Hu Nim
Encyclopedia
Hu Nim, alias "Phoas" was a Cambodia
n Communist
intellectual and politician who held a number of ministerial posts.
His long political career included spells with the Sangkum
regime
of Prince Norodom Sihanouk
, the Communist guerrilla resistance,
the GRUNK
coalition government-in-exile, and the administration of
Democratic Kampuchea
, when the country was controlled by the
Communist Party of Kampuchea
(the Khmer Rouge).
Nim had a reputation as one of the most independent-minded and
outspoken members of the Khmer Rouge, and was eventually to be
arrested, tortured and executed at Tuol Sleng security prison in
1977 during a Party purge.
, Kampong Cham Province; unlike many of his later colleagues in the Party intelligentsia, he came from a poor background. In his 'confession' I would like to report to the Party about my history, extracted under torture at Tuol Sleng, Nim was to
relate that "my father, Hou, died in 1936 when I was just six years old. I then lived in the care of my mother, named Sorn, a poor peasant. She earned her living by offering household services to
people". His mother, who remarried a landless peasant farmer, eventually sent him to live with Sam Khor at a pagoda in Mien
, Prey Chhor District
.
Brought up by Sam Khor, Nim was given the chance to study at Kampong Cham junior school, going on to the Lycee Sisowath
in the capital, Phnom Penh
. Here, he stayed at the Unnalom Monastery,
with his studies being funded by the family of his future wife. In the early 1950s, Nim - in common with many other later Communists - became associated with the left-leaning, pro-independence Democratic Party
. As his confession stated, he was a part of the party's radical People's Movement wing, the Pracheachollana, led by Um Sim and associated with the republican nationalist Son Ngoc Thanh
.
Nim married in 1952, and subsequent to finishing his studies worked briefly as a teacher. After further studies in Law and
Economics he moved into government work, and secured a full-time post at the Ministry of the Interior. He continued his work for the Democratic Party up to the 1955 elections
, which handed power to Prince Norodom Sihanouk
's Sangkum
movement amidst an atmosphere of extreme political intimidation and possible vote-rigging.
chance to study in France
on a government scholarship; several
future Communists, including Saloth Sar (Pol Pot), Khieu Samphan
and Hou Yuon
, had studied abroad under this system, falling under the influence of the French Communist Party
in the process. Hu Nim was to take this route in 1955: intending to become a customs officer, he studied at the Customs School and law school in Paris
, travelling several hours every day by Metro to get to his place of study. Amongst the expatriate community, he met Hou Yuon and several other future colleagues, although stating in his 'confession' that "political activities were not carried out because my studies required so much attention".
Nim returned to Cambodia in 1957 to work as a customs official, but from this point his political involvement was to increase substantially. Whether or not he had taken part in political activity in France, his position was to move steadily to the left following the winding-up of the Democratic Party during the same year.
opposition to function, now made an attempt to co-opt young leftists into the Sangkum movement; amongst the prospective candidates Hou Yuon, Chau Sau, Uch Ven and Hu Nim all won seats. Nim became Under-Secretary of State in the office of the Prime Minister
, and held a variety of junior ministerial posts over the next nine months. More significantly, he began to build up a substantial base of support in his Kampong Cham constituency, which he was to represent for the next nine years, becoming one of the most visible and well-known Cambodian leftists.
By the early 1960s, Nim had joined the staff of the Sihanoukist daily newspaper Neak Cheat Niyum, and after a trip to Beijing
was asked to form the Khmer-Chinese Friendship Association; he also travelled to Pyongyang
and to Hanoi
, where he met Ho Chi Minh
. Continuing his studies in law at the University of Phnom Penh, he completed his doctoral thesis, on land tenure and social structure, in 1965.
The 1966 elections resulted in domination of the Sangkum by its rightist elements, though thanks to his local popularity, Hu Nim (along with Hou Yuon) was able to retain his seat, despite Sihanouk actively campaigning against him. He was briefly made part of a leftist "counter-government" set up by Sihanouk to balance Lon Nol
's right-wing cabinet, but from this point the political tide was to turn against the remaining leftists who had not already joined the Communist underground movement.
The situation was inflamed in March–April 1967 by a revolt in the far north-east of the country, the Samlaut Uprising
, that was blamed by Sihanouk on left-wing agitation, and specifically, though most likely incorrectly, on the activities of the remaining openly leftist politicians: Hou Yuon, Khieu Samphan
, Chau Seng and Hu Nim. The first two men, threatened with arrest, a military tribunal, and calls from right-wing members of the Assembly for their immediate execution, fled to join the Communist guerrillas in late April. Hu Nim was later to write that he initially joined them, but returned to the capital after a few days, having been persuaded by senior cadre Vorn Vet
that it might be profitable to continue engagement with Sihanouk and persist in anti-government agitation.
