32 Facts About Tep Vong

Samdech Preah Agga Maha Sangharajadhipati Tep Vong was a Cambodian Buddhist monk who served as the Great Supreme Patriarch of Cambodia until his death in 2024.

Tep Vong was well known for his role in re-establishing the Cambodian monkhood after the Pol Pot period and for his links to dominant political leaders after the 1980s.

Later, during the Vietnamese-sponsored People's Revolutionary Tribunal from 15 to 20 July 1979, Tep Vong accused Pol Pot himself of executing 57 monks, including three of his own nephews.

Tep Vong was more merciful towards the Khmer Rouge leadership, even comparing Ieng Sary to Angulimala, the ruthless brigand who completely transforms after a conversion to Buddhism.

Tep Vong was the youngest of seven senior monks re-ordained at Wat Ounalom in a state-sponsored ceremony on 19 September 1979 in order to create a core of ordained monks who could go on to ordain others and formally re-establish the Cambodian sangha, which had been nearly destroyed by the Khmer Rouge.

Tep Vong represented the new People's Republic of Kampuchea government as a monk on trips to Mongolia and the Soviet Union that year.

Tep Vong wore robes in August, 1979, when he gave evidence at the trial in absentia of Pol Pot and other Khmer Rouge leaders, testifying that agents of the Khmer Rouge had executed 57 monks in a single commune, including three of Tep Vong's own nephews.

Tep Vong testified to having been put to hard labor during the nearly four years of the Khmer Rouge.

For reasons of age, Kaet Vay discontinued this by 1981 when Tep Vong assumed this role.

Tep Vong was one of the original members of the Front's central committee and became its fourth vice-president in September 1979.

Tep Vong remained the sole leader of Cambodian Buddhism until 1991.

On 8 November 1991, in an official proclamation signed by Sihanouk, Tep Vong was given the title Samdech Preah Mahasomedhadhipati, and a week later, on 15 November was named sangaraja of the Mahanikay Order.

Tep Vong became an ex officio member of the Cambodian Throne Council on 23 September 1993.

Tep Vong gave unconditional support for Hun Sen's leadership through all those years and beyond the 1997 coup.

When, in the turmoil of the 1998 elections, twelve monks close to the opposition locked themselves up in one of the buildings of the temple Wat Ounalom, Tep Vong did not hesitate to request Hun Sen's help to deal with this situation.

In 2006, Tep Vong was "considered to be poorly trained in Buddhism and simply the mouthpiece of a Vietnamese-friendly government".

In 2002, Tep Vong appointed Tim Sakhorn as an abbot while knowing that the latter was not legitimate, being from Kampuchea Krom and not strictly a Khmer citizen.

On 16 June 2007, Tep Vong was forced to defrock Tim Sakhorn after the latter used his platform to promote nationalist ideology and was accused of immoral conduct, having women in his room.

In 2003, Tep Vong issued a voting ban for the roughly 60,000 monks active in Cambodia.

In 2006, Tep Vong was elevated to the title of Samdech Preah Agga Maha Sangharajadhipati, or Great Supreme Patriarch, placing him at the head of the two orders.

Tep Vong is the first monk in over 150 years to receive this title.

Tep Vong died on 26 February 2024, at the age of 93.

Tep Vong's remains were placed at Wat Ounalom for public viewing ahead of his funeral.

Tep Vong contributed significantly to the role of Buddhist pagodas in the re-education of Cambodian youth after the downfall of Year Zero.

Tep Vong made visits to Mongolia and the Soviet Union to discover more about "the appropriate model of church-state relations in a socialist country".

Tep Vong was given an audience with Pope John Paul II along with Preah Maha Gosananda, becoming one of the international faces of Cambodian Buddhism.

Tep Vong was one of the Co-Presidents of the international organization Religions for Peace.

However, Venerable Tep Vong was criticised by younger members of the sangha for his ties to the government of Vietnam and for being close to the leadership of the Cambodian People's Party which dominated the government.

Tep Vong came into conflict with younger members of the sangha who voiced opposition to government policies and corruption, on one occasion calling publicly for the arrest of the organizers of an anti-government protest.

In one instance, while President of the Unified Sangha, Tep Vong put forth the argument that certain forms of political violence could be condoned by Buddhism.

However, Tep Vong took some controversial stands on health-related issues.

Tep Vong had the honorific title of Samdech and was a member of the Royal Council of the Throne of Cambodia.