Oknha Truong Cang (, also spelled Troueung Kang; 1913–1984) 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 diplomat. Truong Cang was a

Khmer Krom The Khmer Krom (, , ; or 'Southern Khmer people') are ethnically Khmer people living in or from the Mekong Delta (Tây Nam Bộ), the south western part of Vietnam known in Khmer as Kampuchea Krom (, ). The Khmer Krom people are considered a ...

. He served as

Minister of Finance A ministry of finance is a ministry or other government agency in charge of government finance, fiscal policy, and financial regulation. It is headed by a finance minister, an executive or cabinet position . A ministry of finance's portfolio ...

(1957-1958 and 1959) and foreign minister (1958) of Cambodia. He was also a member of the High Council of the Throne. With his efforts,

International Court of Justice The International Court of Justice (ICJ; , CIJ), or colloquially the World Court, is the only international court that Adjudication, adjudicates general disputes between nations, and gives advisory opinions on International law, internation ...

(ICJ) awarded ownership of

Preah Vihear Temple Preah Vihear Temple ( Khmer: ប្រាសាទព្រះវិហារ ''Prasat Preah Vihear''; ; ) is an ancient Hindu temple built by the Khmer Empire, located on top of a cliff in the Dângrêk Mountains, in the Preah Vihear provin ...

to Cambodia in 1962. From 1964 to 1969 he was the ambassador to

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. In 1967, the Chinese embassy in Cambodia published and distributed Communist propaganda to the Cambodian populace praising the

Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a Social movement, sociopolitical movement in the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). It was launched by Mao Zedong in 1966 and lasted until his de ...

, which irritated

Norodom Sihanouk Norodom Sihanouk (; 31 October 192215 October 2012) was a member of the House of Norodom, Cambodian royal house who led the country as Monarchy of Cambodia, King, List of heads of state of Cambodia, Chief of State and Prime Minister of Cambodi ...

. Sihanouk threatened to break off diplomatic relations with China. Truong Cang was about to leave

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

, but finally was persuaded to stay in China by Chinese premier

Zhou Enlai Zhou Enlai ( zh, s=周恩来, p=Zhōu Ēnlái, w=Chou1 Ên1-lai2; 5 March 1898 – 8 January 1976) was a Chinese statesman, diplomat, and revolutionary who served as the first Premier of the People's Republic of China from September 1954 unti ...

. From 1972 to 1973 he was the permanent representative to the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

. Truong Cang was regarded as a national hero by Khmer nationalists. 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 ...

, Oknya Truong Cang Road was named after him.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Truong, Cang 1913 births 1984 deaths Khmer Krom people Cambodian politicians Cambodian diplomats Finance ministers of Cambodia Foreign ministers of Cambodia Ambassadors of Cambodia to China Permanent representatives of Cambodia to the United Nations Oknha