Oknha Truong Cang ( km, ទ្រឿង កាង, also spelled Troueung Kang; 1913–1984) 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 Thailan ...

n politician and diplomat. Truong Cang was a Khmer Krom. He served as

Minister of Finance A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation. A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", " ...

(1957-1958 and 1959) and foreign minister (1958) of Cambodia. He was also a member of the High Council of the Throne. With his efforts,

International Court of Justice The International Court of Justice (ICJ; french: Cour internationale de justice, links=no; ), sometimes known as the World Court, is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN). It settles disputes between states in accordanc ...

(ICJ) awarded ownership of

Preah Vihear Temple Preah Vihear Temple ( Khmer: ប្រាសាទព្រះវិហារ ''Prasat Preah Vihear'') is an ancient Khmer temple built during the period of the Khmer Empire, that is situated on the top of a cliff in the Dângrêk Mountains, ...

to Cambodia in 1962. From 1964 to 1969 he was the ambassador to China. In 1967, the Chinese embassy in Cambodia published and distributed Communist propaganda to the Cambodian populace praising the

Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a sociopolitical movement in the People's Republic of China (PRC) launched by Mao Zedong in 1966, and lasting until his death in 1976. Its stated goa ...

, which irritated Norodom Sihanouk. Sihanouk threatened to break off diplomatic relations with China. Truong Cang was about to leave

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

, but finally was persuaded to stay in China by Chinese premier

Zhou Enlai Zhou Enlai (; 5 March 1898 – 8 January 1976) was a Chinese statesman and military officer who served as the first premier of the People's Republic of China from 1 October 1949 until his death on 8 January 1976. Zhou served under Chairman Ma ...

. From 1972 to 1973 he was the permanent representative to the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...

. Truong Cang was regarded as a national hero by Khmer nationalists. In Phnom Penh, Oknya Truong Cang Road was named after him.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Truong, Cang 1913 births 1984 deaths Khmer Krom people Cambodian politicians Cambodian diplomats Finance ministers of Cambodia Foreign ministers of Cambodia Ambassadors of Cambodia to China Permanent Representatives of Cambodia to the United Nations Oknha