Number ONE BIG Brother, Keng Van Sak
March 10, 2006
Number ONE BIG Brother, Keng Van Sak
By Kok Sap
Amidst false pluralism of flamboyant King Sihanouk and cronies such as Nhiek Tioulong,Sam Sary,Lon Nol's Renovation Party, and Khim Tit's National Union Party efforts, the dynamic Democrats Party defeated Sihanouk schematic pants down.Thus de Paris opportunistic Marxists be a Roman in Rome in order to gain credibility. Not a co-incident the future Democratic Kampuchea Saloth Sar and his mentors, Keng Van Sak and Thioun Mumm, affiliated themselves with Democrats Party. This most secretive mild manner of soft words aliased Pol Pot, later became horrific Brother One, the boss of Kampuchea Communist Party, openly in late 1977. His name is synonymous of Killing Fields.
From historians recounts Brother One was mentored by other Big Brothers in communist movement back in Paris. One of them was no one else but the philogician Keng Van Sak who was nicknamed as King Van Sak by the demagogue leader Sihanouk because of their indifference in political logics. In his youth, Keng Van Sak was one of the staunchest anti-American agitators beside Polytechnicien Thioun Mumm, the early ultra left leader of Communists in France in the mid 1940's.There were several accounts noted Thioun family and siblings intimate involvement in the revolution. But for time being, the topical focus here is Professeur Keng Van Sak.
Post Geneva Conference Sihanouk primary rival was Democrats Party. In spite of its weakness due to internal quarrels after three years away from power but it still viewed as the best organized political party. Many younger Democrats opposed the apparently pro-US policies Sihanouk had been following since Geneva and argued that Cambodia should be neutral in its alignments. They shared this line with the pro-communist party that had just taken shape in Cambodia, known as Krom Pracheachon or People's Group. Cambodia hard core communist party, founded in 1951, remained concealed from view.
Younger Democrats move their own party to the left in 1954, pushing such stalwarts as Sim Var and Son Sann aside and replacing them with anti monarchic neutralists like Keng Vannsak and Svay So and with even more radical figures, including Thiounn Mumm, then a member of the French Communist Party. Leftists Keng Van Sak and Thioun Mumm (Big Brother II), former students in France, who had decided to infiltrate a legal party that was, at least, already sympathetic to republican ideas and opposed to Cambodia's developing links with the United States, Milton Osborne Sihanouk Prince of Light Prince of Darkness, and p.88. Mumm cooperated with Saloth Sar, who had spent some months in the Vietnamese marquis in 1953-54, to coordinate the Democrats tactics with those of Pracheachon. p.188 D Chandler, A History of Cambodia, 2nd edition
Students in the capital, infected with what later French called the virus of independence, including such Cambodia future radicals Keng Vannsak, Rath Samoeun, and Ieng Sary as well as more conservative figures like Douc Rasy, Norodom Kantol, and Long Boret. D. Chandler, the Tragedy of Cambodian History Politics, War, and Revolution since 1945, p.36. Keng Vannsak a student of Cambodian philology was three years older than Saloth Sar. Having arrived in Paris in 1946, fresh from his baccalauréat, he was to play a key role among Cambodian students. Like Cambodia's only polytechnicien, Thiounn Mumm, who had preceded him to France by several months, Vannsak acted as an older brother (BIG Brother) for students from Cambodia, many of whom he had known in the 1940 at the Lycée Sisowath.
As a linguist and scholar of Cambodian literature, he gained an intellectual reputation similar to the one Thiounn Mumm enjoyed among scientists, mathematicians, and engineers. In his philological work, Vannsak tried to uncover pre-Buddhist, pre-Sanskrit layers of Cambodian vocabulary and cultures. The idea that Cambodia could and should be cut off from other cultures persisted in many Cambodian regimes and resurfaced not only in the Khmer Republic, but also among some Vannsak's disciples of Democratic Republic Kampuchea.
The pace of radicalization among Cambodians in France quickened when two students from Lycée Sisowath, Rath Samoeun and Ieng Sary, arrived in October 1950.Soon after their arrival, they began to participate in an informal Marxist studies circle that met at Vannsak's apartment in the 15th arrondissement(in Paris). The circle and others like it were associated with the groupes des langues set up in 1949 by the CPF among foreign students and workers. Vannsak group had no formal links with the CPF party according to author D. Chandler, the Tragedy of Cambodian History Politics, War, and Revolution since 1945, p.52.
In conclusion his doctrine and ideology Esprit de Khmer influenced many of emerging intellectual class of Cambodia post colonial rule. His anecdotal analysis turned a trendy movement that contributed destitution to Cambodia in later years. Many of them are in late 60 and early 70 in age now who either served DRK or later PRK regime. Also he was known as the perverse provocateur that had feuded with both Cambodia home grown linguistic researcher and scholar Abbot Chuon Nath and former King Sihanouk.
In traditional saying those can't learn teach. Infatuatedly he seemed to boast his Khmerlogy in French cuisine. What he says and does is two different things. Intuitively his home life seemed hypocritical to his love Khmer teaching. Today included those; never had formal relations with him; profess to eulogize his hidden extreme radicalism. After all Democratic Kampuchea leadership might not exist if it wasn't for King Van Sak groupe de langue sessions en Karl Marx early years in Paris. Khmer saying chress mauk pee daek therefore, history must grant the honorific Number One BIG Brother to teacher as well as Brother One title to his devoted apostle.
