17 Facts About Nuon Chea

Nuon Chea, known as Long Bunruot or Rungloet Laodi, was a Cambodian communist politician and revolutionary who was the chief ideologist of the Khmer Rouge.

Nuon Chea briefly served as acting Prime Minister of Democratic Kampuchea.

In 2014, Nuon Chea received a life sentence for crimes against humanity, alongside another top-tier Khmer Rouge leader, Khieu Samphan, and a further trial convicted him of genocide in 2018.

Nuon Chea was born as Lao Kim Lorn at Voat Kor, Battambang on 7 July 1926.

An interview by a Japanese researcher in 2003 with Nuon Chea quoted that Liv was Chinese, while Peanh was the daughter of a Chinese immigrant from Shantou, Guangdong and his Khmer wife.

In 2011 Nuon Chea told the Khmer Rouge Tribunal that he was only a quarter Chinese through his half-Chinese father.

Nuon Chea started school at seven, and was educated in Thai, French and Khmer.

Nuon Chea began his political activities in the Communist Party of Siam in Bangkok.

Nuon Chea was elected Deputy General Secretary of the Workers Party of Kampuchea in September 1960.

Nuon Chea briefly held office as acting prime minister when Pol Pot resigned for one month, citing health reasons.

On 19 September 2007,81 year old Nuon Chea was arrested at his home in Pailin and flown to the Khmer Rouge Tribunal in Phnom Penh, which charged him with war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Nuon Chea was held continuously in detention after his arrest.

In February 2008, Nuon Chea told the court that his case should be handled according to international standards.

Nuon Chea argued that the court should delay proceedings because his Dutch lawyer, Michiel Pestman, had not yet arrived.

Nuon Chea faced a separate trial for the crime of genocide in the same court.

Nuon Chea died on 4 August 2019 at the Khmer-Soviet Friendship Hospital in Phnom Penh, aged 93.

Nuon Chea's body was later brought to Sala Krau, Pailin, before cremation in accordance with Buddhist tradition.