Sihanouk, however, was to respond by calling Nim "dangerous", and to ban the Khmer-Chinese Friendship Association. An attempt by Nim to submit a petition for its reinstatement backfired dramatically, when it was discovered that the cadres who had collected the thumbprints used for signatures had done so under false pretences: Sihanouk called a meeting where he admonished Nim in person as "a little hypocrite" whose "words carry the scent of honey, but [who] hides his claws like a tiger", adding that he "had the face of a Vietnamese or Chinese".
In this climate, it was unsurprising that Nim soon received instructions from Vorn Vet to take to the forests. On 5 October, Sihanouk warned him that he would be "subjected to the military tribunal and the execution block"; he left for the Cardamom Mountains
, escaping waiting intelligence agents, two days later. Like Hou Yuon and Khieu Samphan, Nim was widely assumed to have been murdered by Lon Nol's security police.
After the Cambodian coup of 1970
, however, in which Sihanouk was deposed by Lon Nol, the situation was to change dramatically. Sihanouk established a Beijing
-based government-in-exile, the GRUNK
, in collaboration with his former communist enemies, and Hu Nim - now described by Sihanouk as one "of our outstanding intellectuals" was made one if its most prominent figures as Minister for Information.
There were soon disagreements between Nim and the Party 'Centre' led by Saloth Sar (Pol Pot) and Ieng Sary
, as Nim - along with Hou Yuon and Khieu Samphan - opposed the party line on the collectivisation of agriculture in the "liberated" areas. Nim was to gain a reputation as one of the more outspoken members of the Party, being generally in favour of more moderate economic policies.
, and the establishment of Democratic Kampuchea
after the remaining Sihanoukists were purged from the administration. He gained a certain amount of international prominence as the regime spokesman during the Mayaguez incident
.
Nim was later implicated in a confession made by Northern Zone commander Koy Thuon, another former schoolteacher, and was arrested by the Party security apparatus on 10 April 1977. Over a period of several months, he was brutally tortured in security prison S-21; he appears to have only reluctantly implicated himself in 'counterrevolutionary' activity, even displaying what in relative terms seems "extraordinary courage" by including criticism of the Party Standing Committee in his notes. By the time of his last confession on 28 May he wrote: "I have nothing to depend on, only the Communist Party of Kampuchea. Would the Party please show clemency towards me," adding "I am not a human being, I am an animal". He was finally killed on 6 July.
The historiography
of the Vietnamese-backed People's Republic of Kampuchea
regime, which ousted the Khmer Rouge in 1979, was to emphasise Nim's role as a 'moderate' socialist, with the result that his story is still prominently featured in the Tuol Sleng museum.
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
n Communist
intellectual and politician who held a number of ministerial posts.
His long political career included spells with the Sangkum
Sangkum
The Sangkum Reastr Niyum , commonly known simply as the Sangkum, was a political organisation set up in 1955 by Prince Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia...
regime
of Prince Norodom Sihanouk
Norodom Sihanouk
Norodom Sihanouk regular script was the King of Cambodia from 1941 to 1955 and again from 1993 until his semi-retirement and voluntary abdication on 7 October 2004 in favor of his son, the current King Norodom Sihamoni...
, the Communist guerrilla resistance,
the GRUNK
GRUNK
The Royal Government of National Union of Kampuchea, usually known by the French acronym GRUNK, was a government-in-exile of Cambodia, based in Beijing, that was in existence between 1970 and 1976...
coalition government-in-exile, and the administration of
Democratic Kampuchea
Democratic Kampuchea
The Khmer Rouge period refers to the rule of Pol Pot, Nuon Chea, Ieng Sary, Son Sen, Khieu Samphan and the Khmer Rouge Communist party over Cambodia, which the Khmer Rouge renamed as Democratic Kampuchea....
, when the country was controlled by the
Communist Party of Kampuchea
Communist Party of Kampuchea
The Communist Party of Kampuchea, also known as Khmer Communist Party , was a communist party in Cambodia. Its followers were generally known as Khmer Rouge .-Foundation of the party; first divisions:...
(the Khmer Rouge).
Nim had a reputation as one of the most independent-minded and
outspoken members of the Khmer Rouge, and was eventually to be
arrested, tortured and executed at Tuol Sleng security prison in
1977 during a Party purge.
Early life
Hu Nim was born in 1930 (25 July 1932 according to some sources) in the village of Korkor, Kampong Siem DistrictKampong Siem District
Kampong Siem District is a district located in Kampong Cham Province, Cambodia. The district surrounds the provincial capital Kampong Cham City...
