Pen Sovann Bio

Pen Sovann was a prominent politician in Cambodian society in the late 1970s and early 1980s. His dominance was because he was a leader of the Kampuchean National Rescue Party, closely aligned with Vietnamese forces. Entered Cambodia in the fall of the Khmer Rouge in early 1979, and Vietnam installed him as prime minister of the new regime, the People's Republic of Kampuchea That time.

Pen Sovann was the first Prime Minister of the People's Republic of Kampuchea from late June to early December 1981. During his time as prime minister, Cambodia was under Vietnamese control.

In an interview with Radio Free Asia in 2007, Pen Sovann said he was born on April 15, 1936, in Chanthaap Village, Samrong Commune, Tramkok District, Takeo Province. He was born into a poor farming family who made little rice and sold labor. He is the third of seven brothers.

At the age of ten, he left his family to find a cow for a wealthy family. Because of his reluctance to stay there, he left with the monks at Wat Kram Chrum until he was 15.

He joined the unpopular political movement in 1950 (February 3), when he joined The movement of the masses, according to his mother's explanation, that the movement was a good move. At the age of 24, Pen Sovann said he did not understand the Indochinese political issues at the time, but he only knew he needed to participate. The move to oust the invaders of colonialists defeated the regime of tyranny and peasantry.

He saw that colonies of Imperial Japan and France were abusive and oppressive to the Cambodian people, and the elites coming into the village He helps Assassin residents: "I understand only one thing: to fight the invaders to invade the outposts. Countries and overthrow the regime of overthrowing the people and farmers. At this time, I do not know what country I was at that time, at the time, but only in the country. I am so, and I find that a target of the elite has a target of colonizing an overseas colony, France, and In this class, I called the Feast of the Feast of Feudal, oppressing the poor. "

He said the elite group he joined was Ta Mok's group, which he identified with another name as Chhit Choong Ung Choeun and Uncle Chum. He used to work as a unit of Ta Mok's bodyguard from 1950 to 1953.

After Cambodia gained independence from France in 1954, he was one of the 1,040 young men Was the leader of the communist movement of the Southwestern region, Ta Moc, to persuade to study military occupation in northern Vietnam's Thanh Hoa province: "They Take me to training the officers Under the platoon officer. I trained to train Cambodian soldiers, and I am one of the top commanders of the Royal Navy. I have 54 members. 54 people, I was the first to learn Vietnamese and Vietnamese to learn technical skills. "

He said that motivation was at that time, though the French colonized Cambodia, but the oppressed class still existed.

Following the coup of 1970, King Norodom Sihanouk was sent by the Khmer communists to North Vietnam, sending them to the group. Cambodian communists such as Ieng Sary, Ieng Thirith, and Taviv. He was then promoted to the Ministry of Propaganda of the United National United Front, with Prince Norodom Sihanouk, the provincial president of the province. North of Cambodia.

Pen Sovann claimed that he is a Vietnamese writer and translate in the broadcasting media of the Ministry of Propaganda and National United Frontal Movement That's where Vietnamese experts manage the technique: "The story of the Khmer-Vietnamese subtitles from Vietnam to Cambodia is excellent. I watch Vietnamese newspapers break Khmer. They saw me excelled, they used techniques to help Vietnamese radio, and helped their officials read the wrong letter, Do not let me help teacher training, they teach him to teach technique, write Khmer script, write Khmer subtitled in Vietnamese. "

He escaped the Khmer Rouge communists in early 1974 when he heard that they planned to kill him. . He continued to live in Vietnam until 1979.

In his interview, Pen Sovann always claimed that he was collecting Cambodian dignitaries and fighters who fled to Vietnam to create a liberation movement. Cambodia from the hands of the Khmer Rouge Pol Pot. He was appointed chairman of the Political Forces Movement on March 5, 1978. In December 1978, the Kampuchean United Front for National Salvation movement.

Un-official translation from Khmer Text
a brief overview of Pen Sovann's life, written by RFA: