Long Boret or Long Boreth (pictured)(January 3, 1933 – April 17, 1975) was a Cambodian politician who served as Prime Minister of Cambodia from December 26, 1973 to April 17, 1975. Highly regarded for his honesty[1], he tried unsuccessfully to negotiate a peace settlement with the Khmer Rouge during the Cambodian Civil War. He was later arrested by the Khmer Rouge and executed.
Early life
Long was born in Chbar Ampéou near Kien Svay in Kandal Province, Cambodia, the son of Long Meas and Neang Ieng Buth. He attended the prestigious Lycée Sisowath in Phnom Penh from 1946 to 1952[2], studied in France from 1953 to 1955, then returned to Cambodia to work in the Royal Treasury.
Political career
In 1958 he was elected to parliament as MP for Stung Treng Province, and was the youngest MP in parliament[3]. He served briefly in 1958 as Deputy Secretary of State for Labor and Social Action and was re-elected to Parliament in 1962. During this period he became known as the author of romance stories, many of which were serialized in newspapers[4]. He was appointed State Secretary for Finance but he publicly opposed the decision in November 1963 by Norodom Sihanouk to nationalize banks and foreign trade, and was forced to resign. He retained his parliamentary seat in the 1966 elections. He was the Information Minister from 1971 to 1972 and the Foreign Minister from 1972 to 1973.
Prime Minister of Cambodia
On December 9, 1973 he succeeded In Tam to become Prime Minister of Cambodia. On April 2, 1974, he became one of four members of an Executive Board composed, in addition to Long Boret, of Lon Nol, Sisowath Sirik Matak and General Sosthene Fernandez.
On April 8, 1975, he attempted unsuccessfully to negotiate a peace settlement in Bangkok with representatives of the Khmer Rouge[5].
Arrest and execution
Long Boret remained in office until the Khmer Rouge captured Phnom Penh on April 17, 1975. US Ambassador John Gunther Dean recalls that, unlike many government officials who fled Phnom Penh, Long chose to remain behind despite being on a death list announced from Beijing by Norodom Sihanouk:
- "Long Boret refused to be evacuated. He was a competent, able man. much younger than Lon Nol or Sirik Matak. When I personally went to see him on April 12, the very morning of our evacuation, to ask him to take his wife and himself and his young children out of Phnom Penh because I feared for his safety, he thanked me but [said he] thought his life was not in danger[6]."
General Sak Sutsakhan[7] recalls that on the morning of April 17 Long decided to take his family and leave the city. Both General Sak and the journalist Jon Swain[8] reported that Long and his family were unable to board the last helicopter flying out of the city[9]. Ambassador Dean claims that "Long Boret tried to climb on the helicopter with his wife and young children. He was brutally shoved off the copter by Khmer military[10]." He was last seen by Swain, Sydney Schanberg and Dith Pran outside the French Embassy. Jon Swain reported:
- "...a black Citroen[11] pulled up and Long Boret got out, his eyes puffy and red, his face empty of expression. When we asked him how he was, he muttered a short, incoherent sentence. His thoughts were elsewhere. Dazed, legs wobbling, he surrendered to the Khmer Rouge and joined the line of prisoners. I could not fail to admire his courage[12]."
Schanberg gave a more detailed description of the scene:
- "Long Boret arrives in a car driven by his wife...he looks wretched. His eyes are puffed. He stares at the ground. He...knows what faces him. I want to get away but I feel I must say something to him, and Pran understands. I take Long Boret's hands and tell him what a brave thing he has done for his country and that I admire him for it. Pran takes his hands too...Long Boret tries to respond but cannot. Finally he mumbles "Thank you." And we must leave him.[13]
Soon after, Koy Thuon, a Khmer Rouge deputy front commander, organized the Committee for Wiping Out Enemies at the Hotel Monorom. Its first action was ordering the immediate execution of Lon Non and other leading government figures. Long Boret was executed on the grounds of the Cercle Sportif in Phnom Penh. Khmer Rouge Radio subsequently reported that he had been beheaded[14] but other reports indicate that he and Sisowath Sirik Matak were executed by firing squad[15].
Key dates
Dec. 9, 1973, Long Boret becomes Prime Minister of the Khmer Republic: Dec. 9, 1973—April 17, 1975
April 1, 1974, The High Political Council that dissolved a day earlier was replaced by a four-man executive council: Lon Nol, Sirik Matak, Long Boret and General Sosthene Fernandez.
June 17, 1974, Long Boret forms a new 16-member Cabinet.
March 11, 1975, President Lon Nol orders Prime Minister Long Boret to form a new cabinet and eliminates the post of commander-in-chief of the armed forces.
