On 21 March 1981 , Sihanouk founded FUNCINPEC , a royalist resistance movement , from Pyongyang , North Korea . Over the next few months , Sihanouk forged closer ties with the Chinese government as he saw the need of gathering resistance armies sympathetic to FUNCINPEC , such as MOULINAKA ( Movement for the National Liberation of Kampuchea ) . He had resisted earlier attempts between 1979 till 1981 by the Chinese government for him to forge political alliances with the Khmer Rouge , whom he had accused of killing his own family members during the Cambodian genocide . However , he reconsidered his position over allying with the Khmer Rouge , with whom they shared a common goal of ousting the People 's Republic of Kampuchea ( PRK ) government , which was under Vietnam 's influence . In September 1981 , Sihanouk met with Khmer People 's National Liberation Front ( KPNLF ) leader Son Sann and Khmer Rouge leader Khieu Samphan to establish the framework for a coalition government-in-exile . Subsequently , on 22 June 1982 , the Coalition Government of Democratic Kampuchea ( CGDK ) was formed , and Sihanouk was made its President
Cambodian genocide
Cambodian genocide
FUNCINPEC