• Society

National Assembly First Vice-President Nguon Nhel Dies

• By Meng Seavmey
• November 5, 2021 9:03 PM

Heng Samrin leads tributes to tireless worker

PHNOM PENH--Nguon Nhel, the First Vice-President of the National Assembly, passed away on Friday, aged 79.  

The Deputy Secretary-General of the National Assembly, Mith Karen, said the National Assembly was arranging a committee to organize Nhel’s funeral.

Heng Samrin, President of the National Assembly mourned Nhel’s death and praised his efforts serving the nation and people. 

“The death of His Excellency is the great loss of a precious member of the National Assembly and the nation… who had been spending his life and energy serving the nation and people tirelessly,” Heng Samrin said on Facebook.

Nhel was born in Trapeang Chrey village in Kampong Thom province. He held a bachelor degree in social sciences, an honorary doctorate in political science and a teaching degree.

From 1965 to 1970, he worked as a teacher in Tang Krasang commune in Kampong Thom province. He became an official at the Kampong Thom Provincial Department of Education Youth and Sports and was director of the Office of Educational Psychology from 1970 to 1975.

He was also an office worker in charge of Kampong Svay District Administrative Area.

He was elected three times between 1979 and 1980 to become Chief of Trapeang Chrey village,  Chief of Balong commune and Chief of Baray district.

He continued as a provincial governor, the director of provincial police and party secretary of Kampong Thom Provincial Military until 1984.

From 1984 to 1988, Nguon Nhel worked as Phnom Penh party secretary and party secretary of Phnom Penh Military before he became the Minister of Agriculture.

He was also the director of a rubber trees farm until 1993.

Since 1994, he had been a member of the National Assembly of Kampong Thom constituency and vice chairman of the ninth commission of the National Assembly in the first mandate, and later became as the second vice president of the National Assembly.

From the third to fourth mandates, he was the first vice president of the National Assembly. During the fifth mandate of the National Assembly, he was elected as first vice president for many months before being elected as second-vice president since the first vice president position was given to Kem Sokha, then vice president of now-dissolved Cambodia National Rescue Party in a political agreement.

After Kem Sokha’s removal in 2014, he came back to the position of first vice president.

In the ruling party, he was a member of the Standing Committee of the Central Committee of the Cambodian People's Party, an.d head of the CPP Central Working Group for Kampong Thom province.