Number ONE BIG Brother, Keng Van Sak
By Kok Sap
Amidst false pluralism of flamboyant King Sihanouk and cronies such as Nhiek Tioulong,Sam Sary,Lon Nol's Renovation Party, and Khim Tit's National Union Party efforts, the dynamic Democrats Party defeated Sihanouk schematic pants down.Thus de Paris opportunistic Marxists be a Roman in Rome in order to gain credibility. Not a co-incident the future Democratic Kampuchea Saloth Sar and his mentors, Keng Van Sak and Thioun Mumm, affiliated themselves with Democrats Party. This most secretive mild manner of soft words aliased Pol Pot, later became horrific Brother One, the boss of Kampuchea Communist Party, openly in late 1977. His name is synonymous of Killing Fields.
From historians recounts Brother One was mentored by other Big Brothers in communist movement back in Paris. One of them was no one else but the philogician Keng Van Sak who was nicknamed as King Van Sak by the demagogue leader Sihanouk because of their indifference in political logics. In his youth, Keng Van Sak was one of the staunchest anti-American agitators beside Polytechnicien Thioun Mumm, the early ultra left leader of Communists in France in the mid 1940's.There were several accounts noted Thioun family and siblings intimate involvement in the revolution. But for time being, the topical focus here is Professeur Keng Van Sak.
Post Geneva Conference Sihanouk primary rival was Democrats Party. In spite of its weakness due to internal quarrels after three years away from power but it still viewed as the best organized political party. Many younger Democrats opposed the apparently pro-US policies Sihanouk had been following since Geneva and argued that Cambodia should be neutral in its alignments. They shared this line with the pro-communist party that had just taken shape in Cambodia, known as Krom Pracheachon or People's Group. Cambodia hard core communist party, founded in 1951, remained concealed from view.
Younger Democrats move their own party to the left in 1954, pushing such stalwarts as Sim Var and Son Sann aside and replacing them with anti monarchic neutralists like Keng Vannsak and Svay So and with even more radical figures, including Thiounn Mumm, then a member of the French Communist Party. Leftists Keng Van Sak and Thioun Mumm (Big Brother II), former students in France, who had decided to infiltrate a legal party that was, at least, already sympathetic to republican ideas and opposed to Cambodia's developing links with the United States, Milton Osborne Sihanouk Prince of Light Prince of Darkness, and p.88. Mumm cooperated with Saloth Sar, who had spent some months in the Vietnamese marquis in 1953-54, to coordinate the Democrats tactics with those of Pracheachon. p.188 D Chandler, A History of Cambodia, 2nd edition
Students in the capital, infected with what later French called the virus of independence, including such Cambodia future radicals Keng Vannsak, Rath Samoeun, and Ieng Sary as well as more conservative figures like Douc Rasy, Norodom Kantol, and Long Boret. D. Chandler, the Tragedy of Cambodian History Politics, War, and Revolution since 1945, p.36. Keng Vannsak a student of Cambodian philology was three years older than Saloth Sar. Having arrived in Paris in 1946, fresh from his baccalauréat, he was to play a key role among Cambodian students. Like Cambodia's only polytechnicien, Thiounn Mumm, who had preceded him to France by several months, Vannsak acted as an older brother (BIG Brother) for students from Cambodia, many of whom he had known in the 1940 at the Lycée Sisowath.
As a linguist and scholar of Cambodian literature, he gained an intellectual reputation similar to the one Thiounn Mumm enjoyed among scientists, mathematicians, and engineers. In his philological work, Vannsak tried to uncover pre-Buddhist, pre-Sanskrit layers of Cambodian vocabulary and cultures. The idea that Cambodia could and should be cut off from other cultures persisted in many Cambodian regimes and resurfaced not only in the Khmer Republic, but also among some Vannsak's disciples of Democratic Republic Kampuchea.
The pace of radicalization among Cambodians in France quickened when two students from Lycée Sisowath, Rath Samoeun and Ieng Sary, arrived in October 1950.Soon after their arrival, they began to participate in an informal Marxist studies circle that met at Vannsak's apartment in the 15th arrondissement(in Paris). The circle and others like it were associated with the groupes des langues set up in 1949 by the CPF among foreign students and workers. Vannsak group had no formal links with the CPF party according to author D. Chandler, the Tragedy of Cambodian History Politics, War, and Revolution since 1945, p.52.
In conclusion his doctrine and ideology Esprit de Khmer influenced many of emerging intellectual class of Cambodia post colonial rule. His anecdotal analysis turned a trendy movement that contributed destitution to Cambodia in later years. Many of them are in late 60 and early 70 in age now who either served DRK or later PRK regime. Also he was known as the perverse provocateur that had feuded with both Cambodia home grown linguistic researcher and scholar Abbot Chuon Nath and former King Sihanouk.
In traditional saying those can't learn teach. Infatuatedly he seemed to boast his Khmerlogy in French cuisine. What he says and does is two different things. Intuitively his home life seemed hypocritical to his love Khmer teaching. Today included those; never had formal relations with him; profess to eulogize his hidden extreme radicalism. After all Democratic Kampuchea leadership might not exist if it wasn't for King Van Sak groupe de langue sessions en Karl Marx early years in Paris. Khmer saying chress mauk pee daek therefore, history must grant the honorific Number One BIG Brother to teacher as well as Brother One title to his devoted apostle.
