Y Bham Enuol (Y Bhăm Êñuôl; Y Bham for short; 1913–20 April 1975) was a Rhade civil servant and a prominent figure during the Vietnam War.

Y Bhăm Êñuôl
Leader of Central Autonomous Commission of the BAJARAKA
In office
1957 – 20 September 1964
Deputy Governor of Đắk Lắk province
In office
1963–1964
President of Central Highlands Liberation Front
In office
March 1964 – 20 September 1964
Chairman of Central Committee of FULRO
In office
20 September 1964 – 20 April 1975
Personal details
Born1913
Buôn Ma Thuột, Đắk Lắk province, French Indochina
Died20 April 1975
Phnom Penh, Democratic Kampuchea
Political party BAJARAKA [vi]
FULRO [vi]
Military service
Allegiance South Vietnam
FULRO [vi]
Battles/wars

Y Bham Enuol was born in Buôn Ma Thuột, Đắk Lắk Province in 1913.[1] On May 1, 1958, he established BAJARAKA, an organization seeking autonomy for minorities in the Central Highlands. BAJARAKA was the predecessor of the United Front for the Liberation of Oppressed Races (FULRO), which played an important role during the Vietnam War. Y Bham was selected president of FULRO.

On 20 September 1964, Y Bham was arrested and deported to Cambodia.[2] Later, he lived in Phnom Penh. When the Communist Party of Kampuchea (Khmer Rouge) seized Phnom Penh on 17 April 1975, Y Bham and other FULRO leaders living in Phnom Penh sought refuge in the French Embassy.[3] On 20 April they were all taken out and executed.[4][5] However, members of FULRO did not know of his death until, after seventeen years American journalist Nate Thayer informed the group that Y Bham had been executed.[6] [7]

References

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  1. ^ Berman, David M. (2011). "Enuol, Y Bham". In Tucker, Spencer C. (ed.). The encyclopedia of the Vietnam War : a political, social, and military history (2nd ed.). ABC-CLIO. pp. 349-350. ISBN 9781851099610.
  2. ^ Gerald Cannon Hickey (2002). Window on a War: An Anthropologist in the Vietnam Conflict. Texas Tech University Press. p. 153. ISBN 0-89672-490-5.
  3. ^ Human Rights Watch (2002). Repression of Montagnards: Conflicts Over Land and Religion in Vietnam's Central Highlands. Human Rights Watch. p. 25. ISBN 1-56432-272-6. Y Bham Enuol.
  4. ^ "Kỷ niệm 38 năm từ trần của Y Bham Enuol, lãnh tụ phong trào Fulro". www.champaka.info. Archived from the original on November 24, 2022. Retrieved 2022-08-09.
  5. ^ "History | Montagnard Human Rights Organization (MHRO) - Defending Human Rights in the Central Highlands of Vietnam". Archived from the original on May 14, 2023. Retrieved 2022-08-09.
  6. ^ Nate Thayer, "Forgotten Army: The Rebels Time Forgot," Far Eastern Economic Review, Sept 10, 1992, pp. 16–22.
  7. ^ Meyn, Colin (April 28, 2023). "How an American Journalist Saved a Renegade Jungle Army in Cambodia". Voice of America Khmer. Archived from the original on June 9, 2023.