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.

In this Cambodian name, the surname is Norodom. In accordance with Cambodian custom, this person should be referred to by the given name, Yuvaneath.
Norodom Yuvaneath
Prince of Cambodia
Born17 October 1943
Phnom Penh, Cambodia, French Indochina
Died13 January 2021(2021-01-13) (aged 77)
Branford, Connecticut, U.S.
Spouse
Tea Kim Yin
​
(m. 1962)​
IssueNorodom Veakchearavouth
Norodom Ekcharin
Norodom Pekina
Norodom Yuveakdevi
HouseNorodom
FatherNorodom Sihanouk
MotherSisowath Pongsanmoni

Personal life

Norodom Yuvaneath was educated by the Lycée Sisowath. He spoke French and English in addition to his native Khmer.

In 1957, under the direction of his socialist-leaning father, who was at the time the current king's son (that is, a prince), and the de facto leader of Cambodia, the Ankar Khamarak Kayarith was transformed into the "Royal Socialist Khmer Youth". Sihanouk himself served as president of this state-run organization, then 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 was 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.[lower-alpha 1]

Norodom Yuvaneath married Tea Kim Yin in June 1962. In 1970 after the coup by General Lon Nol that abolished the monarchy, Yuvaneath's family fled to Beijing, where they lived until 1975, when Yuvaneath moved his family to Hong Kong. In 1980, he and his family moved again to Connecticut in the United States. [1][lower-alpha 2]

Yuvaneath, Veakchiravouth & Yin, in Hong Kong, 1969/1970. The infant prince, Ekcharin, had been left in Phnom Penh.

Government

In 1993, after the Vietnamese left Cambodia, King Norodom Sihanouk returned to Cambodia and re-established the monarchy. On 31 December of that year, he 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.[2] After King Sihanouk abdicated, the new king Norodom Sihamoni, Yuvaneath's younger stepbrother, appointed Yuvaneath the supreme royal advisor.[3] 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 two 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.[lower-alpha 3] Yuvaneath was also a Commander of the Royal Order of Monisaraphon.

Death

Yuvaneath died of illness at Branford, Connecticut, United States on 13 January 2021. He was 77 years old when he died.[4][5]

Notes
  1. Norodom Yuvaneath had his first courtship with a courtier, Prep Mau, in 1959. They had two children:[1]
    • Norodom Chhavann-rangsi (born 25/6/1960)
    • Norodom Yuveakduri (born 1962)
  2. Yuvaneath had four children with Tea Kim Yin:
    • Prince Norodom Veakchiravouth (born 10/01/1966, married 2001)
    • Prince Norodom Ekcharin (born 1969); he was assumed to have died in 1976 during the Khmer Rouge government. There had been an impersonator from Sweden who claimed to be late Ekcharin. But a DNA test concluded that he is not the biological son of Tea Kim Yin.
    • Princess Norodom Pekina (born 07/07/1970)
    • Princess Norodom Yuveakdevi (born 06/09/1974)]]
  3. Despite Yuvaneath's opposition to the tribunal, neither the king nor Sihanouk had made any public statements about trials.[3]

References
  1. Norodom Yuvaneath, prince of Cambodia
  2. "Yuvaneath's Official Biography". Archived from the original on 21 February 2007. Retrieved 3 March 2007.
  3. Khemara Times Newspaper. 3 June 2006. Archived 29 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine Online Version. p. 1 & 5. Accessed March 3, 2007
  4. Rinith, Taing (15 January 2021). "Prince Norodom Yuvaneath succumbs to illness". Khmer Times. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  5. Barger, Brittani (25 January 2021). "Cambodia's Prince Norodom Yuvaneath cremated in United States". Royal Central. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
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