HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Hu Nim (, 25 July 1930 or 1932 – 6 July 1977), alias "Phoas" (), was a Cambodian
Communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...
intellectual and politician who held a number of ministerial posts. His long political career included spells with the
Sangkum The Sangkum Reastr Niyum (, , ;Headly, Robert K.; Chhor, Kylin; Lim, Lam Kheng; Kheang, Lim Hak; Chun, Chen. 1977. ''Cambodian-English Dictionary''. Bureau of Special Research in Modern Languages. The Catholic University of America Press. Washi ...
regime of Prince
Norodom Sihanouk Norodom Sihanouk (; 31 October 192215 October 2012) was a member of the House of Norodom, Cambodian royal house who led the country as Monarchy of Cambodia, King, List of heads of state of Cambodia, Chief of State and Prime Minister of Cambodi ...
, the Communist guerrilla resistance, the
GRUNK The Royal Government of National Union of Kampuchea (, GRUNK; ) was a government-in-exile of Cambodia, based in Beijing and Hong Kong, that was in existence between 1970 and 1976, and was briefly in control of the country starting from 1975. Th ...
coalition government-in-exile, and the administration of
Democratic Kampuchea Democratic Kampuchea was the official name of the Cambodian state from 1976 to 1979, under the government of Pol Pot and the Communist Party of Kampuchea (CPK), commonly known as the Khmer Rouge. The Khmer Rouge's capture of the capital Phno ...
, when the country was controlled by the
Communist Party of Kampuchea The Communist Party of Kampuchea (CPK), also known as the Khmer Communist Party,
Country Data. .
was a
(the Khmer Rouge). Nim had a reputation as one of the most independent-minded and outspoken members of the Khmer Rouge, and was eventually arrested, tortured and executed at Tuol Sleng security prison in 1977 during a party purge.


Early life

Hu Nim was born in 1932 (25 July 1932 according to some sources) in the village of Korkor, Kampong Siem District, Kampong Cham Province to a Sino-Khmer family. Unlike many of his later colleagues in the Party intelligentsia, he came from a poor background. In his 'confession' ''I would like to report to the Party about my history'', extracted under torture at Tuol Sleng, Nim was to relate that "my father, Hou, died in 1936 when I was just six years old. I then lived in the care of my mother, named Sorn, a poor peasant. She earned her living by offering household services to people". His mother, who remarried a landless peasant farmer, eventually sent him to live with Sam Khor at a pagoda in
Mien The Yao people () or Dao () is a classification for various ethnic minorities in China and Vietnam. Their majority branch is also known as Mien. They originated in the areas around Changsha, which today is the capital of Hunan province. They s ...
, Prey Chhor District.The Confession of Hu Nim, aka Phoas, 3 May 1977
Documentation Centre of Cambodia
Brought up by Sam Khor, Nim was given the chance to study at Kampong Cham junior school, going on to the '' Lycee Sisowath'' in the capital,
Phnom Penh Phnom Penh is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Cambodia, most populous city of Cambodia. It has been the national capital since 1865 and has grown to become the nation's primate city and its political, economic, industr ...
. Here, he stayed at the Unnalom Monastery, with his studies being funded by the family of his future wife. In the early 1950s, Nim - in common with many other later Communists - became associated with the left-leaning, pro-independence Democratic Party. As his confession stated, he was a part of the party's radical People's Movement wing, the '' Pracheachollana'', led by Um Sim and associated with the republican nationalist
Son Ngoc Thanh Sơn Ngọc Thành (; 7 December 1908 – 8 August 1977) was a Cambodian nationalist and republican politician, with a long history as a rebel leader and (for brief periods) a government minister. Early life Thanh was born in Trà Vinh, Viet ...
.Kiernan, B.
How Pol Pot Came to Power: Colonialism, Nationalism, and Communism in Cambodia, 1930-1975
', Yale University Press, 2004, p. 157.
Nim married in 1952, and subsequent to finishing his studies worked briefly as a teacher. After further studies in Law and Economics he moved into government work, and secured a full-time post at the Ministry of the Interior. He continued his work for the Democratic Party up to the 1955 elections, which handed power to Prince
Norodom Sihanouk Norodom Sihanouk (; 31 October 192215 October 2012) was a member of the House of Norodom, Cambodian royal house who led the country as Monarchy of Cambodia, King, List of heads of state of Cambodia, Chief of State and Prime Minister of Cambodi ...
's
Sangkum The Sangkum Reastr Niyum (, , ;Headly, Robert K.; Chhor, Kylin; Lim, Lam Kheng; Kheang, Lim Hak; Chun, Chen. 1977. ''Cambodian-English Dictionary''. Bureau of Special Research in Modern Languages. The Catholic University of America Press. Washi ...
movement amidst an atmosphere of extreme political intimidation and possible vote-rigging.


