Long Boret
Encyclopedia
Long Boret or Long Boreth (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, 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.
, Cambodia, the son of Long Meas and Neang Ieng Buth. He attended the prestigious Lycée Sisowath
in Phnom Penh
from 1946 to 1952, studied in France
from 1953 to 1955, then returned to Cambodia to work in the Royal Treasury.
Province, and was the youngest MP in parliament. 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. 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.
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
.
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
:
General Sak Sutsakhan
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
reported that Long and his family were unable to board the last helicopter flying out of the city. 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." He was last seen by Swain, Sydney Schanberg
and Dith Pran
outside the French Embassy. Jon Swain reported:
Schanberg gave a more detailed description of the scene:
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 but other reports indicate that he and Sisowath Sirik Matak
were executed by firing squad.
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.
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
from December 26, 1973 to April 17, 1975. Highly regarded for his honesty, he tried unsuccessfully to negotiate a peace settlement with the Khmer Rouge
Khmer Rouge
The Khmer Rouge literally translated as Red Cambodians was the name given to the followers of the Communist Party of Kampuchea, who were the ruling party in Cambodia from 1975 to 1979, led by Pol Pot, Nuon Chea, Ieng Sary, Son Sen and Khieu Samphan...
during the Cambodian Civil War
Cambodian Civil War
The Cambodian Civil War was a conflict that pitted the forces of the Communist Party of Kampuchea and their allies the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and the Viet Cong against the government forces of Cambodia , which were supported by the United States and the Republic of Vietnam The Cambodian...
. He was later arrested by the Khmer Rouge and executed.
Early life
Long was born in Chbar Ampéou near Kien Svay in Kandal ProvinceKandal Province
Kandal is a province of Cambodia. Its capital is Ta Khmao town . The province completely surrounds, but does not include, the national capital Phnom Penh...
, Cambodia, the son of Long Meas and Neang Ieng Buth. He attended the prestigious Lycée Sisowath
Lycee Sisowath
Lycée Preah Sisowath is a secondary school in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The school was founded in 1873 as a collège and became a lycée in 1933.-History:...
in Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh is the capital and largest city of Cambodia. Located on the banks of the Mekong River, Phnom Penh has been the national capital since the French colonized Cambodia, and has grown to become the nation's center of economic and industrial activities, as well as the center of security,...
from 1946 to 1952, studied in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan 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 TrengStung Treng
Stung Treng is the capital of Stung Treng Province, Cambodia. It is located in the western part of the Virachey National Park.It is the major city of both the district and province and has a population of 29,665 ....
Province, and was the youngest MP in parliament. 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. He was appointed State Secretary for Finance but he publicly opposed the decision in November 1963 by Norodom Sihanouk
Norodom Sihanouk
Norodom Sihanouk regular script was the King of Cambodia from 1941 to 1955 and again from 1993 until his semi-retirement and voluntary abdication on 7 October 2004 in favor of his son, the current King Norodom Sihamoni...
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
Foreign minister
A Minister of Foreign Affairs, or foreign minister, is a cabinet minister who helps form the foreign policy of a sovereign state. The foreign minister is often regarded as the most senior ministerial position below that of the head of government . It is often granted to the deputy prime minister in...
from 1972 to 1973.
Prime Minister of Cambodia
On December 9, 1973 he succeeded In TamIn Tam
In Tam was a former Prime Minister of Cambodia. He served in that position from May 6, 1973 to December 9 1973, and had a long career in Cambodian politics.-Political career:...
to become Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
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
Lon Nol
Lon Nol was a Cambodian politician and general who served as Prime Minister of Cambodia twice, as well as serving repeatedly as Defense Minister...
, Sisowath Sirik Matak
Sisowath Sirik Matak
Prince Sisowath Sirik Matak was a member of the Cambodian royal family, the Varman dynasty.Sirik Matak was mainly notable for his involvement in Cambodian politics, particularly for his involvement in the 1970 right-wing coup against his cousin, Prince Norodom Sihanouk, and for his subsequent...
and General Sosthene Fernandez
Sosthene Fernandez
General Sosthène Fernandez was the commander-in-chief of the Khmer National Armed Forces and chief of general staff after Norodom Sihanouk was deposed as head of state in 1970, and is of Khmer Krom-Filipino descent...
.
