Pen Sovann (; 15 April 1936 – 29 October 2016) was 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 politician and revolutionary who served as the

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

of the

Hanoi Hanoi ( ; ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Vietnam, second-most populous city of Vietnam. The name "Hanoi" translates to "inside the river" (Hanoi is bordered by the Red River (Asia), Red and Black River (Asia), Black Riv ...

-backed People's Republic of Cambodia from 27 June 1979 to 5 December 1981. He also served as General Secretary of the Cambodia People's Revolutionary Party (CPRP) from 1979 to 1981. He was arrested and removed from office in December 1981 by the Vietnamese for irritating

Lê Đức Thọ Lê Đức Thọ (; 14 October 1911 – 13 October 1990), born Phan Đình Khải in Nam Dinh Province, was a Vietnamese revolutionary general, diplomat, and politician. He was the first Asian to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, jointly wit ...

, the chief adviser to the PRK government. He was imprisoned in Vietnam until January 1992. Sovann founded the Cambodia National Sustaining Party, which contested in the 1998 election but did not win a seat in parliament. He later joined the Human Rights Party founded in 2007 and served as its vice president. In 2012, he became a member of the newly founded

Cambodia National Rescue Party The Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP; , UNGEGN: , ALA-LC: ) was a major political party in Cambodia. It was founded in 2012 as a merger between the Sam Rainsy Party and Human Rights Party. The party believed in the strengthening of freedo ...

(CNRP) and stood as an MP candidate for Kampong Speu. He was elected and was sworn in on 5 August 2014, serving until his death in October 2016.

Biography

Pen Sovann was born in Chan Teab Village, Samraong Commune,

Tram Kak District Tram Kak District () is a district located in Takeo Province, in southern Cambodia. According to the 1998 census of Cambodia, it had a population of 144,032. See page 269. Administration As of 2019, Tram Kak District has 15 communes, 244 villages. ...

, Takéo province. He first joined the

Khmer Issarak The Khmer Issarak (, or 'Independent Khmer') was a "loosely structured" anti- French and anti-colonial independence movement. The movement has been labelled as “amorphous”. The Issarak was formed around 1945 and composed of se ...

at the age of 13 in 1950 and fought against the French. Two years later, Sovann joined the

Indochinese Communist Party The Indochinese Communist Party (ICP) was a political party which was transformed from the old Vietnamese Communist Party () in October 1930. This party dissolved itself on 11 November 1945. It is considered the first stage in the history of th ...

where he first met

Ta Mok Ta Mok (; born Chhit Choeun, ; 1924 – 21 July 2006), also known as Nguon Kang, was a Cambodian military chief and soldier who was a senior figure in the Khmer Rouge and the leader of the national army of Democratic Kampuchea. He was also kn ...

. Sovann supported 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 ...

during the 1970-1973 civil war against the

Khmer Republic The Khmer Republic (, ; ) was a Cambodian state under the United States-backed military dictatorship of Marshal Lon Nol from 1970 to 1975. Its establishment was formally declared on 9 October 1970, following the 18 March 1970 coup d'état w ...

and he worked along with Chan Sy under Khieu Thirith, in charge of the Voice of the United National Front of Kampuchea. From 1973 to 1979, Sovann lived in exile in

. Sovann was a founding leader of

Kampuchean United Front for National Salvation The Kampuchean United Front for National Salvation (, UNGEGN: ''Rônâsĕrs Samôkki Sângkrŏăh Chéatĕ Kâmpŭchéa''; , FUNSK), often simply referred to as Salvation Front, was the nucleus of a new Cambodian regime that would topple the K ...

(KUFNS or FUNSK) on 25 November 1978. He served as Secretary-General of the

Kampuchean People's Revolutionary 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 allie ...

from 5 January 1979 to 1 December 1981, when he was replaced by

Heng Samrin Heng Samrin (; born 25 May 1934) is a Cambodian politician who served as the President of the National Assembly of Cambodia (2006–2023). Between 1979 and 1992, he was the '' de facto'' leader of the Hanoi-backed People's Republic of Kampuchea ...

following his removal from office by the Vietnamese. Sovann was arrested on 2 December 1981 for irritating

, chief

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

ese advisor to the Kampuchean United Front for National Salvation (FUNSK) and the People's Republic of Kampuchea (PRK). He was released from Vietnam's prison on 25 January 1992, after he served over 10 years. Sovann explained his long ordeal in prison: "When I wanted to create our own army of five regiments, the Vietnamese didn't agree and Lê Đức Thọ went to the

USSR 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 ...

to complain." Sovann died in Doun Kaev, Takéo Province on 29 October 2016. He was cremated in

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 ...

on 6 November 2016. On 10 November, Suon Rida was appointed to fill Sovann's vacant seat.

References

Bibliography

* Luke Young
Cambodian Political History. The Case of Pen Sovann
In: ''Monthly Review'' 65.1 (November 2013). * Scalapino, Robert A.; Wanadi, Jusuf; ''Economic, political, and security issues in Southeast Asia in the 1980s'', Institute of East Asian Studies, University of California, 1982, , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Pen, Sovan 1936 births 2016 deaths 21st-century Cambodian politicians Human Rights Party (Cambodia) politicians Cambodian nationalists Cambodian socialists Cambodian revolutionaries Cambodian military personnel Cambodian People's Party politicians Cambodian people imprisoned abroad Cambodian people of Vietnamese descent Members of the National Assembly (Cambodia) Kampuchean United Front for National Salvation politicians Communist Party of Kampuchea politicians Cambodia National Rescue Party politicians People from Takéo province Defence ministers of Cambodia People's Republic of Kampuchea Prisoners and detainees of Vietnam Prime ministers of Cambodia Cambodian politicians convicted of crimes

Biography

See also

References

Bibliography