Hor Namhong

His Excellency Hor Namhong MP
Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation
In office 30 November 1998 – 4 April 2016
Prime Minister	Hun Sen
Preceded by	Ung Huot
Succeeded by	Prak Sokhon
In office 1990–1993
Prime Minister	Hun Sen
Preceded by	Hun Sen
Succeeded by	Norodom Sirivudh
Deputy Prime Minister of Cambodia
Incumbent
Assumed office 16 July 2004
Monarch	Norodom Sihanouk Norodom Sihamoni
Prime Minister	Hun Sen
Member of Parliament for Kampong Cham
Incumbent
Assumed office 26 July 1998
Personal details
Born	15 November 1935 Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Political party	Cambodian People's Party
Children	5
Alma mater	Ecole Royale d'Administration European Institute of High International Studies
Profession	Politician, diplomat
Religion	Buddhism

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 1998 to 2016.^[2] He previously held the same post from 1990 until 1993.^[3] He is a member of the Cambodian People's Party and has been a Deputy Prime Minister since 2004.

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^[3] 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.^[3]

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 Rodham 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.^[3] 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^[3] 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 elder son Hor Sothoun is Permanent Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and other two sons serve as ambassadors: Hor Nambora as Ambassador to the United Kingdom^[11] and Hor Monirath as Ambassador to Japan.^[12]

Awards

National

• Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Cambodia^[4]
• Grand Officer of the Royal Order of Monisaraphon^[4]

Foreign

• Grand Officer of the National Ordre du Mérite (France)^[4]
• Grand Cross of the Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant (Thailand)^[4]

References

1. Jennar, Raoul Marc (1995). Les clés du Cambodge. Maisonneuve et Larose. p. 205. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
2. 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.
3. "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. 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. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
5. Doyle, Kevin (1 September 2005). "Supreme Court Upholds Verdict Against Reporter". The Cambodia Daily. 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. http://unitedkhmer.wordpress.com/2011/05/01/sam-rainsy-won-lawsuit-by-hor-namhong/
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.