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General '''Sosthène Fernandez''' was a [[Khmer people|Khmer]]-[[Philippines|Filipino]] commander-in-chief of the [[Khmer National Armed Forces]] (French: Force Armée Nationale Khmère) and chief of general staff after [[Norodom Sihanouk]] was [[Cambodian coup of 1970|deposed as head of state in 1970]]. Prior to [[1970]], he was a prominent politician and a former chief of the police.
{{Eastern name order|Fernandez Sosthène}}{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Sosthène Fernandez
| native_name = សូស្តែន ហ្វឺណានដេស
| native_name_lang = kh
| office = Commander-in-chief of [[Khmer National Armed Forces]]
| term_start = 1970
| term_end = 1975
| birth_date = {{birth date|1923|11|28||df=y}}
| death_date = {{death date and age|2006|7|11|1923|11|28|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Phnom Penh]]{{fact|date=November 2024}}
| death_place = France
| branch = [[Khmer National Armed Forces]]
| rank = General
| commands = Chief of Police
}}
General '''Sosthène Fernandez''' ({{langx|km|សូស្តែន ហ្វឺណានដេស}};<ref>{{cite news|url=https://khmer.cambodia-daily.news/news/%E1%9E%91%E1%9E%B8%E1%9E%97%E1%9F%92%E1%9E%93%E1%9E%B6%E1%9E%80%E1%9F%8B%E1%9E%84%E1%9E%B6%E1%9E%9A%E2%80%8B%E2%80%8B-cia-%E2%80%8B%E1%9E%85%E1%9E%B6%E1%9E%8F%E1%9F%8B%E1%9E%91%E1%9E%BB%E1%9E%80-36312/|title=ទីភ្នាក់ងារ CIA ចាត់ទុកប្អូនប្រុសរបស់លោក លន់ នល់ ថាជា "មេបង្ បញ្ហា" នៅប្រទេសកម្ពុជា|publisher=The Cambodian Daily|date=25 January 2017|language=km|access-date=1 June 2019|archive-date=31 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190531135107/https://khmer.cambodia-daily.news/news/%e1%9e%91%e1%9e%b8%e1%9e%97%e1%9f%92%e1%9e%93%e1%9e%b6%e1%9e%80%e1%9f%8b%e1%9e%84%e1%9e%b6%e1%9e%9a%e2%80%8b%e2%80%8b-cia-%e2%80%8b%e1%9e%85%e1%9e%b6%e1%9e%8f%e1%9f%8b%e1%9e%91%e1%9e%bb%e1%9e%80-36312/|url-status=dead}}</ref> born on 28 November 1923 in [[Phnom Penh]];{{fact|date=November 2024}} died 2006 in France) was the Commander-in-Chief of the [[Khmer National Armed Forces]] (FANK) and chief of general staff of the [[Khmer Republic]] after [[Prince Sihanouk]] was [[Cambodian coup of 1970|deposed as head of state in 1970]]. Prior to 1970, he was a prominent politician and a former chief of the police.


==Life and career==
⚫
General Sosthène Fernandez and [[Lon Nol]] left the country before the [[Khmer Rouge]] took Phnom Penh in 1975. All the republicains wanted to stop the [[Civil War in Cambodia]]. Several others officials such as [[Long Boret]], [[Lon Non]] and Prince [[Sisowath Sirik Matak]] remained in office until the Khmer Rouge captured [[Phnom Penh ]] on [[April 17]], [[1975]]. They mistakenly thought that they would be spared through the intercession of [[Norodom Sihanouk]], but were executed by the Khmer Rouge.
General Fernandez was born in [[Phnom Penh]]{{fact|date=February 2022}} to Samson Fernandez, a magistrate and Health and Justice Minister of [[Filipino people|Filipino]] descent, and an ethnic [[Khmer Krom|Khmer]] mother born in [[Vietnam]].<ref>Becker (1998), p. 15</ref><ref>[https://archive.today/20130104234236/http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,912978,00.html Asphyxiating the Capital] 17 March 1975, TIME</ref>
⚫
Undoudtedly General Fernandez was a most important figure of Cambodia s war against the red Khmer.1998 General Sosthène Fernandez came back to Cambodia to meet his former solders and all cambodian citizens.He has written a book about his life of the Commander in Chief as the Khmer National Armed Force.
==Quotes==


