in organizing a vote of the National Assembly to depose Sihanouk as Head of State, giving himself emergency powers.
On March 23, Sihanouk made a public appeal in China for Cambodians to revolt against the government. There was rioting in Kampong Cham
Kampong Cham (city)
Kampong Cham is the capital city of the Kampong Cham Province in eastern Cambodia. It is the third largest city in Cambodia with a population of 63,771 people and is located on the Mekong River. Kampong Cham is 124 kilometers northeast from Phnom Penh and can be reached by either boat or by...
on March 26 in which the governor's palace was stormed and several officials killed by the crowd, notably two National Assembly deputies, Kim Phon and Sos Saoun. Lon Nol had sent his brother to Kampong Cham in order to monitor the situation there; Nil was chosen partly as he owned rubber plantations in the area and was therefore familiar with it. In Tonle Bet, Nil was set upon by a mob of pro-Sihanouk workers from the Chup plantation, and was beaten to death in the town marketplace.
There were persistent rumours that members of the crowd cut the liver from Lon Nil's body; it was then taken into a Chinese restaurant, where the owner was ordered to cook and slice it. It was then served to people in the immediate area. (Although the eating of an enemy's liver was considered a traditional act of revenge in Khmer culture, it was not commonplace, though it became a common propaganda device, as both sides in the subsequent Cambodian Civil War
Cambodian Civil War
The Cambodian Civil War was a conflict that pitted the forces of the Communist Party of Kampuchea and their allies the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and the Viet Cong against the government forces of Cambodia , which were supported by the United States and the Republic of Vietnam The Cambodian...
regularly accused each others' troops of committing it). A resident of Kampong Cham later stated that the crowd had done this specifically "to express their extreme anger" towards Lon Nol.
Lon Nol's troops were subsequently to suppress the demonstrations, causing several hundred further deaths.