Trinh Hoanh was a major Cambodian intellectual and right-wing politician of the mid-20th century who served as Minister of Information and was president of the Khmer Writers Association, until he was assassinated by the Khmer Rouge in April 1975.
13 Facts About Trinh Hoanh
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Trinh Hoanh was married on 15 November 1945 to Neang Mar Mongkre and together they had 11 children.
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Trinh Hoanh was promoted as Chief of Office of the Minister of Information in 1952 and secretary of the Ministry in 1954.
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Trinh Hoanh was first elected as a candidate in the precinct of Wat Moha Leap from the Koh Sotin district in Kampong Cham Province in September 1955.
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Trinh Hoanh was promoted as Secretary of State for Information and Religion in the second cabinet of the Sangkum from January 6 to 1 March 1956 under the presidency of Oum Chheang Sun.
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Trinh Hoanh continued in that position under the 3rd and the 4th cabinet of the Sangkum under Norodom Sihanouk and Khim Tit until 15 September 1956.
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Trinh Hoanh was called to represent Cambodia on various missions such as the anniversary of the October Revolution in Russia in 1957.
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Trinh Hoanh is considered to have been instrumental in turning the National Assembly of Cambodia against Prince Sihanouk in a mounting crisis which led to the coup of 1970.
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Trinh Hoanh increased the propaganda budget of the Ministry to propagate the anti-Vietnamese sentiment among the population.
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On 12 January 1974, Trinh Hoanh rejected the peace proposal of former Prime Minister Son Sann who suggested the departure of Lon Nol to restore national unity in Cambodia.
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Until the end, Trinh Hoanh refused any compromise with Norodom Sihanouk which he considered as a traitor.
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Trinh Hoanh was executed close to the Faculty of Law where he was seen tied up with other top Lon Nol officials.
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Trinh Hoanh was part of a generation of Khmer intellectuals with his friend Ly Theam Teng who contributed to the cultural renaissance of Cambodia after the Independence, which saw the publications of tens of novels and the creation of the new journals in Khmer language, bringing the intellectual life of Cambodia to a level it has not experienced before.