Khmer Serei
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The Khmer Serei, or Free Khmer, were a guerrilla force founded by nationalist and Norodom Sihanouk opponent Son Ngoc Thanh. However, they had limited success and recruited from Vietnam's Khmer Krom to fill their ranks[citation needed]. After initially operating from South Vietnam, they switched to Thailand, due to heavy Viet Cong activity around their bases. After the 1970 Lon Nol coup, Son Ngoc Thanh became a government minister, and the Khmer Serei appeared on the streets of Phnom Penh. However, due to the desperate military situation, they were soon thrown into meatgrinder battles and largely shattered. Son Ngoc Thanh was dismissed from the government in 1972, and exiled himself in South Vietnam, where he was arrested following the Fall of Saigon.