Khmer Serei
| Khmer Serei | |
|---|---|
| ខ្មែរសេរី | |
| Leader | Son Ngoc Thanh |
| Foundation | Late 1950's |
| Dissolved | 1975 |
| Country | Cambodia South Vietnam |
| Allegiance | Khmer Republic (1970 - 1972) |
| Motives |
|
| Ideology | Anti-monarchism Anti-communism Anti-Sihanouk Pro-Americanism Republicanism |
| Political position | Right-wing to far-right |
| Allies | Khmer Republic United States South Vietnam Thailand Australia New Zealand Canada Kingdom of Laos FULRO |
| Opponents | First Indochina War : Khmer Issarak Cambodia Viet Minh Vietnam War : Cambodia Royal Government of the National Union of Kampuchea North VietnamViet Cong North Korea China Pathet Lao |
The Khmer Serei (Khmer: ខ្មែរសេរី, lit. 'Free Khmer' [kʰmae seːrəj]) were an anti-communist and anti-monarchist guerrilla force founded by Cambodian nationalist Sơn Ngọc Thành. In 1959, he published 'The Manifesto of the Khmer Serei' claiming that Sihanouk was supporting the 'communization' of Kampuchea. In the 1960s, the Khmer Serei were growing in numbers, hoping to become a major political and fighting force.
The primary objective of the Khmer Serei was to destabilize the existing powers held by the then-Cambodian leader, King Norodom Sihanouk and to overthrow his regime – and to become a permanent part of the Cambodian body politic.
The Khmer Serei's relative lack of resources, poor timing, and lack of support relative to the Khmer Rouge majority and King Sihanouk led to the eventual decline of the group.