Son Sann

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Son Sann (1911-2000) was a Cambodian politician born in Phnom Penh on October 5 1911. He held the office Prime Minister in 1967-68. A devout Buddhist, he fathered seven children and was married.

Son Sann studied in Phnom Penh and later Paris, where he graduated from the École des Hautes Études Commerciales in 1933. He briefly spent time in London, learning English in the process. Having returned to Cambodia in 1935 he joined the Civil Service, serving in the provinces of Prey Veng and later Battambang where he was in charge of trade. Son Sann was also a member of a Cambodian economic mission to Tokyo in 1941.

An early supporter of the Democrat Party, Son Sann became a member of its steering committee. He served as the vice-president of the Council of Ministers and Minister of Finance in the Sisowath Youtévong government from 1946-47. Following the death of Youtévong[1] he retained his post as vice-president of the council of ministers (effectively Deputy Prime Minister) until February 1948. He became Foreign Minister in June 1950-March 1951. Following the "crushing" of the Democrat Party in 1952, he resigned from the leadership of the party. He re-entered politics as a member of the Sangkum party and served in several governments in the late 1950's to the early 1960's holding various posts before becoming president of the National Bank of Cambodia (1964-68).

Following the 1970 coup against Prince Norodom Sihanouk, Son Sann was placed under house arrest and later left for France. In June 1970 he went to Beijing and attempted a reconciliation between Sihanouk and Lon Nol, who had overthrown him. He continued with these efforts even after the October proclamation of the Khmer Republic and by late 1971 he had gained the support of politicians and diplomats in Cambodia, France and China. However in 1972 the Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai denounced the initiative and Lon Nol responded by naming himself President of the Khmer Republic. Despite this, Son Sann continued to attempt a reconciliation until he was threatened by army officers close to Lon Nol in 1974 and again left for France.

In April 1975, Son Sann now based in Paris was asked to lead the Association of Overseas Cambodians. In 1978 he formed the Khmer People's National Liberation Front (KPNLF)to unite anti-communist refugees on the Thai-Cambodia border and launched the Khmer People's National Liberation Armed Forces (KPNLAF) following the 1979 Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia. The KPNLF later joined with the Armeè Nationale Sihanouk to form the non-communist resistance and in 1982, the KPNLF joined with Sihanouk and the Party of Democratic Kampuchea to form the Coalition Government of Kampuchea in 1982. Son Sann was named Prime Minister.

Following the Paris Peace Agreement, Son Sann formed a new political party, the Buddhist Liberal Democratic Party in 1992 and participated in the 1993 elections. Son Sann was elected along with nine other members of the party and served as a minority member in the coalition government.

In 1997, Sann left Cambodia for Paris where he remained with his family until his death. He died of heart failure on the 19th of December, 2001 aged 89.

References:

People's Daily Article on Son Sann's death [2]