A grandson of a band master in the royal court, General Fernandez's Filipino roots traces back to [[San Narciso, Zambales|San Narciso]] in the Philippine province of [[Zambales]]. King [[Norodom I]] made a royal visit to the Philippines in 1872, and brought with him Filipino musicians on his return to Cambodia. Among them was Ángel Labrador Fernández, a native of San Narciso, and a ''maestro'' who helped form and train the Royal Reed and Brass Band for King Norodom's court. Ángel's son, Samson, briefly joined the teaching service and was naturalized as a French subject in 1915 and took up law studies, and by 1928 was appointed as a local magistrate. In the 1940s, he co-founded the Liberal Party along with [[Prince Norindeth]], and was elected to parliament in 1951 and served under various ministry portfolios, notably became the Health and Justice Minister of Cambodia in the 1950s and 1960s.<ref>Preston et al. (2007), p. 305</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://cne.wtf/2020/02/28/biography-the-life-times-of-general-sosthene-fernandez/|title= Biography: The Life & Times Of General Sosthène Fernandez|date=28 February 2006|accessdate=16 May 2023}}</ref>
* "We will continue the fight until the North Vietnamese Communists leave our territory"[http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,878600,00.html]
* "If the North Vietnamese and the Viet Cong are still here, I will ask the U.S. to continue the air support." [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,878600,00.html]


General Fernandez graduated and commissioned in the French military in 1947, and was assigned in Battambang where he met his wife.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://cne.wtf/2020/02/28/biography-the-life-times-of-general-sosthene-fernandez/|title= Biography: The Life & Times Of General Sosthène Fernandez|date=28 February 2006|accessdate=16 May 2023}}</ref> In the 1960s Colonel Fernandez served as Secretary of State for National Security.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Lipsman|first1=Samuel|last2=Doyle|first2=Edward|title=Fighting for Time (The Vietnam Experience)|publisher=Boston Publishing Company|year=1984|isbn=9780939526079|page=[https://archive.org/details/fightingfortime00lips/page/130 130]|url=https://archive.org/details/fightingfortime00lips/page/130}}</ref>


⚫
In 1975, because of the cutting of US aid, the republican government's leaders wanted to stop the war unconditionally. However, Fernandez refused to negotiate with the Khmer Rouge if the government ordered FANK to lay down their arms during the negotiation; for this reason, he resigned as army chief. Fernandez and [[Lon Nol]] left the country before the [[Khmer Rouge]] took Phnom Penh in 1975. All the republicans wanted to stop the [[Civil War in Cambodia]]. Several others officials such as [[Long Boret]], [[Lon Non]] and Prince [[Sisowath Sirik Matak]] remained in office until the Khmer Rouge [[Fall of Phnom Penh|captured Phnom Penh]] on 17 April 1975, thinking that they would be spared through the intercession of [[Norodom Sihanouk]], who had sided with the communists. However, Long, Lon, and Prince Sirik Matak and other Khmer Republic officials were summarily executed by the victorious Khmer Rouge.


⚫
In 1998 General Fernandez returned to Cambodia to meet his former soldiers. He wrote a book about his life as the Commander-in-Chief of the Khmer National Armed Force.
==Related links==


