Life & Times of Norodom Sihanouk as seen through the Stamps of Cambodia
by Graham Shaw
Since being crowned during the French colonial administration, Norodom Sihanouk has appeared in various roles on stamps issued by Cambodia since 1941.
The first known example of Norodom Sihanouk on stamps related to Cambodia is a set of three issued by the colonial French Vichy administration during World War Two to celebrate his coronation ceremony in Phnom Penh. The coronation actually took place in May 1941 even though the cachet refers to a 'coronation festival' from October 25-30, 1941.
This first glimpse of the new Cambodian King shows a young man about to take on the burden of seeking independence from the French colonial yoke.
Norodom Sihanouk next appears in the 1951 French Union issue that is shown in the Scott and Stanley Gibbons stamp catalogues as the first issues of Cambodia (Sc. 6, 8, 9, 12, 14, 17; SG 6, 8, 11, 12, 14, 17).
This is interesting as Cambodia did not get its full independence - through the considerable efforts of King Norodom Sihanouk and others - until November 9, 1953 and, therefore, there is one school of thought that considers the 1951 and 1952 issues as still being categorised as a French colonial issue and not that of the first national issue of Cambodia.
A special cachet was used in 1952 to commemorate King Norodom Sihanouk’s 29th birthday on November 3.
The souvenir sheet depicting King Sihanouk (Sc. 17a) was one of three sheets (Sc. 15a and 16a) included in a special booklet issued on February 1, 1952, to mark the first issue of national postage stamps even though Cambodia was still not formally independent.
A FDC was also issued along with the special edition booklet to commemorate the first time that national stamps of Cambodia had been issued (by the French!).
For those not familiar with the history of Cambodia, 'Sihanouk' was the King of Cambodia under the French colonial administration from 1941 until independence in 1953. He abdicated in 1955 so as to formally enter politics in Cambodia and reverted to his former title of Prince and became Prime Minister in 1960 and remained as such until ousted in a coup d’etat in March 1970.
King Sihanouk appears again on 3 (Sc.B1, B2, B3; SG 18, 19, 20) out of 4 (Sc.B4; SG 21) stamps issued on October 20, 1952, and surcharged in support of 'aid to students', categorised by the Scott catalogue as 'semi-postal stamps'.
Prince Sihanouk is also seen on the March 1, 1957, set of 3 stamps (Sc.59, 60, 61; SG 72, 73, 74) marking the first anniversary of Cambodia's admission to the United Nations Organisation.
Hence, by the end of the 1950's, it is apparent that King Norodom Sihanouk played a prominent role in the functions of state as demonstrated by the relative frequency in which his image appears on Cambodia's postal issues of the period as well as accounts of the political developments in the country during the 1950's and early '60's.
The deep-sea port of Sihanoukville, in the southwest of Cambodia on the Gulf of Thailand, was named after him and it is on a set of 3 stamps (Sc.76, 77, 78; SG 98, 99, 100), issued on April 30, 1960, to celebrate the inauguration of Sihanoukville Port, that we next see Norodom Sihanouk.
November 9, 1961, saw a set of 5 stamps issued showing the new independence monument in central Phnom Penh and the mustachioed face of Prince Sihanouk in military uniform and cap (Sc.97, 98, C15, C16, C17; SG 121, 122, 123, 124, 125 and associated souvenir sheets, Sc. 98a, C17a).
It is still unclear even within Cambodia as to why the inauguration of the independence monument did not take place until exactly one year later on November 9, 1962, commemorated by a further 2 stamps and associated FDC.
By 1964, King Sihanouk had renounced his throne and had become Prince Sihanouk , thereby being able to enter politics in Cambodia. The next stamp issue upon which he appeared was to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the establishment of the ‘Sangkum Reastr Niyum’ (SRN), or populist cooperative initiative, that is – even today – often looked back upon by many older Cambodians as a ‘golden era’ of peace and prosperity although others suggest that Prince Sihanouk was ruthless in suppressing political opposition. In the October 31, 1964, issue celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the Sangkum Reastr Niyum, we see Prince Sihanouk portrayed prominently as the national leader of Cambodia.
The image shown on the October 1964 FDC of Prince Sihanouk was the official portrait maintained well into the 1990's and only changed after he once again formally became the King of Cambodia in 1993. Sihanouk's perceived prominent statesmanship in regional and international affairs can also be inferred from the use of the 1964 image for a special stamp issue of March 1, 1965, to mark the Indochinese People's Conference held in Phnom Penh that included participants from Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos.