, Kampong Cham Province; unlike many of his later colleagues in the Party intelligentsia, he came from a poor background. In his 'confession' I would like to report to the Party about my history, extracted under torture at Tuol Sleng, Nim was to
relate that "my father, Hou, died in 1936 when I was just six years old. I then lived in the care of my mother, named Sorn, a poor peasant. She earned her living by offering household services to
people". His mother, who remarried a landless peasant farmer, eventually sent him to live with Sam Khor at a pagoda in Mien
Mien
Mień is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Brańsk, within Bielsk County, Podlaskie Voivodeship, in north-eastern Poland. It lies approximately west of Brańsk, west of Bielsk Podlaski, and south-west of the regional capital Białystok....
, Prey Chhor District
Prey Chhor District
Prey Chhor District is a district located in Kampong Cham Province, Cambodia. The district capital is Prey Totueng town located around 29 kilometres east of the provincial capital of Kampong Cham and 95 kilometres north west of Phnom Penh by road...
.
Brought up by Sam Khor, Nim was given the chance to study at Kampong Cham junior school, going on to the Lycee Sisowath
Lycee Sisowath
Lycée Preah Sisowath is a secondary school in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The school was founded in 1873 as a collège and became a lycée in 1933.-History:...
in the capital, Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh is the capital and largest city of Cambodia. Located on the banks of the Mekong River, Phnom Penh has been the national capital since the French colonized Cambodia, and has grown to become the nation's center of economic and industrial activities, as well as the center of security,...
. Here, he stayed at the Unnalom Monastery,
with his studies being funded by the family of his future wife. In the early 1950s, Nim - in common with many other later Communists - became associated with the left-leaning, pro-independence Democratic Party
Democratic Party (Cambodia)
The Cambodian Democratic Party was a left-leaning, pro-independence political party formed in 1946 by Prince Sisowath Yuthevong, who had previously been a member of the French Section of the Workers' International....
. As his confession stated, he was a part of the party's radical People's Movement wing, the Pracheachollana, led by Um Sim and associated with the republican nationalist Son Ngoc Thanh
Son Ngoc Thanh
Son Ngoc Thanh was a Cambodian nationalist and republican policitian, with a long history as a rebel and a government minister.-Early life:...
.
Nim married in 1952, and subsequent to finishing his studies worked briefly as a teacher. After further studies in Law and
Economics he moved into government work, and secured a full-time post at the Ministry of the Interior. He continued his work for the Democratic Party up to the 1955 elections
Cambodian parliamentary election, 1955
The first parliamentary elections in Cambodia were held in 1955. The elections were held following the peace established at the 1954 Geneva Conference and the independence of the country. The election were postponed to September 1955...
, which handed power to Prince Norodom Sihanouk
Norodom Sihanouk
Norodom Sihanouk regular script was the King of Cambodia from 1941 to 1955 and again from 1993 until his semi-retirement and voluntary abdication on 7 October 2004 in favor of his son, the current King Norodom Sihamoni...
's Sangkum
Sangkum
The Sangkum Reastr Niyum , commonly known simply as the Sangkum, was a political organisation set up in 1955 by Prince Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia...
movement amidst an atmosphere of extreme political intimidation and possible vote-rigging.
Studies in France
The Democratic Party's policies had offered talented Cambodians thechance to study in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
on a government scholarship; several
future Communists, including Saloth Sar (Pol Pot), Khieu Samphan
Khieu Samphan
Khieu Samphan was the president of the state presidium of Democratic Kampuchea from 1976 until 1979. As such, he served as Cambodia's head of state and was one of the most powerful officials in the Khmer Rouge movement, though Pol Pot was the group's true political leader and held the most...
and Hou Yuon
Hou Yuon
Hou Yuon was a veteran of the communist movement in Cambodia, and was of Sino-Khmer descent. A member of the Communist Party of Kampuchea, also known as the Khmer Rouge, he served in several ministerial posts during the 1960s and 1970s.Yuon, who repeatedly clashed with other members of the Khmer...
, had studied abroad under this system, falling under the influence of the French Communist Party
French Communist Party
The French Communist Party is a political party in France which advocates the principles of communism.Although its electoral support has declined in recent decades, the PCF retains a large membership, behind only that of the Union for a Popular Movement , and considerable influence in French...
in the process. Hu Nim was to take this route in 1955: intending to become a customs officer, he studied at the Customs School and law school in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, travelling several hours every day by Metro to get to his place of study. Amongst the expatriate community, he met Hou Yuon and several other future colleagues, although stating in his 'confession' that "political activities were not carried out because my studies required so much attention".
