1. Norodom Ranariddh was a Cambodian politician and law academic.
107 Facts About Norodom Ranariddh
1. 2.
Norodom Ranariddh was the second son of King Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia and a half-brother of King Norodom Sihamoni.
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Norodom Ranariddh was the first Prime Minister of Cambodia following the restoration of the monarchy, serving between 1993 and 1997, and subsequently as the President of the National Assembly between 1998 and 2006.
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Norodom Ranariddh was a graduate of the University of Provence and started his career as a law researcher and lecturer in France.
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Norodom Ranariddh became Secretary-General of FUNCINPEC in 1989, and its president in 1992.
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Norodom Ranariddh became the First Prime Minister of Cambodia while Hun Sen, who was from the CPP, became the Second Prime Minister.
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Norodom Ranariddh returned to Cambodia in March 1998, and led his party in the 1998 Cambodian general election.
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Norodom Ranariddh was seen as a potential successor to Sihanouk as the King of Cambodia, until in 2001 he renounced his interest in the succession.
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In March 2006, Norodom Ranariddh resigned as the President of the National Assembly and in October 2006 was ousted as President of FUNCINPEC.
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Norodom Ranariddh returned to Cambodia after being pardoned in September 2008 and retired from politics.
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Norodom Ranariddh remained out of public view following a car accident during the 2018 election campaign, which saw the death of his second wife.
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Norodom Ranariddh made frequent visits to France for medical treatment, and died in November 2021 in Aix-en-Provence.
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Norodom Ranariddh was born on 2 January 1944 in Phnom Penh to Sihanouk and his first wife, Phat Kanhol, who was a ballet dancer attached to the royal court.
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Norodom Ranariddh initially planned to pursue medical studies as he did well in science subjects, but was persuaded by Kossamak to study law.
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Norodom Ranariddh struggled to focus on his studies in Paris, which he attributed to the social distractions that he encountered in the city.
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In 1962, Norodom Ranariddh enrolled in the law school of the University of Provence.
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Norodom Ranariddh obtained his bachelor's and master's degrees in 1968 and 1969 respectively, specialising in public law.
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Norodom Ranariddh returned to Cambodia in January 1970, and worked briefly as a secretary at the Interior Ministry.
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When Lon Nol staged a successful coup against Sihanouk in March 1970, Norodom Ranariddh was dismissed from his job and fled into the jungle where he was a close associate of resistance leaders.
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In 1971, Norodom Ranariddh was captured, along with several members of the royal family, and was held in prison for six months before being released.
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Norodom Ranariddh was rearrested the following year, and spent a further three months in detention.
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In 1973, Norodom Ranariddh returned to the University of Provence, where he completed his PhD in 1975.
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In 1979 Norodom Ranariddh went back to the University of Provence as an associate professor, teaching courses in constitutional law and political sociology.
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When Sihanouk formed FUNCINPEC in 1981, Norodom Ranariddh declined his father's invitation to join the party as he disagreed with its association with the Khmer Rouge.
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In June 1983, Sihanouk urged Norodom Ranariddh to leave his teaching career in France and join FUNCINPEC, and this time he agreed.
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Norodom Ranariddh was appointed a personal representative to Sihanouk, and relocated to Bangkok, Thailand, where he took charge of the party's diplomatic and political activities in Asia.
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In March 1985, Norodom Ranariddh was appointed inspector-general of the Armee Nationale Sihanoukiste, the armed force of FUNCINPEC, and in January 1986 became ANS commander-in-chief and chief-of-staff.
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Norodom Ranariddh became secretary-general of FUNCINPEC in August 1989, when Sihanouk stepped down as its president.
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On 10 September 1990, Norodom Ranariddh joined the Supreme National Council of Cambodia, an interim United Nations administrative body tasked with overseeing sovereign affairs of Cambodia.
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Norodom Ranariddh spent time travelling between Bangkok and Phnom Penh, and while in Phnom Penh led efforts in opening FUNCINPEC party offices across Cambodia.
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However, the chef-de-mission for UNTAC, Yasushi Akashi, encouraged Norodom Ranariddh to run in the elections.
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Norodom Ranariddh feared a civil war with the CPP, which had a much larger army than the ANS.
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Benny Widyono, the UN secretary-general's representative in Cambodia from 1994 to 1997, has observed that although Norodom Ranariddh was nominally senior to Hun Sen, he held less executive power.
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Norodom Ranariddh initially viewed Hun Sen with suspicion, but the pair soon developed a close working relationship, agreeing on most policy decisions made until early 1996.
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Norodom Ranariddh espoused the view that economic development should take precedence over democratic and human rights.
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In early 1994, Norodom Ranariddh established the Cambodian Development Council to encourage foreign investment, and served as its chairperson.
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The Tourism Minister, Veng Sereyvuth suspected that there was backroom dealing activities between CDC and Ariston, who were nevertheless awarded the contract, which Norodom Ranariddh signed in January 1995.
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In October 1993, Norodom Ranariddh issued an order to lift the ban on a temporary basis so as to allow trees that were already felled to be exported for timber.
