Cambodian anti-communist resistance leader
On 22 June 1982 in Kuala Lumpur he joined Sihanouk and the Khmer Rouge in forming the Coalition Government of Democratic Kampuchea, became its prime minister, and helped it retain Cambodia's UN seat.
Cambodian politician and anti-communist resistance leader. Born at Phnom Penh in 1911 into a Khmer Krom family, he studied in Paris and entered the civil service in 1935. He held the vice-premiership and finance posts in 1946–48, was foreign minister in 1950–51, president of the National Bank of Cambodia in 1955–68, and prime minister of Cambodia in 1967–68. Placed under house arrest after the 1970 coup, he later left for France, formed the Khmer People's National Liberation Front (KPNLF) in 1978–79 and became prime minister of the 1982 Coalition Government of Democratic Kampuchea. He founded the Buddhist Liberal Democratic Party in 1992, was elected in 1993, served as President of the National Assembly that year, and left for Paris in 1997, dying there of heart failure on 19 December 2000.
Career timeline
- 1946–1948Vice-premier and finance minister
- 1950–1951Foreign minister
- 1955–1968President of the National Bank of Cambodia
- 1967–1968Prime Minister of Cambodia
- 1978–1979Founded and led the Khmer People's National Liberation Front (KPNLF)
- 1982–1993Prime Minister of the Coalition Government of Democratic Kampuchea
- 1992Founded the Buddhist Liberal Democratic Party
- 1993President of the National Assembly
Cambodian military officer and politician who led the Khmer Republic as prime minister and president
Lon Nol held senior military and government posts in Cambodia and was a principal architect of the March 1970 coup that removed Norodom Sihanouk. As premier of the new government, he abandoned Sihanouk’s neutrality and aligned closely with the United States and South Vietnam, permitting their forces to operate in Cambodia. He assumed total power in 1972 and became president; as Khmer Rouge forces neared the capital, he left Cambodia for the United States in April 1975.
Career timeline
- 1937Entered the French colonial service and served as a magistrate
- 1951Served as provincial governor and head of the national police
- 1952Joined the army and fought Vietnamese communist guerrillas in Cambodia as an area commander
- 1955Became chief of staff of the Cambodian army
- 1960Became commander in chief
- 1963Served as deputy premier
- 1966–1967Served as premier
- 1968–1969Served as minister of defense
- 1969–1972Served as premier under Sihanouk and became a leading figure in the government after the March 1970 coup
- 1972Assumed total power and became president
- 1975Left Cambodia on April 1 as Khmer Rouge forces neared the capital and settled in the United States
Cambodian king and united-front leader
In June 1982 he joined the Khmer Rouge and Son Sann's KPNLF in an anti-Vietnamese coalition government and became its president, retaining Cambodia's UN seat.
King, head of state and prime minister of Cambodia. He came to the throne in 1941 under French colonial rule, led the country to independence in 1953, abdicated in 1955 to enter politics and was removed in 1970. Held under house arrest under the Khmer Rouge in 1975–1979, he led a resistance coalition allied with the Khmer Rouge in 1982–1991, was restored as king in 1993 and abdicated again in 2004.
Career timeline
- 1941–1955King of Cambodia
- 1955–1960Led the Sangkum and served as prime minister and head of state
- 1960–1970Head of state
- 1981Founded the resistance party FUNCINPEC
- 1982–1987President of the Coalition Government of Democratic Kampuchea (CGDK)
- 1991–1993Chairman of the Supreme National Council
- 1993–2004King of Cambodia
Deputy Secretary of the CPK, 'Brother Number Two'
Convicted of genocide against the Cham and Vietnamese in November 2018, he died on 4 August 2019 while serving his sentence and his appeal was pending; the Supreme Court Chamber found no legal grounds to annul the judgment and let the trial findings stand.
Cambodian revolutionary and chief ideologist of the Communist Party of Kampuchea (Khmer Rouge), serving as its Deputy Secretary. Known as 'Brother Number Two' to Pol Pot, he chaired the People's Representative Assembly and briefly served as acting Prime Minister of Democratic Kampuchea. Convicted of crimes against humanity in 2014, he was given a life sentence on 16 November 2018 for genocide against the Vietnamese and Cham and grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions.
Career timeline
- 1960–1998Deputy Secretary and chief ideologist of the Communist Party of Kampuchea
- 1970Played a major role in negotiating North Vietnamese entry into Cambodia
- 1976–1979Chairman of the People's Representative Assembly of Democratic Kampuchea and briefly acting Prime Minister
- 1998Surrendered to Cambodian government forces in December
- 2007Arrested on 19 September
- 2014Sentenced to life for crimes against humanity in Case 002/01 on 7 August, upheld on appeal on 23 November 2016
- 2018Convicted in Case 002/02 on 16 November of genocide against the Cham and Vietnamese, with the life sentences merged into one
Head of state of Democratic Kampuchea
In June 1982 he joined Sihanouk and Son Sann in an anti-Vietnamese coalition government and took charge of its foreign affairs, so that Western support kept Cambodia's UN seat with the coalition.