He left the country to become a roving ambassador.
* [http://www.cnv.org.kh/cnv_html_pdf/cnv_14.htm An Analysis on Seeking a Formula for Bringing top Red Khmer Leaders to Trial]
* [http://sacrava.blogspot.com/2006/02/khmer-republics-armed-forces.html Image of Sosthène Fernandez]
* [http://www.procesulcomunismului.com/marturii/fonduri/rradina/apel91ro.htm Western Democratic league]
* [http://www.bbcmotiongallery.com/Customer/SearchDetails.aspx?itemId=6b1742ba-9764-4354-9ce2-b6f7a8630958&page BBC TV clip of Sosthene Fernandez]
* [http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showthread.php?t=19420 Military History]
* [http://video.google.fr/videoplay?docid=8703034612823629206&q=lon+nol Kissinger,Ltg Sosthène Fernandez agaisnt Pol Pot connection]
*[http://www.dccam.org/Publication/Monographs/History%20of%20DK%20Part%202.pdf Documentation Center of Cambodia in association with Yale's University]
* Cambodia (Khmer Republic) 1975 [http://sophal.faithweb.com/CAMBODIA/1975.html]
*Cambodia History [http://workmall.com/wfb2001/cambodia/cambodia_history_the_fall_of_phnom_penh.html]


He died in France in 2006 due to complications from diabetes.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/gecko-11-august-2006|title= The Gecko: 11 August, 2006|date=11 August 2006|publisher=[[The Phnom Penh Post]]|accessdate=30 May 2015}}</ref>


==References==
⚫
[[Category:Cambodian people|Fernandez,Sosthene]]
{{Reflist}}
⚫
[[Category:Cambodian politicians|Fernandez,Sosthene]]

⚫
[[Category:Cambodian anti-communists|Fernandez,Sosthene]]
==Bibliography==
⚫
[[Category:People of the Vietnam War|Fernandez,Sosthene]]

⚫
[[Category:Exile|Fernandez,Sosthene]]
* Mémoires of General Sosthène Fernandez : "mémoires d'une guerre oubliée" site amazone.fr, Book published in mars 2015
{{Cambodia-bio-stub}}
* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5t4vARn-s7g
{{Asia-mil-bio-stub}}
* {{cite book|title=When the War Was over: Cambodia and the Khmer Rouge Revolution|author=Becker, Elizabeth|date=10 November 1998 |author-link=Elizabeth Becker (journalist)|publisher=PublicAffairs|isbn=1-891620-00-2}}
* Preston, Paul et al. ''British documents on foreign affairs: reports and papers from the Foreign Office confidential print. From 1951 through 1956. Asia, 1951-1956, Volume 5'', LexisNexis, 2007, {{ISBN|0886927234}}

==Further reading==

*[https://books.google.com/books?id=R94PAAAAIAAJ&q=sosth%C3%A8ne+fernandez ''United States: Senate and congress'']
*https://reuters.screenocean.com/record/1066060 joint conference commander in chief with the Prime Minister

⚫
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fernandez, Sosthene}}
[[Category:1923 births]]
[[Category:2006 deaths]]
⚫
[[Category:Cambodian anti-communists]]
⚫
[[Category:Cambodian exiles]]
[[Category:Cambodian generals]]
[[Category:Cambodian Roman Catholics]]
[[Category:Khmer Krom people]]
⚫
[[Category:Cambodian people of Filipino descent]]
[[Category:People from Phnom Penh]]
⚫
[[Category:People of the Vietnam War]]

Latest revision as of 11:01, 11 December 2024

The native form of this personal name is Fernandez Sosthène. This article uses Western name order when mentioning individuals.
Sosthène Fernandez
សូស្តែន ហ្វឺណានដេស
Commander-in-chief of Khmer National Armed Forces
In office
1970–1975
Personal details
Born(1923-11-28)28 November 1923
Phnom Penh[citation needed]
Died11 July 2006(2006-07-11) (aged 82)
France
Military service
Branch/serviceKhmer National Armed Forces
RankGeneral
CommandsChief of Police

General Sosthène Fernandez (Khmer: សូស្តែន ហ្វឺណានដេស;[1] born on 28 November 1923 in Phnom Penh;[citation needed] died 2006 in France) was the Commander-in-Chief of the Khmer National Armed Forces (FANK) and chief of general staff of the Khmer Republic after Prince Sihanouk was deposed as head of state in 1970. Prior to 1970, he was a prominent politician and a former chief of the police.