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In 1995, Norodom Ranariddh made calls for capital punishment by calling for murderers and drug traffickers to be executed by the state.
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Norodom Ranariddh added his signature to the circular, which incurred the ire of Sihanouk and several FUNCINPEC leaders.
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In February 1996, Norodom Ranariddh expressed concern over repeated delays in the construction of the resort-cum-casino complex at Sihanoukville, for which he had signed an agreement with Ariston in January 1995.
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At a conference in May 1996, Norodom Ranariddh charged that CPP-controlled ministries were deliberately delaying the paperwork needed to complete the approval of Ariston's project.
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Norodom Ranariddh proposed the cancellation of Ariston's contracts due to the delays.
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Hun Sen responded by meeting with Mahathir, and assured him that agreements which Norodom Ranariddh had previously approved would be honoured.
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At a FUNCINPEC congress in March 1996, Norodom Ranariddh expressed unhappiness over his relationship with Hun Sen and the CPP.
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Norodom Ranariddh likened his position as prime minister, and those of the FUNCINPEC ministers, to "puppets".
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Norodom Ranariddh questioned the CPP over their delays in appointing FUNCINPEC local officials as district chiefs.
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Norodom Ranariddh threatened to dissolve the National Assembly before the end of 1996, should FUNCINPEC's concerns remain unresolved.
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Several FUNCINPEC MPs, including Loy Sim Chheang and Ahmad Yahya, called on Norodom Ranariddh to reconcile with Sam Rainsy and work with the newly formed Khmer Nation Party in the forthcoming general election.
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On 27 April 1996 Norodom Ranariddh, while vacationing in Paris, attended a meeting with Sihanouk, Rainsy, Chakrapong and Sirivudh.
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Norodom Ranariddh canceled a follow-up visit to Samlout, another town located within Ieng Sary's fiefdom, when Sary's soldiers threatened to shoot down Norodom Ranariddh's helicopter if he went there.
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Norodom Ranariddh forged a political coalition by bringing FUNCINPEC to work together with the KNP, the Buddhist Liberal Democratic Party and the Khmer Neutral Party.
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Norodom Ranariddh was nominated as the president of the NUF, and stated his intent to lead the alliance against the CPP, in the general elections scheduled to be held in 1998.
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Meanwhile, Norodom Ranariddh stepped up his attacks against Hun Sen, accusing him of harbouring plans to restore a Communist regime should the CPP win the next general election.
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On 3 July 1997, while travelling to Phnom Penh, Norodom Ranariddh encountered troops aligned to the CPP.
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Norodom Ranariddh travelled to the Philippines, Singapore and Indonesia, where he met with Fidel Ramos, Goh Chok Tong and Suharto to seek their help in his restoration.
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Sihanouk claimed that Norodom Ranariddh's ouster was unconstitutional, and initially refused to endorse Ung Huot's appointment, but later relented when Association of Southeast Asian Nations member states supported Ung Huot's appointment.
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In March 1998, Norodom Ranariddh was convicted in absentia by a military court of illegally smuggling ammunitions in May 1997, and of colluding with the Khmer Rouge to cause instability in the country.
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Norodom Ranariddh was sentenced to a total of 35 years' imprisonment, but this was nullified by a pardon from Sihanouk.
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Norodom Ranariddh returned to Cambodia at the end of March 1998 to lead FUNCINPEC's election campaign, which focused on pro-monarchical sentiments and anti-Vietnamese rhetoric.
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Norodom Ranariddh summoned Hun Sen, Ranariddh and Rainsy for discussions aimed at ending the political impasse.
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Norodom Ranariddh returned to Cambodia on 12 November 1998 to attend a summit meeting hosted by Sihanouk, at which Norodom Ranariddh negotiated with Hun Sen and Chea Sim over the structure of a new government.
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On 25 November 1998, Norodom Ranariddh was nominated as the President of the National Assembly.
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Norodom Ranariddh steered FUNCINPEC towards political rapprochement with the CPP, and actively discouraged FUNCINPEC ministers and MPs from criticising their CPP counterparts.
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When Norodom Ranariddh expressed support for Savoeun in May 2002, Hockry resigned.
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In March 2004, Norodom Ranariddh privately proposed to Hun Sen that FUNCINPEC should join CPP in the new government as a junior coalition partner.
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An agreement was reached in June 2004, when Norodom Ranariddh walked out of his alliance with Rainsy, dropped his demands to reform the NEC and pledged to support Hun Sen as Prime Minister.
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Hun Sen pressured Norodom Ranariddh into supporting a constitutional amendment known as a "package vote", which required MPs to support legislation and ministerial appointments by an open show of hands.
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Norodom Ranariddh, who remained as President of the National Assembly as part of the agreement, attempted to lure SRP leaders into defecting to FUNCINPEC with the promise of jobs within the government.
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Shortly after his departure, local tabloids published stories that Norodom Ranariddh had had an affair with Ouk Phalla, an Apsara dancer.
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In early September 2006, a new law was passed to outlaw adultery, and Norodom Ranariddh responded by accusing the government of attempting to undermine FUNCINPEC.
