Cheng Heng

Cheng Heng ( born January 10, 1916 in the province of Takeo; † 15 March 1996) was a Cambodian politician and from 1970 to 1971 Head of State of Cambodia.

Cheng came from a family of farmers with large land holdings and worked his way up to become a successful businessman and landowner. Later he married the daughter of a high dignitary and longtime minister under King Monivong and Norodom Sihanouk, Ung Hy. He served in the colonial administration in Cambodia, which at that time belonged to French Indochina, reaching the mid-fifties the degree of Oudom Montrey ( higher-ranking Mandarin).

Cheng's early political career during the reign of Prince Norodom Sihanouk Sangkum Party is not exactly known. He went into politics in 1958 and served 1961-1962 as Minister of Agriculture. In 1962 he was elected to Takhmau for Sangkum party in parliament, but he lost this seat in 1966 to a rival, the young activists Keo Sann. Cheng then returned to an early election in Phnom Penh back to parliament and became President of the National Assembly.

Immediately after the coup in 1970, led by General Lon Nol and Prince Sisowath Sirik Matak detachment of King Sihanouk, Cheng was made the head of state before the general election could be held. This function was essentially a ceremonial character, political influence, they are not moved by itself. Sihanouk called Cheng therefore from exile " an unimportant figure." He held press conferences and received state guests, which in 1970 was an incident in which Cheng with American security personnel clashed as he was to receive U.S. Vice President Spiro Agnew. In the spring of 1972, Lon Nol took over from Cheng as head of state after a political crisis.

After the U.S. pressure on Lon Nol had exerted to broaden the political base of the Cambodian government, Cheng was appointed Deputy Chairman of the High Political Council, which should govern the country. His influence, however, was circumvented by Lon Nol and over again.

When the Khmer Rouge held in 1975 surrounded the capital, they published a list of seven traitors, among them Cheng, who were to be executed in case of victory immediately. Cheng then fled on April 1 to Paris, where he a group of exiled Cambodians joined by Son Sann.

Cheng returned back to 1991 negotiated by the UN political stabilization of Cambodia and founded the Republican coalition party, who took part in the election in 1993 without success.

Cheng Heng died on 15 March 1996. He had seven children.