I mean of the Khmer Republic 36 years this day in April 17 1975. The war began with the change voted by the Cambodian congress on March 18, 1970. The khmer republic was proclaimed later that year on October 9. It was the war that was not prepared and involved by many differents parties and countries. The loosers, the Khmer people, were dispersed some around the world, many others around the country forced to live their home to live in the country side.
The winners, the Khmer Rouge, would rule the country at gun point killing and or causing around 1.7 millions people to die, until they were kicked out by the communist Vietnamese in 1978 after 3 years 8 months and 20 days in power.
Who is to blame? - It depends on where you stand.
A point to remember, on April 12, 5 days earlier, the Americans main suppoters of the Khmer Republic closed it embassy and evacuated its sfaff and some of their friends by helicopters in an operation code named Eagle Pull.
Prince Sirik Matak was invited to the evacuation, he refused and wrote this note to Ambasador John G. Dean:
"Dear Excellency and friend,
I thank you very sincerely for your letter and for your offer to transport me towards freedom. I cannot, alas, leave in such a cowardly fashion.
As for you and in particular for your great country, I never believed for a moment that you would have this sentiment of abandoning a people which has chosen liberty. You have refused us protection and we can do nothing about it. You leave and it is my wish that you and your country will find happiness under the sky.
But mark it well that, if I shall die here on the spot and in my country that I love, it is too bad because we all are born and must die one day. I have only committed this mistake of believing in you, the Americans. Please accept, Excellency, my dear friend, my faithful and friendly sentiments. Sirik Matak."
My story: On that day after the last chance of evacuation failed I drove and left my wife at my aunt home and along with my driver/body guard Say Karo and my aide Phap Saphan I made the last try and my patrol boat unit on the Mekong. Things were worse and my last stop is to see Marine Commander Vong Sarandy who told me that theere was no way out. I returned to my aunt home and I was told that my wife with an aide went to the Red Cross office.
Then I went to the Prime Minister home who told me that there was an helicopter waiting at the Olympic Stadium and we should rushing there immediately. I was thinking of my wife but thought that she may have achance to survive without me. Asking asking my driver and aide to go home I humped in the PM mercedes with Thong Lim Huong Information Minister sitting in the passenger seat next to me and Prime Minister Long Boreth in the back seat, and immediately I drive the car at full speed via Sihanouk Avenue to the Stadium that was guarded by a few Military Police officers at the gate. One of them recognized me me and allowed us to get in. We rushed from the car and join the helicopter were we saw General Sak Suthsakhan and a few officers waiting. We climbed to the helicopter that the pilot just changed the battery but then Mr. Long Boreth saw his wife waiting by the stadium side and he decided to get off with Thong Lim Huong expecting to get in another helico. When we lift off we saw Long Boreth trying to find another helico but it was unsuccessful. Apprently they never left Phnom Penh. I was the only civilian member of the Government to leave that morning.
The helico I was in flew to Kompong Thom and after a few hours stop over took off to Siemreap for gasoline refill before continuing to Samrong City in Oddar Meanchey. I spent at the National Police Office and early in the morning on April 18, we flew to American Utapao Air Base in Thailand.
It was a great escape that can be a tory of a book.
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