This is just some more filler, until I get back into the swing of things. Presented below is some film from the Khmer Republic period, from the year 1974 I think. Firstly, it shows government relief given to the refugees from the Khmer Rouge siege of the old Royal capital Oudong. Lon Nol appears after 2:45, hobbling around with his walking stick post-stroke, for the inauguration of the Senate in Phnom Penh. Among others present at this event we see an old Son Ngoc Thanh at 3:33. There is the opening of a refugee camp at Prek Leap, and the commissioning of works by the government’s electrical board. FANK soldiers engage in construction and fighting with Khmer Rouge forces. Of particular interest to me given the secrecy of the Communists, is that which follows the above appears to be FUNK propaganda footage from the liberated zones, and excellent it is too. As for personalities, firstly at 6:50, we have none other than backwater rebel and future DK hangman Chhit Choeun, alias Ta Mok, giving a talk to peasants in what is presumably a ‘relocated’ village. As well as footage and stills of male and female Khmer Rouge troops, we see another scene at 19:48, where in a forest hideout Pol Pot, Nuon Chea and Khieu Samphan pose for the camera while perhaps pretending to discuss military tactics over a map of Cambodia. We also get to see what looks to be a makeshift meeting hall, complete with a display including the Communist Party of Kampuchea flag and the old three-towered Khmer People’s National Liberation Committee flag of non-ICP Issaraks (later adopted as the DK national flag). And what place such as this wouldn’t be complete without portraits of Marx, Engels, Lenin and Stalin. A book of Lenin’s writings also rests neatly on a desk. Lastly we see another meeting of villagers addressed by Communist Party cadres. I’m curious as to the identity of one of them though, making his appearance at about 23:45, and think perhaps it’s Northern Zone leader Koy Thuon. The Khmer Republic got hold of this footage, but those who mattered in the government probably weren’t cognisant of just who some of these guys really were and the positions they held in the opposing united front government, excluding maybe Samphan.
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Apparently right to the volume of Lenin is one of the collected works of Mao Zedong. I got the same edition. The bottom left looks like the little red book.
I don’t think it’s Koy Thuon, but looks similar. Notice eyes of Nuon Chea, he distances himself from suggesting anything, he just moves with his eyes right and left like an owl.
Yeah, I agree about it not being Thuon, but it did have me thinking for a minute.
http://sopheak.wordpress.com/2010/03/19/khmer-republic-and-the-sign-of-communism/
An interesting message, Lon Nol’s coat of arms was design in style of other socialist ones. In the lower left, People Republic of Kampuchea and second row right Lao PDR.
Thanks for that. You making a post here any time soon?
Maybe this weekend, I wrote though in Russian on my blog about Sexual Policies of DK, but I’m not too satisfied with that, plus I want to extra consult with DCC magazine. There can’t be a single comprehensive article on that issue anyways, it’s too broad.
No comparison DK and Platonov’s Chevengur yet, I’ve read the novel in Russian but I want to re-read it in English, just to get another side of it, it’s too good to be read just once. There should be very interesting comparison though.
I will try to finish scanning the book too, I work now in town and my schedule leaves me only 2-3 hours everyday, so I’m not that active at all.
You might like this recent essay written by Arundhati Roy, on her visit to meet contemporary Maoist insurgents in India
http://juche-songun.livejournal.com/
This is a unique blog about DPRK, it publishes exclusive, never before seen photos and materials. He’s going to post something about DPRK and Sihanouk, hopefully he’ll be able to squeeze something about Pol Pot, there gotta be a documentary about Pol Pot’s visit to Korea. I mentioned on his blog I want to see that.
In my opinion this blog is written by North Koreans, the way they write in Russian they make sometimes very small inaccuracies and an awkward choice of a word/ awkward clause. Anyways, it’s full of exclusive material on Korea, you might be interested, videos etc.
Thanks for the link. North Korea had, I suppose, by Stalinist standards and infrastructure-wise built itself up impressively after the war, but with an unacceptable level of repression, and stagnation no longer quilted by the old Communist world bloc, has become something rather awful and tragic. To help ensure its survival, the militarised government in its little enclave has to export regional insecurity, or threats of it, so some crumbs can be thrown from the ‘Yankee Imperialist’ table.
Here’s a very short clip from a French news bulletin, showing Pol Pot on a state visit to China in September 1977. He went to North Korea in October of that year too, while acting as DK’s paper prime minister, although I’m sure you know this already.
I think the footage I posted of the meeting hall with the portraits, flags and banners etc is the same place where the Chinit river Congress (in Rattanakiri) was held in 1971.
We think about the same things, funny enough I cut the picture from the French movie with Pol Pot speaking on the congress at Mount/river Chinit, I don’t remember seeing this picture anywhere else. Now you mention Chinit too. The buildings look too close to each other indeed, I’ve realised that there’s no walls, i.e. typical Khmer sala, hall. I will hopefully post something about Chinit congress today or tomorrow.
I’ve uploaded a short film clip and included it in my most recent post. It’s from the Yugoslav film Kampucija 1978, and shows a revolutionary ballet performance for visiting foreign delegates.
It’s very interesting, I’ve never seen that video. Looks like a copy of Chinese revolutionary ballet minus professionalism plus dynamic, rhythmic music, revolutionized version of traditional music.
No river Chinit post yet.
Yeah, it’s borrowed from China.
Wonder if ib will return, hasn’t visited here for a while.
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