On April 8, 1975, he attempted unsuccessfully to negotiate a peace settlement in Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
with representatives of the Khmer Rouge
Khmer Rouge
The Khmer Rouge literally translated as Red Cambodians was the name given to the followers of the Communist Party of Kampuchea, who were the ruling party in Cambodia from 1975 to 1979, led by Pol Pot, Nuon Chea, Ieng Sary, Son Sen and Khieu Samphan...
.
Arrest and execution
Long Boret remained in office until the Khmer RougeKhmer Rouge
The Khmer Rouge literally translated as Red Cambodians was the name given to the followers of the Communist Party of Kampuchea, who were the ruling party in Cambodia from 1975 to 1979, led by Pol Pot, Nuon Chea, Ieng Sary, Son Sen and Khieu Samphan...
captured Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh is the capital and largest city of Cambodia. Located on the banks of the Mekong River, Phnom Penh has been the national capital since the French colonized Cambodia, and has grown to become the nation's center of economic and industrial activities, as well as the center of security,...
on April 17, 1975. US Ambassador
United States Ambassador to Cambodia
This is a list of Ambassadors of the United States to Cambodia.Until 1953 Cambodia had been French protectorate as a part of French Indochina, but became independent on November 9, 1953. The United States had appointed its first envoy to Cambodia, Donald R. Heath, in 1950...
John Gunther Dean
John Gunther Dean
John Gunther Dean is a distinguished career United States diplomat. From 1974-1988, Dean served as the United States Ambassador to five different nations under four different U.S. Presidents.-Early years:...
recalls that, unlike many government officials who fled Phnom Penh, Long chose to remain behind despite being on a death list announced from Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
by Norodom Sihanouk
Norodom Sihanouk
Norodom Sihanouk regular script was the King of Cambodia from 1941 to 1955 and again from 1993 until his semi-retirement and voluntary abdication on 7 October 2004 in favor of his son, the current King Norodom Sihamoni...
:
- "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."
General Sak Sutsakhan
Sak Sutsakhan
General Sak Sutsakhan was a Cambodian politician and soldier who had a long career in the country's politics. He was the last Head of State of the Khmer Republic, the regime overthrown by the Khmer Rouge in 1975. Sak Sutsakhan formed a pro-US force known as the "Khmer Sâ" .-Early life:Sutsakhan...
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
Jon Swain
Jon Anketell Brewer Swain is an award-winning British journalist and writer who was portrayed by Julian Sands in the 1984 Oscar-winning film The Killing Fields...
reported that Long and his family were unable to board the last helicopter flying out of the city. 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." He was last seen by Swain, Sydney Schanberg
Sydney Schanberg
Sydney Hillel Schanberg is an American journalist who is best known for his coverage of the war in Cambodia.-Life:Schanberg joined The New York Times as a journalist in 1959. He spent much of the early 1970s in Southeast Asia as a correspondent for the Times...
and Dith Pran
Dith Pran
Dith Pran was a Cambodian photojournalist best known as a refugee and survivor of the Cambodian Genocide. He was the subject of the Academy Award-winning film The Killing Fields . He was portrayed in the movie by first-time actor Haing S. Ngor , who won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor...
outside the French Embassy. Jon Swain reported:
- "...a black Citroen 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."
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.
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 but other reports indicate that he and Sisowath Sirik Matak
Sisowath Sirik Matak
Prince Sisowath Sirik Matak was a member of the Cambodian royal family, the Varman dynasty.Sirik Matak was mainly notable for his involvement in Cambodian politics, particularly for his involvement in the 1970 right-wing coup against his cousin, Prince Norodom Sihanouk, and for his subsequent...
were executed by firing squad.
Key dates
Dec. 9, 1973, Long Boret becomes Prime Minister of the Khmer Republic: Dec. 9, 1973—April 17, 1975April 1, 1974, The High Political Council that dissolved a day earlier was replaced by a four-man executive council: Lon Nol
Lon Nol
Lon Nol was a Cambodian politician and general who served as Prime Minister of Cambodia twice, as well as serving repeatedly as Defense Minister...
, Sirik Matak, Long Boret and General Sosthene Fernandez
Sosthene Fernandez
General Sosthène Fernandez was the commander-in-chief of the Khmer National Armed Forces and chief of general staff after Norodom Sihanouk was deposed as head of state in 1970, and is of Khmer Krom-Filipino descent...
.
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.