Norodom Yuvaneath

Prince Norodom Yuvaneath (Khmer: នរោត្តម យុវនាថ, 17 October 1943 – 13 January 2021) was the first son of the late king of Cambodia, Norodom Sihanouk and Princess Sisowath Pongsanmoni. He was the half-brother of the current king, Norodom Sihamoni.

Norodom Yuvaneath
Prince of Cambodia
Born17 October 1943
Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Died13 January 2021(2021-01-13) (aged 77)
Branford, Connecticut, United States
SpouseTea Kim Yin
(m. 1962–2021)
IssueNorodom Veakchearavouth
Norodom Pekina
Norodom Yuveakdevi
HouseHouse of Norodom
FatherNorodom Sihanouk
MotherSisowath Pongsanmoni

Personal life

In 1957, under the direction of his socialist-leaning father, who was at the time the current King's son, Prince and the de facto leader of Cambodia, the Ankar Khamarak Kayarith was transformed into the "Royal Socialist Khmer Youth", with Sihanouk himself serving as president of this state-run organization, now controlled by the Royal government. The 2,000 members and the leaders of Cambodian Scouting were permitted by the government to carry on activities. Scouts and Scout leaders attended the World Jamboree in 1959 in the Philippines, among them Prince Norodom Yuvaneath. Soon after, Sihanouk announced the dissolution of the Cambodian Boy Scout Association, whose members were subsequently integrated into the JSRK, a government sponsored youth movement.

Norodom Yuvaneath married his first wife, Prep Mau in 1959 and had two children:[1]

  • Norodom Chhavann-rangsi (born 25/6/1960)
  • Norodom Yuveakduri (born 1962)

Norodom Yuvaneath married his second wife, Tea Kim Yin in June 1962. In 1970 after the coup by General Lon Nol, Yuvaneath's family fled to Beijing, where they lived until 1980, when Yuvaneath moved his family to Connecticut in the United States. Yuvaneath had four children:[1]

  • Prince Norodom Veakchearavouth (born 10/01/1966, married 2001)
  • Prince Norodom Veakcharin (born 1969); he was assumed to have died in 1976 [2] during the Khmer Rouge government, but had fled to a hideout close to a refugee camp in Surin Province, on the Thai/Cambodian border, from where he reached Sweden. He returned to Phnom Penh in 2013. [3]
  • Princess Norodom Pekina (born 07/07/1970) who still lives in Connecticut and works for Timex[4]
  • Princess Norodom Yuveakdevi (born 06/09/1974)

Norodom Yuvaneath was educated at the Lycée Sisowath. He spoke French and English in addition to his native Khmer. He died of illness at Branford, Connecticut, United States.[5][6] He was 77 years old.

Government

In 1993, after the Vietnamese left Cambodia, King Norodom Sihanouk returned to Cambodia and, on December 31 of that year, elevated Prince Yuvaneath to the rank of Sdech Krom Luon, appointing him Privy Counsellor to His Majesty the King, a rank equal to that of Deputy Prime Minister.[7] After King Sihanouk abdicated, the new king Sihamoni, Yuvaneath's younger stepbrother, appointed Yuvaneath the Supreme Royal Advisor.[8] In this capacity, Yuvaneath proclaimed his opposition to the tribunal of former Khmer Rouge leaders, believing that the 1975-1979 turmoil resulting in the massacre of over 2 million Cambodians was a result of foreign intervention by the Vietnamese and Thai governments. Yuvaneath also stated his belief that a trial would be contrary to the interests of national reconciliation. Despite Yuvaneath's opposition to the tribunal, neither the king nor Sihanouk has made a public statement about trials.[8] Yuvaneath was also a Commander of the Royal Order of Monisaraphon.

References
  1. Norodom Yuvaneath, prince of Cambodia
  2. Norodom Veakcharin, prince of Cambodia
  3. Updated edition provides insight into lives and lineage of Cambodia’s royals
  4. WEDDINGS: VOWS; Pekina Norodom and Marc Coumeri
  5. Rinith, Taing (2021-01-15). "Prince Norodom Yuvaneath succumbs to illness". Khmer Times. Retrieved 2021-02-02.
  6. Barger, Brittani (2021-01-25). "Cambodia's Prince Norodom Yuvaneath cremated in United States". Royal Central. Retrieved 2021-02-02.
  7. "Yuvaneath's Official Biography". Archived from the original on 2007-02-21. Retrieved 2007-03-03.
  8. Khemara Times Newspaper. 3 June 2006. Archived 29 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine Online Version. p. 1 & 5. Accessed March 3, 2007
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