Nim returned to Cambodia in 1957 to work as a customs official, but from this point his political involvement was to increase substantially. Whether or not he had taken part in political activity in France, his position was to move steadily to the left following the winding-up of the Democratic Party during the same year.
Under the Sangkum 1958-67
Sihanouk, having effectively destroyed the ability of the Democratic Party and the socialist PracheachonPracheachon
The Krom Pracheachon , often referred to simply as Pracheachon, was a Cambodian political party that contested in parliamentary elections in 1955, 1958 and 1972....
opposition to function, now made an attempt to co-opt young leftists into the Sangkum movement; amongst the prospective candidates Hou Yuon, Chau Sau, Uch Ven and Hu Nim all won seats. Nim became Under-Secretary of State in the office of the Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Cambodia
The Prime Minister of Cambodia , is the head of government of the Kingdom of Cambodia. Prime Minister is appointed by the King under Article 119 of the Constitution and is responsible for leading the government of the Kingdom.-Constitutional powers:The powers of the Prime Minister are established...
, and held a variety of junior ministerial posts over the next nine months. More significantly, he began to build up a substantial base of support in his Kampong Cham constituency, which he was to represent for the next nine years, becoming one of the most visible and well-known Cambodian leftists.
By the early 1960s, Nim had joined the staff of the Sihanoukist daily newspaper Neak Cheat Niyum, and after a trip to Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
was asked to form the Khmer-Chinese Friendship Association; he also travelled to Pyongyang
Pyongyang
Pyongyang is the capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, commonly known as North Korea, and the largest city in the country. Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River and, according to preliminary results from the 2008 population census, has a population of 3,255,388. The city was...
and to Hanoi
Hanoi
Hanoi , is the capital of Vietnam and the country's second largest city. Its population in 2009 was estimated at 2.6 million for urban districts, 6.5 million for the metropolitan jurisdiction. From 1010 until 1802, it was the most important political centre of Vietnam...
, where he met Ho Chi Minh
Ho Chi Minh
Hồ Chí Minh , born Nguyễn Sinh Cung and also known as Nguyễn Ái Quốc, was a Vietnamese Marxist-Leninist revolutionary leader who was prime minister and president of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam...
. Continuing his studies in law at the University of Phnom Penh, he completed his doctoral thesis, on land tenure and social structure, in 1965.
The 1966 elections resulted in domination of the Sangkum by its rightist elements, though thanks to his local popularity, Hu Nim (along with Hou Yuon) was able to retain his seat, despite Sihanouk actively campaigning against him. He was briefly made part of a leftist "counter-government" set up by Sihanouk to balance Lon Nol
Lon Nol
Lon Nol was a Cambodian politician and general who served as Prime Minister of Cambodia twice, as well as serving repeatedly as Defense Minister...
's right-wing cabinet, but from this point the political tide was to turn against the remaining leftists who had not already joined the Communist underground movement.
The situation was inflamed in March–April 1967 by a revolt in the far north-east of the country, the Samlaut Uprising
Samlaut Uprising
The Samlaut Uprising, or Samlaut Rebellion, was an incident that took place in 1967 in Battambang Province in Cambodia, in which the rural peasantry revolted against the Sangkum regime of the then-Head of State, Prince Norodom Sihanouk....
, that was blamed by Sihanouk on left-wing agitation, and specifically, though most likely incorrectly, on the activities of the remaining openly leftist politicians: Hou Yuon, Khieu Samphan
Khieu Samphan
Khieu Samphan was the president of the state presidium of Democratic Kampuchea from 1976 until 1979. As such, he served as Cambodia's head of state and was one of the most powerful officials in the Khmer Rouge movement, though Pol Pot was the group's true political leader and held the most...
, Chau Seng and Hu Nim. The first two men, threatened with arrest, a military tribunal, and calls from right-wing members of the Assembly for their immediate execution, fled to join the Communist guerrillas in late April. Hu Nim was later to write that he initially joined them, but returned to the capital after a few days, having been persuaded by senior cadre Vorn Vet
Vorn Vet
Vorn Vet born Pen Thuok, was a deputy prime minister for the economy of Democratic Kampuchea...
that it might be profitable to continue engagement with Sihanouk and persist in anti-government agitation.
Sihanouk, however, was to respond by calling Nim "dangerous", and to ban the Khmer-Chinese Friendship Association. An attempt by Nim to submit a petition for its reinstatement backfired dramatically, when it was discovered that the cadres who had collected the thumbprints used for signatures had done so under false pretences: Sihanouk called a meeting where he admonished Nim in person as "a little hypocrite" whose "words carry the scent of honey, but [who] hides his claws like a tiger", adding that he "had the face of a Vietnamese or Chinese".
