March 18, 1970: Cambodia's Prince Sihanouk Deposed

Sihanouk at his arrival in Moscow in March 1970

Cambodia's Prince Sihanouk Deposed

By RICHARD PYLE

03-18-70

SAIGON (AP) — Cambodia's

Parliament overthrew Prince Norodom S i h a n o u k today, charging the chief of state provoked the political crisis gripping the nation, Radio Phnom Penh announced.
Asian diplomats in Saigon received reports that Cambodian troops surrounded the Parliament building and had sealed off the airport in the capital.

The news reached the 47-year-old prince, who had dominated his kingdom's politics for more than 20 years, while he was in Moscow en route home from Paris. He left later in the day for Peking.

The cause of the crisis was violent demonstrations last week against the presence of North Vietnamese and Viet Cong troops in Cambodian border regions.

During the demonstrations, Cambodians sacked the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong embassies in Phnom Penh.

The Cambodian radio said the reigns of power as chief of state were turned over to Cheng Heng, president of the National Assembly.

The assembly, the lower house of Parliament, met in joint session with the Royal Cambodian Council, the upper house, and voted no confidence in Sihanouk.

A report received by the government in Saigon said the real power rested with two men- Gen. Lon Nol, premier and chief of the military forces, and Sirik Matak, a top government minister.

The two men are known to share doubts about the mercurial Sihanouk's neutralist policy, and were opposed to the 40,000-60,000 North Vietnamese and Viet Cong troops using border sanctuaries for forays into South Vietnam.

Nol, a conservative, was credited by some sources in Saigon with organizing the demonstrations against the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong troops.

Others noted Sihanouk's grip on the country and believed he himself possibly orchestrated them from Paris.

An unofficial translation of the Phnom Penh broadcast, as heard in Saigon, said: "Following the political crisis provoked by Prince Norodom Sihanouk in the past days, the National Assembly and the Royal Council in joint session, conforming to the constitution of the kingdom, unanimously withdrew their confidence in Prince Norodom Sihanouk. From this day, 18 March 1970, at 1300 (1 p.m.) the Prince Norodom Sihanouk ceases to be the chief of state of Cambodia and will be replaced by Cheng Heng, the president of the National Assembly, who will assume the function of the chief of state until election of a new chief of state in accordance with the text of the nation's constitution."

The Cambodian Embassy in Singapore said the Phnom Penh radio said later: "The new head of state said Cambodia will follow the same policies of independence, neutrality, territorial integrity and will respect all international her." treaties signed by The radio called on the people of Cambodia to remain calm.

Source: http://www.box.net/shared/92vljr5rnn