Suchergebnisse

The Khmer communist movement developed only after World War Two, in response to the reimposition of French colonial power and under the patronage of Vietnamese communists. One of several currents of Khmer nationalism, it became the largest one by 1952-1953. Working within the Issarak ("independence") groupings, radical Khmer monks and communists allied to Vietnam gradually developed a functioning party and military force staffed largely by Khmer. 3,500 Khmer troops were fighting in communist regular regional units by 1954. French intelligence reports confirm the prestige of leftwing Khmer Issarak leaders in the countryside. After the 1954 Geneva settlement, however, 1,000 Khmer cadres withdrew to Hanoi, and by 1963 the political base of the movement came under the control of a new leadership with no links to the Party's political tradition. (Internat. Pol. Science Assoc.)