Life and career

[edit]

General Fernandez was born in Phnom Penh[citation needed] to Samson Fernandez, a magistrate and Health and Justice Minister of Filipino descent, and an ethnic Khmer mother born in Vietnam.[2][3]

A grandson of a band master in the royal court, General Fernandez's Filipino roots traces back to San Narciso in the Philippine province of Zambales. King Norodom I made a royal visit to the Philippines in 1872, and brought with him Filipino musicians on his return to Cambodia. Among them was Ángel Labrador Fernández, a native of San Narciso, and a maestro who helped form and train the Royal Reed and Brass Band for King Norodom's court. Ángel's son, Samson, briefly joined the teaching service and was naturalized as a French subject in 1915 and took up law studies, and by 1928 was appointed as a local magistrate. In the 1940s, he co-founded the Liberal Party along with Prince Norindeth, and was elected to parliament in 1951 and served under various ministry portfolios, notably became the Health and Justice Minister of Cambodia in the 1950s and 1960s.[4][5]

General Fernandez graduated and commissioned in the French military in 1947, and was assigned in Battambang where he met his wife.[6] In the 1960s Colonel Fernandez served as Secretary of State for National Security.[7]

In 1975, because of the cutting of US aid, the republican government's leaders wanted to stop the war unconditionally. However, Fernandez refused to negotiate with the Khmer Rouge if the government ordered FANK to lay down their arms during the negotiation; for this reason, he resigned as army chief. Fernandez and Lon Nol left the country before the Khmer Rouge took Phnom Penh in 1975. All the republicans wanted to stop the Civil War in Cambodia. Several others officials such as Long Boret, Lon Non and Prince Sisowath Sirik Matak remained in office until the Khmer Rouge captured Phnom Penh on 17 April 1975, thinking that they would be spared through the intercession of Norodom Sihanouk, who had sided with the communists. However, Long, Lon, and Prince Sirik Matak and other Khmer Republic officials were summarily executed by the victorious Khmer Rouge.

In 1998 General Fernandez returned to Cambodia to meet his former soldiers. He wrote a book about his life as the Commander-in-Chief of the Khmer National Armed Force.

He left the country to become a roving ambassador.

He died in France in 2006 due to complications from diabetes.[8]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "ទីភ្នាក់ងារ CIA ចាត់ទុកប្អូនប្រុសរបស់លោក លន់ នល់ ថាជា "មេបង្ បញ្ហា" នៅប្រទេសកម្ពុជា" (in Khmer). The Cambodian Daily. 25 January 2017. Archived from the original on 31 May 2019. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
  2. ^ Becker (1998), p. 15
  3. ^ Asphyxiating the Capital 17 March 1975, TIME
  4. ^ Preston et al. (2007), p. 305
  5. ^ "Biography: The Life & Times Of General Sosthène Fernandez". 28 February 2006. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
  6. ^ "Biography: The Life & Times Of General Sosthène Fernandez". 28 February 2006. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
  7. ^ Lipsman, Samuel; Doyle, Edward (1984). Fighting for Time (The Vietnam Experience). Boston Publishing Company. p. 130. ISBN 9780939526079.
  8. ^ "The Gecko: 11 August, 2006". The Phnom Penh Post. 11 August 2006. Retrieved 30 May 2015.

Bibliography

[edit]
  • Mémoires of General Sosthène Fernandez : "mémoires d'une guerre oubliée" site amazone.fr, Book published in mars 2015
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5t4vARn-s7g
  • Becker, Elizabeth (10 November 1998). When the War Was over: Cambodia and the Khmer Rouge Revolution. PublicAffairs. ISBN 1-891620-00-2.
  • Preston, Paul et al. British documents on foreign affairs: reports and papers from the Foreign Office confidential print. From 1951 through 1956. Asia, 1951-1956, Volume 5, LexisNexis, 2007, ISBN 0886927234

Further reading

[edit]
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