It is another three-and-a-half years before we next see Prince Sihanouk on a stamp issue with the November 9, 1968, set of 2 stamps marking the 15th anniversary of Cambodia's independence from France (Sc. 199, 200; SG 238, 239). This set begins a period reflecting the increasingly tumultuous events occurring in Cambodia from the mid-1960's onwards.
Officially, Prince Sihanouk had been trying to follow a neutral position towards the war raging in neighbouring Vietnam. However, such a position was becoming increasingly difficult to maintain and the 1968 independence issue may reflect the Prince's realisation that full-blown war was coming to Cambodia.
Soon after, on December 10, 1968, Prince Sihanouk appears on each of three stamps (Sc. 201, 202, 203; SG 240, 241, 242) marking international human rights day. This could possibly be due to the criticisms by some during the 1960's as to the lack of such rights within Cambodia under Sihanouk's leadership.
It is another 27 years before we see Norodom Sihanouk on any stamps issued by Cambodia. The only reference to him in the interim is a rarely seen cachet apparently used in 1970 stating, in French, how the Cambodian people had thrown off the royalist yoke which refers to the overthrow of Sihanouk in 1970 and the creation of the Cambodian Republic led by Lon Nol. Sihanouk spent much of the following 23 years in exile in Beijing, China.
After overcoming the murderous Khmer Rouge and over a decade of international sanctions, an all-party peace agreement was signed in 1991 in Paris, France. This led to national parliamentary elections in May, 1993, with the support of the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC), following which the second Kingdom of Cambodia was promulgated with Norodom Sihanouk re-installed as King who reigned but did not rule.
We finally see an older King Sihanouk on one of two stamps issued on November 9, 1995, to commemorate Cambodia's independence from France (Sc.1465; SG 1482). This is the modern official image of the King that is used for all official events.
Sihanouk still plays a key role in Cambodian politics owing to his revered status amongst many of the rural population that accounts for approximately 80% of the 12 million population of the country and especially the older generation even in the urban areas. However, he has rarely appeared on any stamp issues of Cambodia since returning to the country in the early 1990's.
On December 30, 1997, Cambodia issued a special set of stamps in remembrance of Lady Diana Spencer (formerly the Princess of Wales) following her death in a car accident in Paris, France. Of note are King Sihanouk's words of tribute in both the Khmer and English languages at the bottom of the set:
"Cambodia has always had profound admiration and great respect for Princess Diana, a great lady always ready to aid needy children and little people around the world." King Norodom Sihanouk.
One of the most recent appearances of Norodom Sihanouk is on a set of stamps commemorating the 50th anniversary of Cambodia's independence from France, issued on November 9, 2003, together with a FDC and special cachet (please see SICP Issue 165 for full details of this issue). It is interesting to note that the image chosen to depict the King in his latter years is one of him donating gifts to poorer members of Cambodian society, as can be seen in the 1,000 Riel stamp from the 50th independence anniversary set.
Following the coronation of one of his sons - His Majesty Preah Bat Samdech Preah Norodom Sihamoni - on October 29, 2004, Norodom Sihanouk became the 'King-Father' of the nation and has, since that time, only appeared once on the stamps of Cambodia.
The King-Father is seen sitting next to his wife, the Queen-Mother, on the 2,200 riel stamp celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Cambodian Red Cross, a set of 6 stamps issued on February 18, 2005. As of mid-2009, this is the last time that Norodom Sihanouk has appeared on the stamps of Cambodia. It is hoped, however, that he will appear many more times in the future.
June 2009, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
LINKS:
Official website of His Majesty King-Father Norodom Sihanouk: www.norodomsihanouk.info/new/index.php
Official website of His Majesty King Norodom Sihamoni: http://www.norodomsihamoni.org/front_e.htm
Cambodian Red Cross: http://www.redcross.org.kh/english/index.asp
Scott Stamp Catalogue, including Cambodia: http://www.amosadvantage.com/scottonline/product.asp?part_no=C102&tab=stamp&category=CLG
Stanley Gibbons Stamp Catalogue, Part 21, South-East Asia, 4th Edition: http://shop.stanleygibbons.com/index.asp?page=item&stockID=R2850-04
United Nations Organisation: http://www.un.org/en/
United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC): http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/dpko/co_mission/untac.htm