Chau Seng

In this Cambodian name, the surname is Chau. In accordance with Cambodian custom, this person should be referred to by the given name, Seng.

Chau Seng (Khmer: ចៅ សេង, 15 March 1929 – 1977) was a Cambodian left-wing politician.

Chau Seng
ចៅ សេង
Born	(1929-03-15)March 15, 1929 Tri Tôn, Châu Đốc Province, Cochinchina, French Indochina
Died	1977 (aged 47–48) Democratic Kampuchea
Occupation	Politician
Organization	Sangkum

Seng was a Khmer Krom. Born in commune of Tri Tôn, Châu Đốc Province, Cochinchina (in present-day An Giang Province, Vietnam). He was a cousin of Chau Sen Cocsal Chhum. Educated in France, in Paris, he became a communist. On his return to Cambodia, he had become Norodom Sihanouk's private secretary.^[1] He joint the Sangkum on 13 April 1957 together with Hou Yuon and Hu Nim. In the same year, Chau Seng was elected a member of National Assembly. After that he was appointed under-secretary, and later secretary of state for education. In 1967, he was rector of the Buddhist University.^[2] Seng made a national attempt at Cambodianization, however it was failed.^[3]

After the Cambodian coup of 1970 in which Sihanouk was ousted by Lon Nol, Chau Seng served as the Minister for Special Missions of the GRUNK government, the Beijing-based government-in-exile that was formed as a coalition between Sihanouk and the communists.^[4]

Seng was arrested, tortured and later executed by the Khmer Rouge at S-21 prison^[5] in 1977.^[6]

References

1. Philip Short, Pol Pot: Anatomy of a Nightmare, p. 129
2. Munson, Frederick P.; Martindale, Kenneth W.; McMorris, David S.; Parachini, Kathryn E.; Raiford, William N.; Townsend, Charles (October 1968). Area Handbook for Cambodia. United States Government Printing Office. p. 178.
3. David M. Ayres (April 2007). Anatomy of a Crisis: Education, Development, and the State in Cambodia, 1953-1998. University of Hawaii Press. pp. 43–44. ISBN 978-0-8248-2238-5.
4. GRUNK - Place de Barcelone
5. "Pol Pot's Daughter Marries in Former Stronghold". Cambodian Daily. 17 March 2014. Archived from the original on 29 May 2019. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
6. David M. Ayres (April 2007). Anatomy of a Crisis: Education, Development, and the State in Cambodia, 1953-1998. University of Hawaii Press. p. 108. ISBN 978-0-8248-2238-5.