Sar Kheng (; born 15 January 1951) is a Cambodian politician. He is the vice president of the ruling

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 served as

Minister of the Interior An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergency ...

and deputy prime minister from 1992 to 2023. He also represents the province of

Battambang Battambang (, Romanization of Khmer#UNGEGN, UNGEGN: ) is the capital of Battambang province and the List of cities and towns in Cambodia, third largest city in Cambodia. The city is situated on the Sangkae River, which winds its way through t ...

in the Cambodian Parliament. Kheng has been the Minister of the Interior since 1992. Until March 2006, he shared the position with

FUNCINPEC The National United Front for an Independent, Neutral, Peaceful and Cooperative Cambodia, commonly referred to as FUNCINPEC, is a royalist political party in Cambodia. Founded in 1981 by Norodom Sihanouk, it began as a resistance movement again ...

party member

You Hockry You Hockry (, born 20 August 1944) is a Cambodian politician. He belongs to the Funcinpec party and was elected to represent Kampong Cham Province, Kampong Cham in the National Assembly of Cambodia in 2003.Sar Sokha.

Biography

A Cambodian child in the ''Sangkum''

Sar Kheng was born on January 15, 1951, during the ''

Sangkum The Sangkum Reastr Niyum (, , ;Headly, Robert K.; Chhor, Kylin; Lim, Lam Kheng; Kheang, Lim Hak; Chun, Chen. 1977. ''Cambodian-English Dictionary''. Bureau of Special Research in Modern Languages. The Catholic University of America Press. Washi ...

'' in Ang Daung Saat Village, Krabau Township, Kamchay Mear District, Prey Veng Province. He was born into a peasant family.

From guerilla warfare to leader of the Kampuchea

Along with

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 ...

, Chea Sim, and

Hun Sen Samdech Hun Sen (; , Romanization of Khmer#UNGEGN, UNGEGN: ; born 5 August 1952) is a Cambodian politician and former military officer who currently serves as the List of presidents of the Senate (Cambodia), president of the Senate. He previous ...

, Sar Kheng was among the Democratic Kampuchea cadres of the Eastern Zone. However, after commander of the Eastern Zone Sar Phim was assassinated, Sar Kheng,

, and other leaders who refused the purges of the

Cambodian genocide The Cambodian genocide was the systematic persecution and killing of Cambodian citizens by the Khmer Rouge under the leadership of Pol Pot. It resulted in the deaths of 1.5 to 2 million people from 1975 to 1979, nearly 25% of Cambodia's populati ...

went into the opposition against the Khmers Rouges. The ties and friendships made at that time have lasted and still continue to determine Cambodian politics. Since they fled to Vietnam, they have been accused of being pro-Vietnamese. After the Vietnamese troops entered Cambodia and pushed back the Khmers Rouge to the North West provinces, Kheng, along with his brother-in-law Chea Sim, took on leadership positions in national security and were identified as "hard-liners" in the

People's Republic of Kampuchea The People's Republic of Kampuchea (PRK) was a partially recognised state in Southeast Asia which existed from 1979 to 1989. It was a satellite state of Vietnam, founded in Cambodia by the Vietnamese-backed Kampuchean United Front for Nationa ...

government, fighting to eradicate the Khmer Rouge from Cambodia. As leaders in the

one-party state A one-party state, single-party state, one-party system or single-party system is a governance structure in which only a single political party controls the ruling system. In a one-party state, all opposition parties are either outlawed or en ...

controlled by the Kampuchean People's Revolutionary Party (the former name of the CPP), they were accused of operating "a police state".

Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Headquartered in New York City, the group investigates and reports on issues including War crime, war crimes, crim ...

Asia Director

Brad Adams Brad Adams is an American lawyer and the founder and executive director at Climate Rights International. Prior to that, he was the executive director of the Asia Division of Human Rights Watch from 2002–2022. Adams established what would beco ...

described governmental policies that included imprisonment without trial and torture of political activists.

''Coup'' after ''coup'' towards democracy after the return of the monarchy

Kheng became the Minister of Interior in 1992 during the UN protectorate period overseeing the State of Cambodia's transition to the Kingdom of Cambodia. During this time, the CPP formed a coalition with its main rival, Prince

Norodom Ranariddh Norodom Ranariddh (; 2 January 1944 – 28 November 2021, Romanization of Khmer#UNGEGN, UNGEGN: , Romanization of Khmer#ALA-LC Romanization Tables, ALA-LC: ) was a Cambodian politician and law academic. He was the second son of King Norodom S ...

's FUNCINPEC party. As a result of this arrangement, each party appointed members to "share" higher offices. Within the CPP, Kheng is its Vice President and a standing member of its Central Committee, the body responsible for all core decision making.

1994 coup: surviving the failed attempt of Chakrapong and Sin Song

A schism slowly developed in the CPP with Hun Sen and his supporters who would hold on to power at all costs on one side and the more moderate Kheng, Chea Sim and Heng Samrin on the other. Hun Sen, who had control and support of the military and National Police emerged as the undisputed leader. His suspicion of Kheng was such that during an aborted coup attempt led by Prince Norodom Chakrapong in 1994, Hun Sen totally bypassed the Ministry of the Interior in his response, not notifying Kheng of troop mobilization or movements until the whole episode had already ended. Sar Kheng was particularly opposed to the tactics behind the coup as they only reinforced the political position of the Khmer Rouge by perpetuating political instability in Cambodia.

