Hor Namhong (, ; born 15 November 1935) is a

Cambodia Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...

n diplomat who served in the government of Cambodia as

Minister of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and foreign relations, relations, diplomacy, bilateralism, ...

from 1990 to 1993 and again from 1998 to 2016. He is a member of the

Cambodian People's Party The Cambodian People's Party (CPP; , UNGEGN: ) is a Cambodian political party which has ruled the country since 1979. Founded in 1951, it was originally known as the Kampuchean People's Revolutionary Party (KPRP). During the Cold War it allied ...

and has been a Deputy Prime Minister since 2004. He served as Cambodia's foreign minister for a combined tenure of 20 years.

Early life and education

Born at

Phnom Penh Phnom Penh is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Cambodia, most populous city of Cambodia. It has been the national capital since 1865 and has grown to become the nation's primate city and its political, economic, industr ...

, Hor Namhong was educated at the École royale d'administration (diplomatic section) in Cambodia. He holds a Master of Law degree from the Faculty of Law in Paris and a diploma from the European Institute of High International Studies in France.

Early career

Between 1967 and 1973 Hor Namhong served at the Embassy of Cambodia in Paris, which became the mission of the exiled Royal Government of National Union of Kampuchea (

GRUNK The Royal Government of National Union of Kampuchea (, GRUNK; ) was a government-in-exile of Cambodia, based in Beijing and Hong Kong, that was in existence between 1970 and 1976, and was briefly in control of the country starting from 1975. Th ...

) in 1970. Between 1973 and 1975 he represented Cambodia as ambassador to

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

Boeng Trabek prison camp

Between 1975 and 1979 Hor Namhong claims to have been a prisoner of the

Khmer Rouge The Khmer Rouge is the name that was popularly given to members of the Communist Party of Kampuchea (CPK), and by extension to Democratic Kampuchea, which ruled Cambodia between 1975 and 1979. The name was coined in the 1960s by Norodom Sihano ...

at Boeng Trabek. There have been accusations that he collaborated with his captors but Hor Namhong denies the accusations and was successful in a defamation suit against his accusers. On April 27, 2011, Hor Namhong lost a defamation suit in the French Supreme Court in which he claimed he was innocent of atrocities committed during the Khmer Rouge regime from 1975 through 1979. In July 2011 Namhong lodged a protest with

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

officials regarding a leaked diplomatic cable. The undated cable claimed that Namhong "became head of the Beng Trabek (sic) camp and he and his wife collaborated in the killing of many prisoners."

Subsequent career

In 1980, following the fall of the Khmer Rouge, Hor Namhong joined the government as Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs. In 1982 he was appointed as ambassador to the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

, a post which he held until 1989. In 1989 he returned to Cambodia as Minister of the Council of Ministers in charge of Foreign Affairs. In 1990 he was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs and in 1991 became a member of the Supreme National Council of Cambodia. Between 1987 and 1991 Hor Namhong was one of the key negotiators in the peace talks to end the "Cambodia Conflict". In October 1991 he was a signatory of the Paris Peace Agreement. In 1993 he returned to the diplomatic corps as ambassador to

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. In 1998 he returned to government as a Member of the National Assembly and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. In 2004, in addition to his position as foreign minister, he was appointed a deputy prime minister. He retired from his post as foreign minister on 4 April 2016 after 17 years in office, though remained as a deputy prime minister. He was the longest serving Cambodian foreign minister.

Personal life

Hor Namhong is married, having five children. His eldest son, Hor Sothoun, is Permanent Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and his two other sons serve as ambassadors: Hor Nambora as Ambassador to the United Kingdom and Hor Monirath as Ambassador to Japan (current Secretary of State of the Ministry of Tourism).

Awards

National

KHM Ordre Royal du Cambodge - Grand Croix BAR

Grand Cross of the

Royal Order of Cambodia The Royal Order of Cambodia (, ; ) was a colonial order of chivalry of French Cambodia, and is still in use as an order of chivalry in the present-day Kingdom of Cambodia. History Colonialism On 8 February 1864, the king founded the Royal Orde ...

KHM Royal Order of Monisaraphon - Grand Officer

Grand Officer of the Royal Order of Monisaraphon

Foreign

Grand Officer of the National Ordre du Mérite (

) * Grand Cross of the Most Exalted

Order of the White Elephant __NOTOC__ The Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant (; ) is an order (decoration), order of Thailand. It was established in 1861 by King Mongkut, Rama IV of the Thailand, Kingdom of Siam. Along with the Order of the Crown of Thailand, it is r ...

(

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

)

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Hor, Namhong 1935 births Living people Cambodian Buddhists People from Phnom Penh Cambodian diplomats 20th-century Cambodian politicians 21st-century Cambodian politicians Cambodian politicians of Chinese descent Members of the National Assembly (Cambodia) Grand Officers of the Ordre national du Mérite Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Cambodia Cambodian People's Party politicians Deputy prime ministers of Cambodia Government ministers of Cambodia Foreign ministers of Cambodia Ambassadors of Cambodia to Cuba Ambassadors of Cambodia to the Soviet Union Ambassadors of Cambodia to France Ambassadors of Cambodia to Japan Cambodian expatriates in France University of Paris alumni Members of the Royal Order of Monisaraphon