People of the Revolution and the USSR

Son Sann

សឺន សាន
Counter-revolutionary forces Cambodia Cambodia 1911–2000 ○ Died in Paris

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

Nol Lon

លន់ នល់
Cambodia state institutions Counter-revolutionary forces Cambodian Cambodian 1913–1985 ○ Natural causes · United States

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