Norodom Chantaraingsey
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Prince Norodom Chantaraingsey (, 1924 or 1926 – c. 1976) was a member of the Cambodian royal family and a Cambodian
nationalist Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the State (polity), state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation,Anthony D. Smith, Smith, A ...
. Initially a leader of the
guerrilla Guerrilla warfare is a form of unconventional warfare in which small groups of irregular military, such as rebels, Partisan (military), partisans, paramilitary personnel or armed civilians, which may include Children in the military, recruite ...
resistance against the
colonial French Louisiana French (Louisiana French: ''français louisianais''; ) includes the dialects and varieties of the French language spoken traditionally by French Louisianians in colonial Lower Louisiana. As of today Louisiana French is primarily use ...
, he went on to become a prominent general in the
Khmer National Armed Forces The Khmer National Armed Forces (; , FANK) were the combined military forces of the Khmer Republic, a short-lived nationalist and militaristic state that existed from 1970 to 1975, known today as Cambodia. The FANK was the successor of the Roya ...
(FANK) during 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 ...
, as well as a businessman and occasional writer. Chantaraingsey is thought to have been killed fighting the
Khmer Rouge The Khmer Rouge is the name that was popularly given to members of the Communist Party of Kampuchea (CPK), and by extension to Democratic Kampuchea, which ruled Cambodia between 1975 and 1979. The name was coined in the 1960s by Norodom Sihano ...
in either 1975 or 1976. However, his exact date of death remains unknown.


Biography


Colonial Cambodia and First Indochina War

Prince Norodom Chantaraingsey, a grandson of
Norodom of Cambodia Preah Norodom (, ; born Ang Voddey (, ); 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 a half-brother of Prince Si Votha and King ...
and cousin of King
Norodom Suramarit Norodom Suramarit (, ; 6 March 1896 – 3 April 1960) was King of Cambodia from 3 March 1955 until his death in 1960. He was the father of King Norodom Sihanouk and the grandfather of Cambodia's current king, Norodom Sihamoni. Suramarit w ...
, was born in 1926 in
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 ...
.. His birth date is also given as 1924 in some sources. He was younger than Suramarit's son
Sihanouk Norodom Sihanouk (; 31 October 192215 October 2012) was a member of the Cambodian royal house who led the country as King, Chief of State and Prime Minister. In Cambodia, he is known as Samdech Euv (meaning "King Father"). During his lifetim ...
. He began his military career during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
and the
Japanese occupation of Cambodia The Japanese occupation of Cambodia () was the period of Cambodian history during World War II when the Kingdom of Cambodia was occupied by the Japanese. Vichy France, which was a client state of Germany, nominally maintained the French prot ...
, serving in the
Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
ese-sponsored anti-French forces under
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 ...
. After the war's end and the resumption of
colonial rule Colonialism is the control of another territory, natural resources and people by a foreign group. Colonizers control the political and tribal power of the colonised territory. While frequently an imperialist project, colonialism can also take ...
, Chantaraingsey escaped to
Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
and became one of the most prominent non-
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 ...
leaders of the
Khmer Issarak The Khmer Issarak (, or 'Independent Khmer') was a "loosely structured" anti- French and anti-colonial independence movement. The movement has been labelled as “amorphous”. The Issarak was formed around 1945 and composed of se ...
, leading armed resistance in the provinces of Kompong Speu and Kompong Thom at the head of a large private militia.Dommen, A. ''The
Indochinese Mainland Southeast Asia (historically known as Indochina and the Indochinese Peninsula) is the continental portion of Southeast Asia. It lies east of the Indian subcontinent and south of Mainland China and is bordered by the Indian Ocean to th ...
experience of the
French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...
and the
American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...
s'',
Indiana University Press Indiana University Press, also known as IU Press, is an academic publisher founded in 1950 at Indiana University that specializes in the humanities and social sciences. Its headquarters are located in Bloomington, Indiana. IU Press publishes ...
, 2001, p.197
In 1949 he joined the Khmer National Liberation Committee, becoming its Supreme Army Chief, then from 1951 he associated himself with the forces of
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 ...
in
Siem Reap Siem Reap (, ) is the second-largest city of Cambodia, as well as the capital and largest city of Siem Reap Province in northwestern Cambodia. Siem Reap possesses French-colonial and Chinese-style architecture in the Old French Quarter ...
, though he continued to operate as a regional
warlord Warlords are individuals who exercise military, Economy, economic, and Politics, political control over a region, often one State collapse, without a strong central or national government, typically through informal control over Militia, local ...
, maintaining his own troops.
Pol Pot Pol Pot (born Saloth Sâr; 19 May 1925 – 15 April 1998) was a Cambodian politician, revolutionary, and dictator who ruled the communist state of Democratic Kampuchea from 1976 until Cambodian–Vietnamese War, his overthrow in 1979. During ...
described Chantaraingsey, who at various times fought against the French, the
Viet Minh The Việt Minh (, ) is the common and abbreviated name of the League for Independence of Vietnam ( or , ; ), which was a Communist Party of Vietnam, communist-led national independence coalition formed at Pác Bó by Hồ Chí Minh on 19 May 1 ...
, and Khmer forces aligned with them, as essentially "
feudal Feudalism, also known as the feudal system, was a combination of legal, economic, military, cultural, and political customs that flourished in Middle Ages, medieval Europe from the 9th to 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a way of struc ...
" in outlook and his men as little more than
bandit Banditry is a type of organized crime committed by outlaws typically involving the threat or use of violence. A person who engages in banditry is known as a bandit and primarily commits crimes such as extortion, robbery, kidnapping, and murder, e ...
s. The communists had at one point considered making Chantaraingsey their preferred candidate as king instead of Sihanouk, but he proved too wary of the
Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...
ese influence on the communist cadres. Despite his personal rivalry with Sihanouk and his nominally republican stance, Chantaraingsey aligned with the government after Cambodia achieved independence under Sihanouk's regime. However, after being discovered to be conspiring, along with other former members of the Issarak, to stage a coup against Sihanouk, Chantaraingsey was stripped of his military rank and royal title. After three years' imprisonment, during which he occupied himself by writing a number of well-received romantic novels,Corfield, J. and Summers, L. ''Historical dictionary of Cambodia'', Scarecrow Press, 2003, pp.286–7 Chantaraingsey was released and went on to accrue a large personal fortune through a variety of business ventures, notably after Sihanouk appointed him director of the state-run
casino A casino is a facility for gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shops, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos also host live entertainment, such as stand-up comedy, conce ...
in the capital.Gayn, M. ''Cambodia consulting the stars'', New York Times magazine, 22-04-73


