Hor Namhong

Hor Namhong (Khmer: ហោ ណាំហុង; born 15 November 1935[1]) is a Cambodian diplomat who served in the government of Cambodia as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1990 to 1993[2] and again from 1998 to 2016.[3] He is a member of the Cambodian People's Party and has been a Deputy Prime Minister since 2004. He served as Cambodia's foreign minister for a combined tenure of 20 years.

In this Cambodian name, the surname is Hor. In accordance with Cambodian custom, this person should be referred to by the given name, Namhong.
His Excellency

Hor Namhong
ហោ ណាំហុង
Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation
In office
30 November 1998 – 4 April 2016
Prime MinisterHun Sen
Preceded byUng Huot
Succeeded byPrak Sokhonn
In office
1990–1993
Prime MinisterHun Sen
Preceded byHun Sen
Succeeded byNorodom Sirivudh
Deputy Prime Minister of Cambodia
Assumed office
16 July 2004
MonarchNorodom Sihanouk
Norodom Sihamoni
Prime MinisterHun Sen
Member of Parliament
for Kampong Cham
In office
25 November 1998 – 29 July 2018
Personal details
Born (1935-11-15) 15 November 1935
Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Political partyCambodian People's Party
Children5
Alma materÉcole Royale d'Administration
European Institute of High International Studies
University of Paris
ProfessionPolitician, diplomat

Early life and education

Born at Phnom Penh, Hor Namhong was educated at the Ecole Royale d'Administration (diplomatic section) in Cambodia.[1] He holds a Master of Law degree from the Faculty of Law in Paris[2] and a diploma from the European Institute of High International Studies in France.[1]

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) in 1970.[4] Between 1973 and 1975 he represented Cambodia as ambassador to Cuba.[2]

Boeng Trabek prison camp

Between 1975 and 1979 Hor Namhong claims to have been a prisoner of the Khmer Rouge at Boeng Trabek.[5] 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.[5][6] 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.[7][8]

In July 2011 Namhong lodged a protest with United States officials regarding a diplomatic cable released by WikiLeaks. 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."[9]

Subsequent career
Namhong shaking hands with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at the Department of State in Washington, D.C. on 12 June 2012.

In 1980, following the fall of the Khmer Rouge, Hor Namhong joined the government as Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs.[4] In 1982 he was appointed as ambassador to the Soviet Union, a post which he held until 1989.[2] In 1989 he returned to Cambodia as Minister of the Council of Ministers in charge of Foreign Affairs.[4] In 1990 he was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs[2] and in 1991 became a member of the Supreme National Council of Cambodia.[4]

Between 1987 and 1991 Hor Namhong was one of the key negotiators in the peace talks to end the "Cambodia Conflict".[4] In October 1991 he was a signatory of the Paris Peace Agreement.[4]

In 1993 he returned to the diplomatic corps as ambassador to France.[4] In 1998 he returned to government as a Member of the National Assembly and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.[4] In 2004, in addition to his position as foreign minister, he was appointed a deputy prime minister.[4]

He retired from his post as foreign minister on 4 April 2016 after 17 years in office, though remained as a deputy prime minister.[10] He was the longest serving Cambodian foreign minister.

Personal life

Hor Namhong is married, having five children.[4] 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[11] and Hor Monirath as Ambassador to Japan.[12]

Awards

National

Foreign

References
  1. Jennar, Raoul Marc (1995). Les clés du Cambodge. Maisonneuve et Larose. p. 205. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
  2. "Third Annual Gala Dinner with Foreign Ministers Biggest Ever" (PDF). Interchange: a quarterly newsletter for and about international cooperation with Cambodia, Cuba, Laos and Vietnam. Fund for Reconciliation and Development. 12 (3): 5. 2002. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
  3. Severino, Rodolfo (2006). Southeast Asia in search of an ASEAN community. Singapore: ISEAS Publishing. p. 67. ISBN 978-981-230-389-9. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
  4. "H.E. Mr. HOR Namhong Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Curriculum Vitae". Kingdom of Cambodia Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
  5. Doyle, Kevin (1 September 2005). "Supreme Court Upholds Verdict Against Reporter". The Cambodia Daily. Archived from the original on 13 August 2010. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
  6. Fawthrop, Tom; Jarvis, Helen (2005). Getting away with genocide? Elusive justice and the Khmer Rouge Tribunal. Sydney: UNSW Press. pp. 151–152. ISBN 0-86840-904-9. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
  7. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-08-31. Retrieved 2011-05-26.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  8. http://www.rfa.org/khmer/indepth/hornamnong_loses_lawsuit_against_samrainsy-04302011075250.html
  9. "Cambodia protests over US cable's Khmer Rouge claim". Google News. Agence France-Presse. 15 July 2011. Retrieved 28 July 2012.
  10. "Assembly OKs Hun Sen's Cabinet Reshuffle". The Cambodia Daily. 5 April 2016. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  11. "His Excellency Hor Nambora". Diplomat Magazine. 2005. Retrieved 21 July 2012.
  12. Xinhua (15 November 2008). "Cambodian FM names 9 new ambassadors". People's Daily Online. Retrieved 21 July 2012.
Political offices
Preceded by
Ung Huot		 Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation
1998–2016		 Succeeded by
Prak Sokhon
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