In Tam ( km, អ៊ិន តាំ ; 22 September 19161 April 2006) was a Cambodian politician who once served as the prime minister of the
Khmer Republic
The Khmer Republic ( km, សាធារណរដ្ឋខ្មែរ, ; french: République khmère) was a pro-United States military-led republican government of Cambodia that was formally declared on 9 October 1970. The Khmer Republic wa ...
. He served in that position from 6 May 1973 to 9 December 1973, and had a long career in Cambodian politics.
Political career
In Tam was born in Prek Kak village in Stung Treng district,
Kampong Cham Province, in eastern Cambodia. As a child he studied
Pali
Pali () is a Middle Indo-Aryan liturgical language native to the Indian subcontinent. It is widely studied because it is the language of the Buddhist ''Pāli Canon'' or '' Tipiṭaka'' as well as the sacred language of '' Theravāda'' Buddh ...
at Stung Treng Pagoda, before going on to study at the
Lycee Sisowath. After serving as an inspector of the provincial militia, he eventually reached the rank of
Brevet-General and rose to the position of governor of
Takeo Province Takeo may refer to:
* Takéo Province, a province of Cambodia
**Doun Kaev (town), formerly known as Takéo, the capital of Takéo province
*Ta Keo, an Angkorian temple in Cambodia
*Takeo, Saga, a city in Saga Prefecture, Japan
*Takeo (given name), ...
.
During the 1960s Tam served in several posts in the
Sangkum
The Sangkum Reastr Niyum ( km, សង្គមរាស្ត្រនិយម, , ;Headly, Robert K.; Chhor, Kylin; Lim, Lam Kheng; Kheang, Lim Hak; Chun, Chen. 1977. ''Cambodian-English Dictionary''. Bureau of Special Research in Modern Langu ...
government of Prince
Norodom Sihanouk
Norodom Sihanouk (; km, នរោត្តម សីហនុ, ; 31 October 192215 October 2012) was a Cambodian statesman, Sangkum and FUNCINPEC politician, film director, and composer who led Cambodia in various capacities throughout h ...
, most notably as
interior minister
An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergency ...
from 1964 to 1966.
He was involved in the arrest of his own nephew
Preap In, who was accused of membership of an anti-Sihanouk, rightist guerrilla organisation, the
Khmer Serei; Preap In was later executed. Despite his former loyalty to Sihanouk, however, In Tam was one of the main figures behind the
Cambodian coup of 1970
Cambodian usually refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the country of Cambodia
** Cambodian people (or Khmer people)
** Cambodian language (or Khmer language)
** For citizens and nationals of Cambodia, see Demographics of Cambodia
** For ...
, with the vote to remove Sihanouk from power taking place under his direction. As President of the National Assembly, In Tam personally proclaimed the Khmer Republic in October 1970.
After 1970, Tam came into increasing conflict with the coup's leader,
Lon Nol
Marshal Lon Nol ( km, លន់ នល់, also ; 13 November 1913 – 17 November 1985) was a Cambodian politician and general who served as Prime Minister of Cambodia twice (1966–67; 1969–71), as well as serving repeatedly as defence min ...
. The latter took action in October 1971 to strip the National Assembly of its legislative powers, citing a growing state of emergency in the
Cambodian Civil War
The Cambodian Civil War ( km, សង្គ្រាមស៊ីវិលកម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ) was a civil war in Cambodia fought between the forces of the Communist Party of Kampuchea (known as the Khmer Rouge, supported by North Vi ...
: this provoked a protest by Tam and 400 monks.
[Sorpong Peou, ''Intervention and Change in Cambodia'', 2000, p.52]
In 1972, Tam ran in
presidential elections
A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President.
Elections by country
Albania
The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public.
Chile
The pre ...
against Lon Nol and
Keo An. A
United States National Security Council
The United States National Security Council (NSC) is the principal forum used by the President of the United States for consideration of national security, military, and foreign policy matters. Based in the White House, it is part of the Ex ...
report judged Tam to be the among the most experienced and politically mature of Cambodian politicians at the time, with a deserved reputation for incorruptibility and a modest lifestyle.