Career with the Khmer National Armed Forces

After the successful 1970 coup against Sihanouk,
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 ...
appointed Chantaraingsey commander of FANK's 13th Brigade (known as the "Tiger Brigade", Chantaraingesey having been born in the Year of the Tiger) with the rank of Brigadier-General. He became military governor of the Kampong Speu province, and perhaps FANK's most effective commander during the subsequent civil war. As in his Issarak years, Chantaraingsey ran the province as essentially a personal fiefdom; apart from running a successful pacification program, his purchases of American arms from neighbouring generals made his forces ultimately too powerful for Lon Nol to directly challenge. Unlike many FANK commanders, he ensured his men were well-treated and fed and regularly paid, and was popular as a result. Later in 1973, ''
Der Spiegel (, , stylized in all caps) is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. With a weekly circulation of about 724,000 copies in 2022, it is one of the largest such publications in Europe. It was founded in 1947 by John Seymour Chaloner ...
'' was to report that Chantaraingsey, using pseudo-
Maoist Maoism, officially Mao Zedong Thought, is a variety of Marxism–Leninism that Mao Zedong developed while trying to realize a socialist revolution in the agricultural, pre-industrial society of the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic o ...
slogans, was employing his soldiers to build roads and irrigation canals for local farmers, and in return received a proportion of their produce.
Die Kommunisten werden Ordnung halten
',
Der Spiegel (, , stylized in all caps) is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. With a weekly circulation of about 724,000 copies in 2022, it is one of the largest such publications in Europe. It was founded in 1947 by John Seymour Chaloner ...
, 16-07-73
After the
fall of Phnom Penh The Fall of Phnom Penh was the capture of Phnom Penh, capital of the Khmer Republic (in present-day Cambodia), by the Khmer Rouge on 17 April 1975, effectively ending the Cambodian Civil War. At the beginning of April 1975, Phnom Penh, one of th ...
to the
Khmer Rouge The Khmer Rouge is the name that was popularly given to members of the Communist Party of Kampuchea (CPK), and by extension to Democratic Kampuchea, which ruled Cambodia between 1975 and 1979. The name was coined in the 1960s by Norodom Sihano ...
on April 17, 1975, Chantaraingsey is thought to have retreated with his men to the area around the former
hill station A hill station is a touristic town located at a higher elevation than the nearby plain or valley. The English term was originally used mostly in Western imperialism in Asia, colonial Asia, but also in Africa (albeit rarely), for towns founded by ...
of Kirirom, where he had considerable support from the local peasantry. Some accounts state he was killed in this area in May while trying to break out to the Thai border,Savoeun,
A Biography of Prince Norodom Chantaraingsey
accessed 22-05-08
but he was reported to still be alive, and continuing resistance against the Khmer Rouge, in June 1975, at which point he was commanding some 2000 men in 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 ...
. Elements of FANK's 13th Brigade were in fact still fighting in this area as late as 1977.Corfield, J. ''A History of the Cambodian Non-Communist Resistance 1975–1983'', Monash University, 1991. Well into 1976 rumours persisted, from refugees fleeing Cambodia, that troops under Chantaraingsey were resisting in the Cardamoms. The exact date of Chantaraingsey's death is still unknown; one report states he was killed later in 1975 near
Battambang Battambang (, Romanization of Khmer#UNGEGN, UNGEGN: ) is the capital of Battambang province and the List of cities and towns in Cambodia, third largest city in Cambodia. The city is situated on the Sangkae River, which winds its way through t ...
during a failed attempt to rescue his wife, who was being held by members of the Khmer Rouge, while other reports suggest he was killed while fighting from an APC in the
Dâmrei Mountains The Dâmrei Mountains (literally the "Elephant Mountains", , Chuŏr Phnum Dâmrei), refer to a mountain range situated in south-western Cambodia, traversing around north-south as a succession of the Cardamom Mountains, dropping abruptly to the ...
in 1976.''All in a Day's Work'', ''
Phnom Penh Post ''The Phnom Penh Post'' (, ) is a daily English-language newspaper published in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Founded in 1992 by publisher Michael Hayes and Kathleen O'Keefe, it is Cambodia's oldest English-language newspaper and prior to the transferr ...
, 09-02-07
In 1973, the poet and journalist
James Fenton James Martin Fenton (born 25 April 1949) is an English poet, journalist and literary critic. He is a former Oxford Professor of Poetry. Life and career Born in Lincoln, Fenton grew up in Lincolnshire and Staffordshire, the son of Canon Jo ...
was invited by Chantaraingsey to a banquet lunch held on a battlefield; Fenton used the surreal experience in one of his most famous poems, ''Dead Soldiers'', noting that Chantaraingsey's aide was a brother of Pol Pot.See Fenton, J. ''The memory of war: poems 1968–1982'', Salamander, 1983, p.26. The title refers to the name given by Chantaraingsey and his officers to the empty
brandy Brandy is a liquor produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35–60% alcohol by volume (70–120 US proof) and is typically consumed as an after-dinner digestif. Some brandies are aged in wooden casks. Others are coloured ...
bottles piling up beneath the table.