Cambodian politician and economist. Born in Svay Rieng province, he studied law in Phnom Penh, returned in 1959 to teach at the university and served as a minister under Sihanouk. After the 1967 crackdown on the left he went into hiding, joined the Khmer Rouge and, as chairman of the State Presidium in 1976–1979, served as head of state. He succeeded Pol Pot as Khmer Rouge leader in 1985 and led the movement until 1998. Arrested in 2007, he was sentenced to life in 2014 for crimes against humanity, convicted in 2018 of genocide against the Vietnamese, and had his appeal rejected on 22 September 2022.
Career timeline
- 1959–1967Returned home, taught at the University of Phnom Penh and served as a minister in Sihanouk's Sangkum government
- 1967Went into hiding from the crackdown on the left and joined the Khmer Rouge
- 1973–1974Led FUNK and GRUNK delegations on tours of North Vietnam, China, Korea, Albania, Yugoslavia, Romania, Algeria and elsewhere
- 1976–1979Chairman of the State Presidium of Democratic Kampuchea, serving as head of state
- 1976Attended a Non-Aligned summit as the representative of Democratic Kampuchea
- 1982–1993Vice-president and foreign secretary of the Coalition Government of Democratic Kampuchea, leading the effort to retain the UN seat
- 1985–1998Formally succeeded Pol Pot as leader of the Khmer Rouge
- 1997Broke with the Khmer Rouge, denouncing Pol Pot and founding the Khmer National Solidarity Party
- 1998Surrendered to Cambodian government forces together with Nuon Chea in December
- 2007Arrested after Prime Minister Hun Sen had defied international pressure and declined to prosecute him
- 2014Sentenced to life imprisonment for crimes against humanity on 7 August
- 2018Convicted on 16 November of genocide against the Vietnamese, while being cleared of involvement in the genocide of the Chams
- 2022His appeal was rejected on 22 September, leaving the convictions standing
Cambodian reconstruction after 1979
At the December 1978 Kratie congress he proclaimed the overthrow of the Pol Pot regime and an independence moving toward socialism, and was elected president of the National Salvation Front.
A Cambodian leader who broke with the Khmer Rouge and cooperated with Vietnam. He led the People’s Republic of Kampuchea after the 1979 regime change. Reconstruction combined state, cooperative and household activity while war and international disputes over representation continued.
Career timeline
- 1979Chairman of the People's Revolutionary Council
- 1981Chairman of the Council of State and General Secretary of the People's Revolutionary Party
- 1991Stepped down as party general secretary
- 1992Stepped down as chairman of the Council of State
- 1998Vice Chairman of the National Assembly
- 2006President of the National Assembly
First prime minister of the Kampuchean People's Revolutionary Party
Removed and arrested on 2 December 1981, he formally held the posts of prime minister and party general secretary until 5 December, when Heng Samrin became general secretary and Chan Sy acting prime minister.
A Cambodian politician who broke with the Khmer Rouge and cooperated with Vietnam. One of the founding leaders of the Kampuchean United Front for National Salvation in 1978, he led the building of party and administrative structures as the People's Revolutionary Party's general secretary after the 1979 regime change. He became prime minister in June 1981 but was removed and arrested under Vietnamese pressure that December and was held until 1992.
Career timeline
- 1950Joined the Khmer Issarak guerrilla struggle
- 1978Founding leader of the Kampuchean United Front for National Salvation
- 1979–1981General Secretary of the Kampuchean People's Revolutionary Party
- 1981.06.27–1981.12.05Prime Minister of the People's Republic of Kampuchea
- 1981–1992Detained in Vietnam
- 2007Vice President of the Human Rights Party
- 2013–2016National Assembly member for Kampong Speu (Cambodia National Rescue Party)
Cambodia's long-serving prime minister
In 1979, at the age of 26, he became Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of the People's Republic of Kampuchea, the world's youngest foreign minister.
A Cambodian politician and former military officer. He joined the Khmer Rouge in 1970 and served as a battalion commander before defecting in 1977 to fight alongside Vietnamese forces. After the regime fell in 1979 he became Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of the People's Republic of Kampuchea, and in 1985 succeeded Chan Sy as Prime Minister. He remained in power for decades and now serves as president of the Senate and acting head of state.
Career timeline
- 1970Joined the Khmer Rouge
- 1979Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of the People's Republic of Kampuchea
- 1985Became Prime Minister
- 1993Second Prime Minister
- 1998Prime Minister after consecutive CPP election victories
- 2023Stepped down as prime minister
Leader of Democratic Kampuchea
In April 1975 the Khmer Rouge entered Phnom Penh and emptied a city of some two million overnight, driving the people out to the countryside.
Leader of the Communist Party of Kampuchea and Democratic Kampuchea. His 1975–1979 regime imposed forced evacuation, labor, collectivized farming and political purges. War with Vietnam ended its control of Phnom Penh, but the Khmer Rouge continued as an armed movement.
Career timeline
- 1953Returned from France and joined the Khmer Việt Minh
- 1963–1981General Secretary, Communist Party of Kampuchea
- 1976–1979Prime Minister of Democratic Kampuchea
- 1979Overthrown by the Vietnamese invasion, retreated to the jungle near the Thai border
- 1985–1997Led the remnant Khmer Rouge as Director of the Higher Institute of National Defence
- 1998Placed under house arrest by Ta Mok, then died