1997 coup: refusing a violent response

Three years later, while planning the 1997 coup to oust his popular co-Prime Minister Prince Norodom Ranariddh, Hun Sen personally confronted Kheng to ensure his loyalty and support for the use of force. Sar Kheng warned Hun Sen against the use of violence and said that he would refuse to take part in a coup. Further, Kheng could do nothing to reign in Hok Lundy, the head of the National Police force and close confidant of Hun Sen, who was accused of crimes and abuses of power ranging from human trafficking and drug smuggling to the murder of political opponents even though Lundy was under the authority of the Interior Ministry. By the late 1990s, Kheng's name was often floated by Western observers as a possible party "reformer".

Growing stronger after the loss of the FUNCINPEC

Since 1992, Kheng and FUNCINPEC member You Hockry were ruling as co-Ministers of the Interior. This arrangement lasted until the Senate elections of 2006, when FUNCINPEC, which lost many seats while Ranariddh left to form his own party, dissolved the coalition and allied with Sam Rainsy's opposition movement. You Hockry, who chose to follow Ranariddh, was dismissed and Prince Norodom Sirivudh was made co-minister with Kheng. However, Sirivudh was soon also dismissed, leaving Kheng as the sole Minister of the Interior. Since this loss, Sar Kheng has been able to grow stronger and rein in any serious political opposition. In September 2015, he warned the authorities of Sihanoukville whom he suspected of taking bribes in return for allowing

illegal fishing Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU) is an issue around the world. Fishing industry observers believe IUU occurs in most fisheries, and accounts for up to 30% of total catches in some important fisheries. Illegal fishing takes pl ...

and smuggling activities off the coast. After Sar Kheng downturned offers of inclusion by the Cambodia National Reform Party in 2017, Sam Rainsy directed "revenge claims" against Sar Kheng. In 2019, Sar Kheng sued Sam Rainsy for his allegations that he had been colluding with Dy Vichea against Hun Sen, accusations which he considered "fake news and incitements".

Politics

''Orkun santheipheap:'' balancing public order and personal freedom

Since coming to power in 1992, Minister of Interior Sar Kheng has overseen the transition to democracy. While some have applauded the longest period of political stability since the Cambodian Civil War and Kheng's efforts to fight against

corruption Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense that is undertaken by a person or an organization that is entrusted in a position of authority to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's gain. Corruption may involve activities ...

and

drug trafficking A drug is any chemical substance other than a nutrient or an essential dietary ingredient, which, when administered to a living organism, produces a biological effect. Consumption of drugs can be via inhalation, injection, smoking, ingestion, ...

, others have been critical of the suppression of political opponents such as CNRP deputy leader, Kem Sokha. Kheng continues to attempt to be a mediating force in Cambodia politics. In September 2015, Kheng announced the formation of a seven-person police commission to investigate the 2013 death threats made by CPP Interior Ministry official Lieutenant Colonel Pheng Vannak against CNRP deputy leader Kem Sokha. The investigation has resulted in Kheng removing Vannak from his position. After the October 2015 attacks on opposition CNRP lawmakers by pro-CPP demonstrators, Kheng conducted informal meetings with CNRP leader Sam Rainsy in an attempt to "restore a working relationship" between the two parties and quell the tension. This politics of stability has been summarized in the slogan which begins with a leitmotiv of CPP: ''orkun santheipheap'' (Khmer: អរគុណសន្តិភាព), which translates as "thanks be for peace".

Honors and recognitions

On June 14, 2015, King

Norodom Sihamoni Norodom Sihamoni (, ; born 14 May 1953) is King of Cambodia. He became King on 14 October 2004, a week after the abdication of his father, Norodom Sihanouk. He is the eldest son of King Sihanouk and former Queen consort Norodom Monineath and ...

awarded Kheng the honorary title of ''

Samdech ''Samdech'' (, Romanization of Khmer#UNGEGN, UNGEGN: , Romanization of Khmer#ALA-LC Romanizations Tables, ALA-LC: ) is a Cambodian honorific bestowed by the King of Cambodia to individuals deemed to have made significant contributions to the nati ...

''. His official title is "Samdech Kralahom Sar Kheng" ().

Family

Kheng is married to Nhem Sakhan with whom he has three children. Through matrimonial alliances, Kheng is part of an intricate network of powerful Cambodian families. Kheng is also brother-in-law to former president of the Cambodian National Assembly Chea Sim, who was CPP president until his death in 2015. His son Sar Sokha is married to Ke Kuon Sophy, the daughter of General Ke Kim Yan.

References

External links

Cambodian Ministry of the Interior
(Khmer)
National Committee for Counter Trafficking
(Khmer) {{DEFAULTSORT:Sar, Kheng 1951 births 20th-century Cambodian politicians 21st-century Cambodian politicians Living people Cambodian People's Party politicians Deputy prime ministers of Cambodia Government ministers of Cambodia Interior ministers of Cambodia Members of the National Assembly (Cambodia) Cambodian Theravada Buddhists People from Prey Veng province