In 1885, Si Votha, half brother of Cambodian ruler Norodom and a contender for the throne, leads a rebellion to dispose of the French-backed Norodom after returning from exile in Siam.

Gathering support from those opposed to the rule of of Norodom and the French, Si Votha’s rebellion tis primarily concentrated in the jungles of Cambodia and the city of Kampot.

French forces later aid Norodom to defeat Si Votha under agreements that the Cambodian population be disarmed and acknowledge the resident-general as the highest power in the protectorate