Norodom Sihanouk
King of Cambodia
CLARIFICATION
in relation to the book “Warrior Prince” by Mr. Harish C. Mehta
Phnom Penh, Saturday September 29, 2001
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It is not true that, after the victory of the Khmers Rouges in Cambodia, I “hoped” and “wanted” to continue as Cambodia's head of state and that “contrary to my wishes” the Khmers Rouges “deposed me and took me prisoner”.
The strict historical truth is as follows:
a) Aware of the sufferings of my people (although I had not seen the "killing fields"), I wrote a letter in February 1976 and another in March 1976 to the Khmer Rouge Angkar (leadership) asking to be allowed to “retire” (sic), to give up definitively my functions and position as "Head of State of Democratic Kampuchea”. The reason I gave for this request was my "ill health".
The Khmers Rouges thereupon sent a special delegation to visit me on two occasions to ask me not to resign: the delegation was made up of HE Samdech Penn Nouth, HE Khieu Samphan, HE Ieng Sary, and Lok Chumtiev Ieng Thirith, His Highness Prince Norodom Phurissara, HE Son Sen and HE Hu Nim.
At a special audience (at the Khémarin Palace), HE Son Sen actually gave me an assurance that Democratic Kampuchea, its Angkar and its Army, would respect me always and protect me always (sic) if I agreed to continue as “Head of State of Democratic Kampuchea".
As for my “ill health”, the Angkar (Khmer Rouge organisation) sent its best doctor, Dr. Thiounn Thieunn, to see me (still at the Khémarin palace) to give me the benefit of his medical advice (without attempting to subject me to a proper medical check-up).
Early in April 1976, the Khmer Rouge Angkar finally officially accepted my (voluntary) resignation from my functions as Head of State.
From that time onwards, the entire Khmer Rouge propaganda machine was tireless in hurling insults, gross calumnies and opprobrium upon myself, the Cambodian monarchy and the former SRN.
Worse still was the killing, under atrocious circumstances, of some of those dearest to me, in particular Prince Methavi and his wife Nanette (sister to my wife Monique), my cousin Prince Norodom Phurissara and his wife, my children Khémanourak, Sorya Roeungsy, her husband (a Communist) and their children, Botum Bopha, her second husband Captain So Photra (who had bombarded Lon Nol’s palace from the air in 1973), and her first husband (Prince Sisowath Doussady, a fervent Sihanouk supporter, to whom the book wrongly attributes the aerial bombing of the palace) and their children.
Prior to my resignation and in the wake of their victory on 17 April 1975, the Khmers Rouges had brutally killed my daughter Sujata, a supporter of Sirik Matak, and my son Naradipo, who had dared to criticise the new regime.
If my sons Sihamoni and Narindrapong escaped death, it was solely due to President Mao Tse Tung of the People's Republic of China who, in September 1975 and in my presence, had said to Mr. Khieu Samphan and Mrs. Ieng Sary (Thirith), both of whom had come to Peking to invite me officially, in the name of the Angkar and of the people (sic) of Democratic Kampuchea, to return home, “Please take good care of Samdech Sihanouk, of his wife (Princess Monique) and their two children (Sihamoni and Narindrapong). Never do them any harm!”
b) It is odious and contemptible to accuse me, even once I became a prisoner of the Khmers Rouges, of having forgotten the tragic fate of my people. At no time did I ever forget my much-respected and beloved people. When I accepted the “invitation” from the Khmer Rouge Angkar to return to Cambodia, it was solely in order to live beside and share in the fortunes and misfortunes of the people of my homeland, Cambodia.
In certain addresses that I made to the Cambodian people via Radio Peking in the years 1970 to 1975, I took care to make it clear that my struggle at the head of FUNC-GRUNC had as its sole objective that of the total liberation of our homeland, and its return to absolute independence, national unity and territorial integrity. I also made it clear that, following this total liberation, I would never seek to return to power.