Personal life

Chantaraingsey was married to Sisowath Samanvoraphong, a daughter of King
Sisowath Monivong Sisowath Monivong (, ;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. Washington, D ...
. The personal name "Chantaraingsey" is derived from ''chant(r)a'', "moon", and ''raingsey'', "ray of light", from
Pali Pāli (, IAST: pāl̤i) is a Classical languages of India, classical Middle Indo-Aryan languages, Middle Indo-Aryan language of the Indian subcontinent. It is widely studied because it is the language of the Buddhist ''Pali Canon, Pāli Can ...
''Candaraṅsi''.


See also

*
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 ...
*
First Indochina War The First Indochina War (generally known as the Indochina War in France, and as the Anti-French Resistance War in Vietnam, and alternatively internationally as the French-Indochina War) was fought between French Fourth Republic, France and Việ ...
*
Khmer National Armed Forces The Khmer National Armed Forces (; , FANK) were the combined military forces of the Khmer Republic, a short-lived nationalist and militaristic state that existed from 1970 to 1975, known today as Cambodia. The FANK was the successor of the Roya ...
*
List of people who disappeared {{Short description, Lists of people of unknown locations and statusLists of people who disappeared include those whose current whereabouts are unknown, or whose deaths are unsubstantiated: Many people who disappear are eventually declared dead ' ...


Notes


References

*Kenneth Conboy, ''FANK: A History of the Cambodian Armed Forces, 1970-1975'', Equinox Publishing (Asia) Pte Ltd, Djakarta 2011. *Kenneth Conboy, Kenneth Bowra, and Mike Chappell, ''The War in Cambodia 1970-75'', Men-at-arms series 209, Osprey Publishing Ltd, London 1989. *Justin Corfield and Laura Summers, ''Historical Dictionary of Cambodia'', Asian/Oceanian Historical Dictionaries No. 43, Scarecrow Press, Inc., Lanham, Maryland, and Oxford 2003.

*Sak Sutsakhan, ''The Khmer Republic at War and the Final Collapse'', U.S. Army Center of Military History, Washington D.C. 1980. – available online at Vietnam.ttu.ed
Part 1 PDFPart 2 (PDF)Part 3 (PDF)Part 4 (PDF)
*Sakou Samoth, ''Hommes et Histoire du Cambodge'', Éditions Angkor, Phnom Penh 2012.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Norodom, Chantaraingsey 1920s births 1970s deaths 1970s missing person cases Cambodian anti-communists Cambodian collaborators with Imperial Japan Cambodian generals Cambodian princes House of Norodom Missing people Missing person cases in Cambodia People from Phnom Penh People of the First Indochina War People of the Vietnam War Year of death uncertain