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On 18 September 2006, Hun Sen and Nhek Bun Chhay called for Norodom Ranariddh to be replaced as FUNCINPEC's president, after party reports suggested that Phalla had lobbied Norodom Ranariddh to appoint her relatives to government posts.
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In March 2007, Norodom Ranariddh was convicted by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court of embezzlement of the sale proceeds of FUNCINPEC headquarters, and sentenced to 18 months imprisonment.
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The NRP subsequently dropped their accusations, after Hun Sen brokered a secret deal with Norodom Ranariddh which allowed the latter to return from exile, in exchange for the NRP's recognition of the election results.
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In September 2008, Norodom Ranariddh received a royal pardon from Sihamoni for his embezzlement conviction, allowing him to return to Cambodia without risking imprisonment.
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Norodom Ranariddh dedicated most of his time to philanthropic work and supporting royal activities.
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Norodom Ranariddh initially resisted the calls, but changed his mind and returned in December 2010.
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An agreement was formalised in May 2012, whereby Norodom Ranariddh would be made the president of FUNCINPEC, while Nhek Bun Chhay would become its vice-president.
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The merger agreement was rescinded a month later, when Nhek Bun Chhay accused Norodom Ranariddh of supporting other opposition parties.
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Two months later, Norodom Ranariddh retired from politics for a second time and resigned as the president of NRP.
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In March 2014, Norodom Ranariddh came out of retirement to launch a new political party, the Community of Royalist People's Party.
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Sam Rainsy, now president of the Cambodian National Rescue Party, accused Norodom Ranariddh of intending to split the opposition vote to favour the ruling CPP in future elections.
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Norodom Ranariddh responded by accusing the CNRP of harbouring republican sentiments, while stating that his motivation in launching CRPP was to reunite royalist supporters within the Cambodian electorate.
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In January 2015, Norodom Ranariddh dissolved the CRPP and returned to FUNCINPEC.
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At a party congress on 19 January 2015, he was reappointed FUNCINPEC president; his half-sister and previous FUNCINPEC president, Norodom Ranariddh Arunrasmy, became the first vice-president, while Nhek Bun Chhay was appointed second vice-president.
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In March 2015, Norodom Ranariddh held another party congress where he appointed four more vice-presidents to the FUNCINPEC executive committee.
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Norodom Ranariddh convinced the congress to adopt a new party logo, which had a design almost identical that of the now-defunct CRPP.
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Norodom Ranariddh supported the formation of the Cambodian Royalist Youth Movement in July 2015, a youth organisation aimed at garnering electoral support for FUNCINPEC from younger voters, of which he was appointed its honorary president.
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In June 1993 Norodom Ranariddh was granted the Cambodian royal title of "Sdech Krom Luong", which translates as "Senior Prince" in English.
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Norodom Ranariddh has been a recipient of several awards from the palace; in December 1992 he was decorated as the Grand Officer of the Royal Order of Cambodia.
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Norodom Ranariddh was awarded the Grand Officer de l'Ordre de la Pleaide by the La Francophonie in March 2000.
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In two reports from 1993 and 1996, Norodom Ranariddh rejected the notion of becoming the next king.
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In November 1997, Norodom Ranariddh suggested that his outspoken and passionate personality made him an unsuitable candidate for the throne.
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However, by March 1999 Norodom Ranariddh became more receptive to the idea of succeeding his father.
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In early 2001, in an interview to Harish Mehta, Norodom Ranariddh discussed his conflicting desires between taking the throne and staying in politics.
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In November 2001, Norodom Ranariddh told the Cambodia Daily that he had decided to prioritize his political career over the throne.
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In September 2004, Norodom Ranariddh revealed that although he had been offered the throne by both Sihanouk and Monineath, who was Sihamoni's mother, he would prefer to see Sihamoni take the throne.
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Norodom Ranariddh was known for his physical resemblance to his father Sihanouk, inheriting his facial features, high-pitched voice and mannerisms.
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Journalists such as those from the Phnom Penh Post have observed that Norodom Ranariddh had used his resemblance to canvass support for FUNCINPEC during the 1993 and 1998 general elections.
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Norodom Ranariddh acknowledged these observations during an interview with Mehta in 2001, saying:.
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Norodom Ranariddh held dual Cambodian and French citizenship, having obtained the latter in 1979.
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Norodom Ranariddh enjoyed listening to music and watching films, though in a 2001 interview he described himself as lacking the artistic talent which Sihanouk possessed.
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In 2002, Norodom Ranariddh produced and directed a 90-minute film, titled Raja Bori, which was shot at Angkor Wat.
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On 28 November 2021, Minister of Information Khieu Kanharith announced that Norodom Ranariddh had died at the age of 77 in France.
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Norodom Ranariddh met his first wife, Eng Marie, in early 1968.
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Norodom Ranariddh met Ranariddh when the latter was producing and directing the film Raja Bori.
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In 2019, Norodom Ranariddh went to Paris to receive medical treatment for a broken pelvis.