SI VOTHA

born 1841, Cambodia died Feb. 2, 1892, along the LaosCambodia border also spelled Si Vattha Cambodian prince and contender for the throne who fought unsuccessfully for the independence of his country during the rise of French supremacy in Indochina. Si Votha was a son of King Duong. When Duong died in 1860, Si Votha's older half brother, Norodom, ascended the throne. In 186061 Si Votha marched from his headquarters in the remote province of Thum Odongk to the capital, Oudong, and pursued Norodom westward to Batdmbng. The insurrection was not successful, and Si Votha was forced to retreat. Norodom returned to the capital aided by the French. By 1863 Cambodia had become a French protectorate. In 1876 Si Votha's troops fought their way almost to the outskirts of the new capital, Phnom Penh, before being turned back by a force of more than 300 French soldiers. Si Votha then retired to a secluded life in Laos. In 1885, taking advantage of Cambodian dissatisfaction over a proposed French treaty, he headed another insurrection, which lasted for a year but was also defeated. Abandoned by his partisans and having limited funds, he retreated to mountains near the frontier of Laos, where he endured a harsh existence. In 1888 he was visited by the French scholar Jacques Taupin, who urged him to come to terms with the French and thus secure a better life for himself. Si Votha died four years later without reaching a decision on the matter.