PHNOM PENH, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- After the death of King Monivong, the French colonial authorities selected his grandson Norodom Sihanouk to inherit the throne. However, what the French did not expect was that the young man they chose did not live up to their expectations of becoming an obedient monarch. He instead became the terminator of France's colonial rule over Cambodia.
Born on Oct. 31, 1922, Sihanouk was a descendant of the two royal branches of Norodom and Sisowath. His grandfather, Prince Norodom Sutharot, gave him the name in ancient Indian Pali, which means "lion."
To ensure Sihanouk's compliance, the French appointed three Frenchmen as the new king's aide, personal adviser and secretary. However, the young king brushed off the French's "good intentions" and persisted in seeking Cambodia's independence.
At that time, traditional colonial empires such as France suffered a heavy blow in World War II. Sihanouk took advantage of Japan's victory over the French colonial authorities in Indochina and declared Cambodia's independence. After the war, the French came back, nominally granting Cambodia the status of an "autonomous country" but actually manipulating the country.
By then, anti-colonial movements were sweeping the globe. The national liberation movement in Indochina also surged. Sihanouk seized the favorable international and domestic conditions, not least by prompting the international community to put pressure on France.
Eventually, France was forced to make concessions and transfer all sovereignty to Cambodia. On Nov. 9, 1953, Sihanouk announced Cambodia's independence, ending 90 years of French colonial rule.
National independence was Sihanouk's lifelong commitment. To preserve Cambodia's sovereignty, he adopted a neutral foreign policy, refraining from joining any power blocs.
After the end of WWII, the United States sought to dominate Southeast Asia and established the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) in 1954, including Cambodia in its "protected area." Then Director of the Central Intelligence Agency Allen Dulles visited Phnom Penh to persuade Sihanouk to accept U.S. "protection." Sihanouk refused. "As a neutral country and Buddhists, we will take care of ourselves," he said.
At the 1955 Bandung Conference, he declared that Cambodia would remain neutral and never be used as a base for foreign aggression.
This stance riled the United States. In March 1970, the Lon Nol-Sirik Matak group launched a coup with the U.S. support. Sihanouk was forced into exile in Beijing, and later founded the National United Front of Cambodia and served as its chairman.
"American imperialism and its running dogs made me and my comrades exiles. We have to fight so that we can return to our beloved motherland with our heads held high," he said.
During the Cambodian War from the 1970s to the 1980s, Sihanouk was in exile in China for a long time, leading the Cambodian people in their struggle against foreign aggression and safeguarding national independence and sovereignty.
By the late 1980s and early 1990s, with the cessation of domestic war and the withdrawal of foreign troops, Cambodia's situation began to stabilize. The international community once again turned to Sihanouk to unite Cambodia's factions. He rose to the occasion, leveraging his influence to promote reconciliation and contribute to peace and national unity.
In 1993, Cambodia held national elections, adopted a new constitution, and put Sihanouk returned to the throne. On Oct. 6, 2004, he abdicated for health reasons and was succeeded by his son Sihamoni.
Sihanouk died on Oct. 15, 2012. The National Television of Cambodia hailed him as "the most outstanding monarch in Cambodia in the past 100 years," acknowledging his pivotal role in achieving independence and fostering national reconciliation after decades of war. ■