Tiv Ol () was a

Cambodia Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...

teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. w ...

and

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 ...

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

. Ol joined the

Kampuchean People's Revolutionary Party The Cambodian People's Party (CPP; , UNGEGN: ) is a Cambodian political party which has ruled the country since 1979. Founded in 1951, it was originally known as the Kampuchean People's Revolutionary Party (KPRP). During the Cold War it allie ...

(which later evolved into the Workers' Party of Kampuchea/Communist Party of Kampuchea) in autumn 1959.

Kiernan, Ben Benedict F. "Ben" Kiernan (born 29 January 1953) is an Australian-born American historian who is the Whitney Griswold Professor Emeritus of History, Professor of International and Area Studies and Director of the Genocide Studies Program at Yale ...

. ''How Pol Pot Came to Power''.

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

: Verso, 1985. p. 185 Ol was the leading figure in a grouping of radical teachers on

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 ...

. ''How Pol Pot Came to Power''.

: Verso, 1985. p. 266 On 8 March 1963, Tiv Ol was included in the list of 34 'subversive' leftists, published by then-

Prince 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 ...

. During the period of 1965-1967 Tiv Ol also a prominent member of the Khmer-Chinese Friendship Association.

. ''How Pol Pot Came to Power''.

: Verso, 1985. p. 419 In 1967, the Tiv Ol-led group of leftist teachers began to shift to the countryside, to escape state repression. Tiv Ol himself left the capital in November 1967, and made his way to the clandestine CPK Party Centre.

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. ...

later claimed to have been the organizer of this exodus. Around 1970, Tiv Ol was appointed the chief of the CPK party organization in Kratie. After communist forces took control over the area, Tiv Ol organized the re-opening of the local school and hospital as well as initiating some

agrarian reform Land reform (also known as agrarian reform) involves the changing of laws, regulations, or customs regarding land ownership, land use, and land transfers. The reforms may be initiated by governments, by interested groups, or by revolution. Lan ...

s. Tiv Ol, like others in the CPK Eastern Zone, represented a sector within the party which held ambivalent views on the relation between Vietnamese and Cambodian communists. In 1973 Tiv Ol expressed that Vietnam was an ally of the Cambodian liberation, but an unreliable ally. In 1974 Tiv Ol visited

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 ...

. During his stay in Hanoi, he wrote a poem saluting

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 ...

unity. The poem was published in a Vietnamese magazine. It is said that the publication had angered

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 ...

. In 1977 Tiv Ol fell victim of a purge of the core of the Khmer-Chinese Friendship Association. He was arrested on 6 June, and later executed.

. ''How Pol Pot Came to Power''.

: Verso, 1985. p. 294

Personal life

Tiv Ol was married to Leng Sim Hak, a fellow teacher.

References

1977 deaths Communist Party of Kampuchea politicians Executed Cambodian people People executed by the Khmer Rouge Executed politicians Year of birth missing Cambodian educators Executed communists {{Cambodia-politician-stub