Studies in France

The Democratic Party's policies had offered talented Cambodians the chance to study in
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
on a government scholarship; several future Communists, including Saloth Sar (Pol Pot),
Khieu Samphan Khieu Samphan (; born 28 July 1931) is a Cambodian former communist politician and economist who was the chairman of the state presidium of Democratic Kampuchea (Cambodia) from 1976 until 1979. As such, he served as Cambodia's head of state a ...
,
Ieng Sary Ieng Sary (; born Kim Trang; 24 October 1925 – 14 March 2013) was the co-founder and senior member of the Khmer Rouge and one of the main architects of the Cambodian genocide. He was a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Par ...
and Hou Yuon, had studied abroad under this system, falling under the influence of the
French Communist Party The French Communist Party (, , PCF) is a Communism, communist list of political parties in France, party in France. The PCF is a member of the Party of the European Left, and its Member of the European Parliament, MEPs sit with The Left in the ...
in the process. Hu Nim was to take this route in 1955: intending to become a customs officer, he studied at the Customs School and law school in
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
, travelling several hours every day by Metro to get to his place of study. Amongst the expatriate community, he met Hou Yuon and several other future colleagues, although stating in his 'confession' that "political activities were not carried out because my studies required so much attention". Nim returned to Cambodia in 1957 to work as a customs official, but from this point his political involvement was to increase substantially. Whether or not he had taken part in political activity in France, his position was to move steadily to the left following the winding-up of the Democratic Party during the same year.


Under the Sangkum 1958-67

Sihanouk, having effectively destroyed the ability of the Democratic Party and the socialist '' Pracheachon'' opposition to function, now made an attempt to co-opt young leftists into the Sangkum movement; amongst the prospective candidates Hou Yuon, Chau Sau, Uch Ven and Hu Nim all won seats. Nim became Under-Secretary of State in the office of the
Prime Minister A prime minister 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. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
, and held a variety of junior ministerial posts over the next nine months.Kiernan, p.181 More significantly, he began to build up a substantial base of support in his Kampong Cham constituency, which he was to represent for the next nine years, becoming one of the most visible and well-known Cambodian leftists. By the early 1960s, Nim had joined the staff of the Sihanoukist daily newspaper ''Neak Cheat Niyum'', and after a trip to
Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...
was asked to form the Khmer-Chinese Friendship Association; he also travelled to
Pyongyang Pyongyang () is the Capital city, capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is sometimes labeled as the "Capital of the Revolution" (). Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. Accordi ...
and to
Hanoi Hanoi ( ; ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Vietnam, second-most populous city of Vietnam. The name "Hanoi" translates to "inside the river" (Hanoi is bordered by the Red River (Asia), Red and Black River (Asia), Black Riv ...
, where he met
Ho Chi Minh (born ; 19 May 1890 – 2 September 1969), colloquially known as Uncle Ho () among other aliases and sobriquets, was a Vietnamese revolutionary and politician who served as the founder and first President of Vietnam, president of the ...
.Kiernan, p.204 Continuing his studies in law at the University of Phnom Penh, he completed his doctoral thesis, on land tenure and social structure, in 1965. The 1966 elections resulted in domination of the Sangkum by its rightist elements, though thanks to his local popularity, Hu Nim (along with Hou Yuon) was able to retain his seat, despite Sihanouk actively campaigning against him. He was briefly made part of a leftist "counter-government" set up by Sihanouk to balance
Lon Nol Marshal Lon Nol (, also ; 13 November 1913 – 17 November 1985) was a Cambodian military officer and politician who served as Prime Minister of Cambodia twice (1966–67; 1969–71), as well as serving repeatedly as defence minister and provi ...
's right-wing cabinet, but from this point the political tide was to turn against the remaining leftists who had not already joined the Communist underground movement. The situation was inflamed in March–April 1967 by a revolt in the far north-east of the country, the Samlaut Uprising, that was blamed by Sihanouk on left-wing agitation, and specifically, though most likely incorrectly, on the activities of the remaining openly leftist politicians: Hou Yuon,
Khieu Samphan Khieu Samphan (; born 28 July 1931) is a Cambodian former communist politician and economist who was the chairman of the state presidium of Democratic Kampuchea (Cambodia) from 1976 until 1979. As such, he served as Cambodia's head of state a ...
, Chau Seng and Hu Nim.Kiernan, p.255 The first two men, threatened with arrest, a military tribunal, and calls from right-wing members of the Assembly for their immediate execution, fled to join the Communist guerrillas in late April. Hu Nim was later to write that he initially joined them, but returned to the capital after a few days, having been persuaded by senior cadre
Vorn Vet Vorn Vet (; 1929–1978), born Sok Thuok (), was a Cambodian politician who served as deputy prime minister for the economy of Democratic Kampuchea. He was responsible for appointing Kang Kek Iew to his position as head of Special Security. ...
that it might be profitable to continue engagement with Sihanouk and persist in anti-government agitation.Kiernan, p.256 Sihanouk, however, was to respond by calling Nim "dangerous", and to ban the Khmer-Chinese Friendship Association. An attempt by Nim to submit a petition for its reinstatement backfired dramatically, when it was discovered that the cadres who had collected the thumbprints used for signatures had done so under false pretences: Sihanouk called a meeting where he admonished Nim in person as "a little hypocrite" whose "words carry the scent of honey, but hohides his claws like a tiger", adding that he "had the face of a Vietnamese or Chinese".Kiernan, p.264 In this climate, it was unsurprising that Nim soon received instructions from Vorn Vet to take to the forests. On 5 October, Sihanouk warned him that he would be "subjected to the military tribunal and the execution block"; he left for the
Cardamom Mountains The Cardamom Mountains (, ; , ), or the Krâvanh Mountains, is a mountain range in the southwest part of Cambodia and Eastern Thailand. The majority of the range is within Cambodia. The silhouette of the Cardamom Mountains appears in the Sea ...
, escaping waiting intelligence agents, two days later. Like Hou Yuon and Khieu Samphan, Nim was widely assumed to have been murdered by Lon Nol's security police.


