Khmer Serei - Origin

Origin

The Khmer Serei had its origin in the Issarak (pro-independence) armed bands active within Cambodian borders during the later French colonial period. Thanh, who had briefly been Prime Minister during the Japanese occupation in World War II before being exiled by the returning French, attempted to gain overall leadership of the Issarak movement, but had little success.

After Cambodia gained its independence in 1954 under King Norodom Sihanouk, Thanh organized the Khmer Serei irregulars to maintain an armed struggle against Sihanouk. They operated mainly from bases on the Thai and Vietnamese borders, recruiting largely amongst the Khmer Krom minority of the Mekong Delta in Vietnam, and made clandestine anti-Sihanouk radio broadcasts. Although observers regarded the Khmer Serei's activities as more of a "nuisance" than a genuine threat, the Cambodian regime viewed the insurgency seriously: allegations later surfaced that Sihanouk had executed as many as 1000 Khmer Serei suspects during his rule.

The 1963 arrest, public caging and subsequent execution of Preap In, a Khmer Serei activist who had offered to go to the National Assembly to negotiate directly with Sihanouk, was a prominent example of the Sangkum's repression of the Khmer Serei. The execution of In, a former member of the Democratic Party, was filmed and shown in all cinemas for a month, an event which remained in the memories of Cambodians for many years.