In this climate, it was unsurprising that Nim soon received instructions from Vorn Vet to take to the forests. On 5 October, Sihanouk warned him that he would be "subjected to the military tribunal and the execution block"; he left for the Cardamom Mountains
Cardamom Mountains
The Krâvanh Mountains, literally the "Cardamom Mountains" , is a mountain range in the south west of Cambodia, jutting into southeastern Thailand.-Location and description:...
, escaping waiting intelligence agents, two days later. Like Hou Yuon and Khieu Samphan, Nim was widely assumed to have been murdered by Lon Nol's security police.
The GRUNK
Hu Nim was to spend the next three years in the Cardamoms as part of the Communist guerrilla movement.After the Cambodian coup of 1970
Cambodian coup of 1970
The Cambodian coup of 1970 refers to the removal of the Cambodian Head of State, Prince Norodom Sihanouk, after a vote in the National Assembly on 18 March 1970. Emergency powers were subsequently invoked by the Prime Minister Lon Nol, who became effective head of state...
, however, in which Sihanouk was deposed by Lon Nol, the situation was to change dramatically. Sihanouk established a Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
-based government-in-exile, the GRUNK
GRUNK
The Royal Government of National Union of Kampuchea, usually known by the French acronym GRUNK, was a government-in-exile of Cambodia, based in Beijing, that was in existence between 1970 and 1976...
, in collaboration with his former communist enemies, and Hu Nim - now described by Sihanouk as one "of our outstanding intellectuals" was made one if its most prominent figures as Minister for Information.
There were soon disagreements between Nim and the Party 'Centre' led by Saloth Sar (Pol Pot) and Ieng Sary
Ieng Sary
Ieng Sary was a powerful figure in the Khmer Rouge. He was the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Democratic Kampuchea from 1975 to 1979 and held several senior positions in the Khmer Rouge until his defection to the government in 1996....
, as Nim - along with Hou Yuon and Khieu Samphan - opposed the party line on the collectivisation of agriculture in the "liberated" areas. Nim was to gain a reputation as one of the more outspoken members of the Party, being generally in favour of more moderate economic policies.
Democratic Kampuchea
Nim was to continue in his post as Minister of Information after the 1975 Communist victory in the Cambodian Civil WarCambodian Civil War
The Cambodian Civil War was a conflict that pitted the forces of the Communist Party of Kampuchea and their allies the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and the Viet Cong against the government forces of Cambodia , which were supported by the United States and the Republic of Vietnam The Cambodian...
, and the establishment of Democratic Kampuchea
Democratic Kampuchea
The Khmer Rouge period refers to the rule of Pol Pot, Nuon Chea, Ieng Sary, Son Sen, Khieu Samphan and the Khmer Rouge Communist party over Cambodia, which the Khmer Rouge renamed as Democratic Kampuchea....
after the remaining Sihanoukists were purged from the administration. He gained a certain amount of international prominence as the regime spokesman during the Mayaguez incident
Mayagüez incident
The Mayaguez incident between the Khmer Rouge and the United States from May 12–15, 1975, was the last official battle of the Vietnam War. The names of the Americans killed, as well as those of three Marines who were left behind on the island of Koh Tang after the battle and who were subsequently...
.
Nim was later implicated in a confession made by Northern Zone commander Koy Thuon, another former schoolteacher, and was arrested by the Party security apparatus on 10 April 1977. Over a period of several months, he was brutally tortured in security prison S-21; he appears to have only reluctantly implicated himself in 'counterrevolutionary' activity, even displaying what in relative terms seems "extraordinary courage" by including criticism of the Party Standing Committee in his notes. By the time of his last confession on 28 May he wrote: "I have nothing to depend on, only the Communist Party of Kampuchea. Would the Party please show clemency towards me," adding "I am not a human being, I am an animal". He was finally killed on 6 July.
The historiography
Historiography
Historiography refers either to the study of the history and methodology of history as a discipline, or to a body of historical work on a specialized topic...
of the Vietnamese-backed People's Republic of Kampuchea
People's Republic of Kampuchea
The People's Republic of Kampuchea , , was founded in Cambodia by the Salvation Front, a group of Cambodian leftists dissatisfied with the Khmer Rouge, after the overthrow of Democratic Kampuchea, Pol Pot's government...
regime, which ousted the Khmer Rouge in 1979, was to emphasise Nim's role as a 'moderate' socialist, with the result that his story is still prominently featured in the Tuol Sleng museum.