Sim Var ( km, ស៊ឹម វ៉ា; 2 February 190612 October 1989) was a

Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand t ...

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

. He served as

Prime Minister of Cambodia The prime minister of Cambodia ( km, នាយករដ្ឋមន្ត្រីនៃកម្ពុជា, ) is the head of government of Cambodia. The prime minister is also the chairman of the Cabinet and leads the executive branch of the ...

from July 1957 to January 1958 and from April to July 1958. Together with Chhean Vam and

Ieu Koeus Ieu Koeus ( km, អៀវ កើស; 1905 – 14 January 1950) was a Cambodian politician. He served as President of the National Assembly of Cambodia from 1946 to 1949, and as Prime Minister of Cambodia for nine days in September 1949. Consider ...

, he co-founded the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

in April 1946. As a nationalist, Var opposed the French rule over Cambodia and led opposition movements with other nationalists. He was Cambodia's Ambassador to

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

during the 1970s.

Background

Sim Var was born in 1906 in the Kompong Cham district of Tbuong Khmom (now a province) to a family of farmers. He was one of the first Cambodian

nationalists Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: The ...

. He co-founded the Democratic Party in 1946 alongside fellow nationalists Chhean Vam and Ieu Keous, with the purpose of leading a democratic movement against the French protectorate. He also co-founded the first newspaper in Cambodia in 1939 along with Pach Chheun and

Son Ngoc Thanh Sơn Ngọc Thành ( km, សឺង ង៉ុកថាញ់; 7 December 1908 – 8 August 1977) was a Cambodian nationalist and republican politician, with a long history as a rebel and (for brief periods) a government minister. Early li ...

, known as "Nokor Wat". In February 1947, Var was under arrest along with 16 other Democrats by French authorities over accusations of being a member of a pro-Japanese group that opposes the French rule of Cambodia. He was sent to Prey Nokor for nine months from March to November 1947 and finally to Kompong Cham until his release in 1948. He became Prime Minister in 1957 and served just under one year until 1958 due to economic issues. In 1962, he married Ma Prakob and gave birth to a son and a daughter. The couple formally divorced years later. He later served as Cambodia's envoy to

in the

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 The prime minister of Cambodia ( km, នាយករដ្ឋមន្ ...

government and married a Japanese woman there, named Yoko Kawada. Var was believed to be involved in the coup that overthrew

Norodom Sihanouk Norodom Sihanouk (; km, នរោត្តម សីហនុ, ; 31 October 192215 October 2012) was a Cambodian statesman, Sangkum and FUNCINPEC politician, Norodom Sihanouk filmography, film director, and composer who led Cambodia in vari ...

. He took refuge in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

during 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. ...

rule of Cambodia until his death on 12 October 1989 at the age of 83.

References

, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Sim, Var 1906 births 1989 deaths 20th-century Cambodian politicians Prime Ministers of Cambodia Government ministers of Cambodia Democratic Party (Cambodia) politicians Ambassadors of Cambodia to Japan People from Kampong Cham province Cambodian expatriates in France Cambodian nationalists Cambodian diplomats Cambodian independence activists Defence ministers of Cambodia Foreign ministers of Cambodia Sangkum politicians