Atiar Sua

Leader of a rebellion in Cambodia against King Norodom and the French invaders in 1864–1866. A former slave.

The peasants formed the basic nucleus of insurgents. Some of the feudal lords, discontented with the French invasion of Cambodia, joined Atiar Sua. Atiar Sua claimed to be Ang Phim, pretender to the throne and descendant of a brother of King Ang Chan. In 1864 the insurgents, headed by Atiar Sua, seized Kampot, Takeo, and other provinces in southern Cambodia and began a drive on the capital, Phnom Penh. Their attacks were beaten back by the royal troops and a French detachment. On Aug. 19, 1866, Atiar Sua was wounded, soon taken captive by the French, and sent to the island of Pulo Condore and then to Reunion. His troops merged with the insurgent troops headed by Pu Kombo.