Norodom Chakrapong
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His Royal Highness Samdech Preah Mohessara Norodom Chakrapong |
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| នរោត្តម ចក្រពង្ស | |
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Vice President of the Council of Ministers Deputy Prime Minister of Cambodia |
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In office January 1992 – June 1993 |
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| Prime Minister | Hun Sen |
| Preceded by | Bou Thang |
| Succeeded by |
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| Member of the Senate of the Kingdom of Cambodia | |
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In office January 2006 – November 2006 |
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| President | Chea Sim |
| Vice President of the Norodom Ranariddh Party | |
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In office November 2006 – June 2007 |
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| President | Norodom Ranariddh |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Chhim Siek Leng |
| Member of the Constitutional Council of Cambodia | |
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In office 2013–2021 |
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| President | Ek Som Ol, Im Chhun Lim |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
21 October 1945 Phnom Penh, Cambodia |
| Political party | Funcinpec Party (1981–91; 1999–2001; 2004–06) |
| Other political affiliations |
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| Spouse(s) | Princess Norodom Kachanipha Chakrapong |
| Website | Norodom Racvivong Foundation |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
 Cambodia
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| Service/branch |
 Royal Cambodian Armed Forces
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| Years of service | 1963–1970; 1981-1991 (Armée Nationale Sihanoukiste); 1993–1994 |
| Rank | Major-General |
| Royal Family of Cambodia |
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From marriage with Neak Moneang Norodom Phalla Ranariddh
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Norodom Chakrapong (born 21 October 1945) is a Cambodian prince, politician, military commander and businessman. He is the fourth son of Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia and also a half-brother of the current king, Norodom Sihamoni. Chakrapong started his career as a military pilot in 1963. After Sihanouk was overthrown in 1970, Chakrapong spent time under house arrest, then in Beijing as the Head of Protocol of then-Prince Sihanouk, afterwards living overseas before he joined the Funcinpec in 1981 and fought against Vietnamese occupation as a commander of the Armée Nationale Sihanoukiste. In 1991, Chakrapong left Funcinpec to join the Cambodian People's Party (CPP) and served as the Deputy Prime Minister of Cambodia between 1992 and 1993. When the CPP lost the 1993 general elections, Chakrapong led a secession attempt in 1993. In 1994, he was accused of joining a failed coup attempt (which he denied) which led him to be sent into exile. After Chakrapong was pardoned in 1998, he founded a private airline company, Royal Phnom Penh Airways. The airlines later stopped all operations in early 2006.
In 2002, Chakrapong established a royalist party, the Khmer Soul Party. When the Khmer Soul Party failed to win a single parliamentary seat in the 2003 general elections, Charkapong rejoined Funcinpec and briefly served as Senator in 2005. In 2006, Chakrapong was expelled from Funcinpec and joined the Norodom Ranariddh Party. When the Cambodian government pursued legal investigations on the debts Chakrapong accumulated from his airlines, Chakrapong quit politics in 2007. Chakrapong, who was already a privy councillor to the Supreme Privy Council, then dedicated himself to humanitarian work and supporting royal activities. In2013, Chakrapong was appointed member of the Constitutional Council of Cambodia by the King.
Norodom Chakrapong was born at the Khemarin Palace in Phnom Penh, Cambodia to Norodom Sihanouk and Sisowath Pongsanmoni. As a young boy, Chakrapong was trained as a ballet dancer at the Royal Ballet of Cambodia, and performed at several state functions when Sihanouk attended or hosted foreign dignitaries when he was Prime Minister. In 1958, Chakrapong was sent with his half-brother Ranariddh to Marseille, France, where they attended high school. After graduating in 1963, Chakrapong returned to Cambodia and became an officer cadet with the Royal Cambodian Air Force where graduated at the top of his class. After completing his cadet course, Chakrapong was sent back to France for a year where he received extensive training in flying MiG-21 jets. He returned in 1967 and was later commissioned as a lieutenant. When Lon Nol launched a coup against Sihanouk in March 1970, Chakrapong was arrested and kept under house arrest until November 1973. After his release, Chakrapong went to Beijing, China, where he joined his father and served as his father's Chief of Protocol between 1973 and 1975. In 1975, Chakrapong travelled to Yugoslavia at the invitation of Josip Broz Tito. He spent a year at the Yugoslav Air Force Staff College, before he moved to France with his family as political refugees in 1976. Chakrapong settled in Créteil until 1981. During this time, Chakrapong ran a small enterprise to provide a source of income for his family.
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