Nol Lon
លន់ នល់
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