April 8, 1975, PM Long Boret holds unsuccessful peace talks with Khmer Rouge representatives in Bangkok.
8 comments:
Thank you for sharing this story with younger Khmer generation like myself. I am very passion reading about Khmer past politicians.
This a very sad story for me and I think for any Khmer person that is passionate about their country.
For us young generation we need to stop hating Khmer people despite we have different political view. All of us want happiness and prosperity to their own country.
Just imagine if all of the educated Khmer people were alive today...how much we could learn from them.
Khmer inquiry
Nobody would hate Khmer people if Cambodia just competes in Miss.Universe!
Sihanouk's bloody hands. No matters he has done to salvage his crimes, the hell is wating for him in twenth enternal burning cascade.
Although he claimed he was a victim like other Cambodian people, he is in the unique situation because he was the one who called people to join Khmer Rouge in 1970. He helped the blood Khmer rouge to power.
Claiming to liberate people and country from USA imperalism, but pushed Cambodia and people to the brink of catatrophic destruction. By saying he didn't know about this coming condition, it looks like the parents refused to acknowledge that their children are using street drugs, which can bring harful to themselves. What a shortsighting and braindead of Shihanouk, the man who claims he is the smartest, articulate, and most maneuver politician.
Shihanouk's family members and cambodian peole who killed during Pol Pot were the victims of his self-hanging cliff,upside down suicidal architecture.
Shame on you Shihanouk and shame on who continue to respect this man.
Cambodian people desire much better than this man.
ar-chker sihanouk was broadcasting eveningly by radio from peking and claimed himself as a chief "protearn ronnaksee romdoss jeat kampuchea" asked Khmer people to join him fighting with General Lon Nol troops to kick american out of Cambodia. Ar-chker sihanouk claimed even himself was a king/a princess rather became a khmer rouge to have equal casts or ranks as farmers in the whole country; so why don't all his people join him fighting with Khmer Republic who led by General Lon Nol. Look at his pictures with his mistress monique dressed in black with red kromar surrounding its necks like the rest of farmers in the country... and much more to propaganda ignoranrent people to join and support him with alot of promise after he got back on the power, he would be farmer and worked equally as farmers in the whole country. On April 17th, 1975 sihanouk himself annouced as chief the chiefs of state of kampuchea projea-tippa-tai and broadcasted alot on radio how he successfully and thanked his co-resistant heros: kiev samporn, ieng sary, pol pot, and his troops "ronnaksee romdos jeat kampuchea" to get him back on power so he could led the country once equal life again...
I myself was one of his believer as a young child listening to radio of his speech from peking every evening until the last night before April 17, 1975 that his bloody troops would win the war soon; and his alot of promises to lead the country equal life no rich, no poor; but everyone would has the rights to speak, to work and serve "angkar ning pak oy ban oss pi jet pi tlerm..." but at last after he got on the power again; millions more Khmer people were exicuted, torture as he said to do to his own people unconditionally "doy kmean leakan"
Ar-chker sihanouk, even millions time sentences will never enough!
It was sadden to read Long Boreth story. Thank you for sharing. King Sihanouk made many mistakes in his political career. However, I doubt that he wanted to see Cambodia fall to its knees. He wanted to see Cambodia prosper like others but his lack of knowledge and outmanuver by foriegn power. The former king also felt threaten by many Cambodian leaders and educators which caused him to get rid of them through many tactics. I pray for former king and wish him well at his next journey wherever that may be. If the king felt that he is innocent, then who am I to judge him? However, Buddha said "អ្នកសាងបាបគីបានបាបអ្នកសាងបុណ្យគីបានបុណ្យ"
Wo! 3:52AM, you are so well focused,if your stock dividend is not good like the way your stock broker promised you,then that broker deserves to be shot dead regardless of world economy situation and the fact that the broker had lost the fortune himself.Politic is more complicated than the stock. May be we were naive to trust Sihanouk in the first place but that's OK because we were young.But now we are the grown up men, we know how to analyze things out and know the difference between Mac and Window! Back up your data so often even though the computer nowadays is smarter than Sihanouk we should not trust that our data is always retrievable!
This stupid guy should get out of cambodia when he got a chance...Man! I felt so sorry for his children all got killed by khmer rouge, they ask this guy to leave when got the chance...But he's stubborn!
I agree he should had left the country. But then I can't blame him for staying. My father and uncle too received an offer to go to France, but they refused and perished like many others.
Many "good" patriots at the time could never imagine that Pol Pot would and could do what he and his henchmen did to their own country and people.
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