[Shawcross, W. ''Sideshow: Kissinger, Nixon, and the Destruction of Cambodia'', New York: Washington Square Books, 1981, p.232] He came in second place behind Lon Nol, receiving 24% of the vote: it was widely believed that if the elections had been fairly conducted In Tam would in fact have won outright, and despite manipulation of the vote still managed to win in the capital,
Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh (; km, ភ្នំពេញ, ) is the capital and most populous city of Cambodia. It has been the national capital since the French protectorate of Cambodia and has grown to become the nation's primate city and its economic, indus ...
.
[Clymer, K. J. ''The United States and Cambodia, 1969-2000'', Routledge, 2004, p.55] Along with Prince
Sisowath Sirik Matak's Republican Party, Tam's
Democratic Party refused to contest the parliamentary elections later that year in protest at rules that they saw as favouring the Socio-Republican Party of Lon Nol and his brother
Lon Non
Lon Non ( km, លន់ ណុន; 18 April 1930(?) – 17 April 1975) was a Cambodian politician and soldier who rose to his greatest prominence during the Khmer Republic (1970–1975).
Non was the younger brother of Prime Minister (and lat ...
.
The following year, In Tam served as prime minister for seven months in Lon Nol's government, and was later put in charge of a programme designed to encourage communist cadres to defect to the government side, only to later ‘retire’ from politics and live with his family and supporters in
Battambang
Battambang ( km, បាត់ដំបង, UNGEGN: ) is the capital of Battambang Province and the third largest city in Cambodia.
Founded in the 11th century by the Khmer Empire, Battambang is the leading rice-producing province of the cou ...
. He was succeeded as Prime Minister by
Long Boret
Long Boret ( km, ឡុង បូរ៉េត, ; 3 January 1933 – 17 April 1975) was a Cambodian politician who served as the last Prime Minister of Cambodia, prime minister of the Khmer Republic from 26 December 1973, to 17 April 1975. Highly ...
.
When the
Khmer Rouge
The Khmer Rouge (; ; km, ខ្មែរក្រហម, ; ) is the name that was popularly given to members of the Communist Party of Kampuchea (CPK) and by extension to the regime through which the CPK ruled Cambodia between 1975 and 1979 ...
gained control of Cambodia in April 1975, In Tam was at his farm in
Poipet. He almost certainly would have been executed, but he fled to
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...
and attempted to organise a rebellion against the Khmer Rouge in the border areas. This did not last long, however, as the Thai authorities deported him. He went to
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
and then in 1976 moved to the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
where he received asylum.
In exile
Following the overthrow of the Khmer Rouge, In Tam supported Norodom Sihanouk, and his
FUNCINPEC organisation, against the Vietnamese-backed government; he was the commander-in-chief of FUNCINPEC's military wing, the
MOULINAKA, later known as the
Armée nationale sihanoukiste, until his replacement by Prince
Norodom Ranariddh in 1985. He was one of three ministers of National Defense of the
Coalition Government of Democratic Kampuchea.
Chronology of Cambodian History, 1900-1919
/ref> He refounded the Cambodian Democratic Party, which failed to win seats in Parliament in the 1993 elections. In 1997 he made an alliance with the Cambodian People's Party
The Cambodian People's Party (CPP), UNGEGN: , ALA-LC: ; is a Cambodian political party which has ruled Cambodia since 1979.
Founded in 1951, it was originally known as the Kampuchean People's Revolutionary Party (KPRP)., UNGEGN: , ALA-LC: ...
.
In Tam died in Chandler, Arizona
Chandler is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, and a suburb in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). It is bordered to the north and west by Tempe, to the north by Mesa, to the west by Phoenix, to t ...
in the southwestern United States. He was survived by three of his seven children and grandchildren.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:In, Tam
1916 births
2006 deaths
20th-century Cambodian politicians
Khmer Republic
Cambodian anti-communists
category:Cambodian republicans
Cambodian emigrants to the United States
Cambodian expatriates in the United States
People from Kampong Cham province
Interior ministers of Cambodia
Democratic Party (Cambodia) politicians
Presidents of the National Assembly (Cambodia)
Sangkum politicians
Prime Ministers of Cambodia
Cambodian exiles