Norodom Chakrapong | |
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សម្តេចក្រុមព្រះ នរោត្តម ចក្រពង្ស | |
Deputy Prime Minister of Cambodia | |
In office January 1992 – June 1993 | |
Prime Minister | Hun Sen |
Preceded by | Bou Thang |
Succeeded by |
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Member of the Senate of Cambodia | |
In office January 2006 – November 2006 | |
President | Chea Sim |
Vice President of the Norodom Ranariddh Party | |
In office November 2006 – June 2007 | |
President | Norodom Ranariddh |
Preceded by | Position established |
Succeeded by | Chhim Siek Leng |
Member of the Constitutional Council of Cambodia | |
Assumed office 2013 | |
President | Ek Som Ol, Im Chhun Lim |
Personal details | |
Born | Phnom Penh, Cambodia, French Indochina | 21 October 1945
Political party | Funcinpec Party (1981–91; 1999–2001; 2004–06) |
Other political affiliations |
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Spouse | Norodom Kachanipha Chakrapong |
Children | 13 |
Parent(s) | Norodom Sihanouk Sisowath Pongsammoni |
Website | Norodom Racvivong Foundation |
Military service | |
Allegiance | Cambodia |
Branch/service | Royal Cambodian Armed Forces |
Years of service | 1963–1970; 1981-1991 (Armée Nationale Sihanoukiste); 1993–1994 |
Rank | Major-General |
Cambodian royal family |
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Cambodia portal |
Norodom Chakrapong (born 21 October 1945) is a Cambodian politician, businessman and former major-general of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces. He is the fourth son of Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia and also a half-brother of the current king, Norodom Sihamoni. Chakrapong started his career as a military pilot in 1963. After Sihanouk was overthrown in 1970, Chakrapong spent time under house arrest, then in Beijing as the Head of Protocol of then-Prince Sihanouk, afterwards living overseas before he joined the Funcinpec in 1981 and fought against Vietnamese occupation as a commander of the Armée Nationale Sihanoukiste. In 1991, Chakrapong left Funcinpec to join the Cambodian People's Party (CPP) and served as the Deputy Prime Minister of Cambodia between 1992 and 1993. When the CPP lost the 1993 general elections, Chakrapong led a secession attempt in 1993. In 1994, he was accused of joining a failed coup attempt (which he denied) which led him to be sent into exile. After Chakrapong was pardoned in 1998, he founded a private airline company, Royal Phnom Penh Airways. The airlines later stopped all operations in early 2006.
In 2002, Chakrapong established a royalist party, the Khmer Soul Party. When the Khmer Soul Party failed to win a single parliamentary seat in the 2003 general elections, Charkapong rejoined Funcinpec and briefly served as Senator in 2005. In 2006, Chakrapong was expelled from Funcinpec and joined the Norodom Ranariddh Party. When the Cambodian government pursued legal investigations on the debts Chakrapong accumulated from his airlines, Chakrapong quit politics in 2007. Chakrapong, who was already a privy councillor to the Supreme Privy Council, then dedicated himself to humanitarian work and supporting royal activities. In 2013, Chakrapong was appointed member of the Constitutional Council of Cambodia by the King.