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