The GRUNK

Hu Nim was to spend the next three years in the Cardamoms as part of the Communist guerrilla movement. After the Cambodian coup of 1970, however, in which Sihanouk was deposed by Lon Nol, the situation was to change dramatically. Sihanouk established a
Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...
-based government-in-exile, the
GRUNK The Royal Government of National Union of Kampuchea (, GRUNK; ) was a government-in-exile of Cambodia, based in Beijing and Hong Kong, that was in existence between 1970 and 1976, and was briefly in control of the country starting from 1975. Th ...
, in collaboration with his former communist enemies, and Hu Nim - now described by Sihanouk as one "of our outstanding intellectuals"Norodom Sihanouk, ''My War with the CIA'', Random House, 1973, p.62 was made one of its most prominent figures as Minister for Information. There were soon disagreements between Nim and the Party 'Centre' led by Saloth Sar (Pol Pot) and
Ieng Sary Ieng Sary (; born Kim Trang; 24 October 1925 – 14 March 2013) was the co-founder and senior member of the Khmer Rouge and one of the main architects of the Cambodian genocide. He was a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Par ...
, as Nim - along with Hou Yuon and Khieu Samphan - opposed the party line on the collectivisation of agriculture in the "liberated" areas.Kiernan, p.328 Nim was to gain a reputation as one of the more outspoken members of the Party, being generally in favour of more moderate economic policies.


Democratic Kampuchea

Nim was to continue in his post as Minister of Information after the 1975 Communist victory in the
Cambodian Civil War The Cambodian Civil War (, Romanization of Khmer#UNGEGN, UNGEGN: ) was a civil war in Cambodia fought between the Communist Party of Kampuchea (known as the Khmer Rouge, supported by North Vietnam and China) against the government of the Ki ...
, and the establishment of
Democratic Kampuchea Democratic Kampuchea was the official name of the Cambodian state from 1976 to 1979, under the government of Pol Pot and the Communist Party of Kampuchea (CPK), commonly known as the Khmer Rouge. The Khmer Rouge's capture of the capital Phno ...
after the remaining Sihanoukists were purged from the administration. He gained a certain amount of international prominence as the regime spokesman during the
Mayaguez incident The ''Mayaguez'' incident took place between Democratic Kampuchea, Kampuchea (now Cambodia) and the United States from 12 to 15 May 1975, less than a month after the Khmer Rouge took Fall of Phnom Penh, control of the capital Phnom Penh ousting ...
. Nim was later implicated in a confession made by Northern Zone commander Koy Thuon, another former schoolteacher, and was arrested by the Party security apparatus on 10 April 1977. Over a period of several months, he was brutally tortured in security prison S-21, where the leader of the interrogation unit was the feared Mam Nai. Nim appears to have only reluctantly implicated himself in 'counterrevolutionary' activity, even displaying what in relative terms seems "extraordinary courage" by including criticism of the Party Standing Committee in his notes.Chandler, S. ''Voices from S-21'', University of California Press, p.65 By the time of his last confession on 28 May he wrote: "I have nothing to depend on, only the Communist Party of Kampuchea. Would the Party please show clemency towards me," adding "I am not a human being, I am an animal".Kiernan, B
Khmer Rouge Atrocities
, Yale University Genocide Studies Program
He was finally killed on 6 July. The
historiography Historiography is the study of the methods used by historians in developing history as an academic discipline. By extension, the term ":wikt:historiography, historiography" is any body of historical work on a particular subject. The historiog ...
of the Vietnamese-backed
People's Republic of Kampuchea The People's Republic of Kampuchea (PRK) was a partially recognised state in Southeast Asia which existed from 1979 to 1989. It was a satellite state of Vietnam, founded in Cambodia by the Vietnamese-backed Kampuchean United Front for Nationa ...
regime, which ousted the Khmer Rouge in 1979, was to emphasise Nim's role as a 'moderate' socialist, with the result that his story is still prominently featured in the Tuol Sleng museum.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hu, Nim 1932 births 1977 deaths People from Kampong Cham province Cambodian communists Khmer Rouge party members Cambodian people of Chinese descent Executed Cambodian people People executed by the Khmer Rouge Sangkum politicians Communist Party of Kampuchea politicians Government ministers of Cambodia Democratic Party (Cambodia) politicians Executed communists