His Excellency Chhang Song

BIOGRAPHY

On May 5, 1939 Chhang Song was born in Takeo Province. Scrappy and resourceful, this avid learner, talented writer, and self-taught linguist obtained a scholarship to study in the United States in the early 1960s. He graduated with an agriculture degree from Louisiana State University in 1967 and briefly taught French literature in the United States. Working in journalism, he became an information officer in the army in 1970, rising to become Official Spokesman in the high command. During the civil war of the early 1970s, he served as deputy to Cambodia’s military press spokesman Am Rong. On June 16, 1974 he was appointed Minister of Information under the Lon Nol Khmer Republic Regime, and in March 1975, he became Press Secretary. He was one of the Cambodian government’s major sources of information on the Khmer Rouge conflict for the national and international press.

As His Excellency Chhang Song explained in an interview in Phnom Penh in 2010, his role consisted of keeping the media informed, saying enough to satisfy the media, but without revealing military secrets.

“He was a good friend of journalists and tried very hard to be open and honest with us in the most difficult and frightening years,” said Elizabeth Becker, a journalist who was covering the war for The Washington Post. “Journalists relied on him during the war and remained friends with him over the years. He loved his country.”

After fleeing Cambodia and seeking exile in Hawaii, Chhang Song landed in Washington D.C., where he founded SAVE CAMBODIA INC. in 1979, a non-government organization based in Arlington, Virginia which assisted the resettlement of Cambodian refugees in the United States. In 1987 he himself became a U.S. citizen, before returning to Phnom Penh in 1995. The following year, His Excellency became a personal advisor to the CPP (Cambodian People Party) President Chea Sim, before becoming a Senator in 1999, representing the CPP.

In 2010, Chhang Song suffered a debilitating stroke that limited him physically. Mentally, however, he was exceptionally astute & remained a fierce defender of the Khmer Republic and, as one of the U.S.- backed regime’s last surviving cabinet members, often recalled accounts and insights of the regime and its demise. While some may see incongruity for a man who could work alongside Norodom Sihanouk, Lon Nol and current Cambodian PM Hun Sen, Chhang had his own viewpoint. He said, “I have never in my mind considered governments to be permanent entities. They come and they go, and they change. And I am for the change.“

For the last 14 years, Loch Pou Chhang Song lived a full and complete life in Long Beach with his long time love, wife and partner RUN SUM. Together, they were active in the Cambodian community, attending many fundraisers, weddings, community celebrations and cultural events. In May 2021, Chhang Song’s health deteriorated and he was treated for kidney inflammation, heart problems, and complications from his previous stroke. International press widely reported his incorrect and premature passing, with tributes and articles coming in from around the world. Despite being on life support in the ICU, and nearly meeting his maker, he managed to fight back and recover, living more than another year with his faculties, intelligence, and memories in check.

Mr. Chhang Song died on the morning of August 21, 2022 in Long Beach, California, leaving behind the legacy of having worked under three administrations during the most tumultuous era in the Kingdom of Cambodia’s history. “For the truth of Cambodia to be known,” that is the legacy he wanted to leave behind. His Excellency is survived by his wife Mrs. Run Sum, her daughter Phoan Srey, her husband Khunkiry Song, and their daughter Anastasia Sar. He has a goddaughter, Olary Yim, as well as three biological children from his first marriage: oldest daughter Rasmi Chhang, his only son, Virak Chhang, and his youngest daughter, Malie Chhang.

“Even though the body of His Excellency Chhang Song is gone, the deeds, reputation and dignity remain with children, grandchildren and relatives, near and far, forever.”

• Sim Ka, Acting President of the Senate

• in a condolence letter to Song’s wife Sum Run, Aug. 22, 2022