Roland Eng

[[thumb ]] Roland Eng, is a Cambodian politician, a former MP, Minister of Tourism and Ambassador. He was elected MP for Kampot province during the 1st mandate of the Royal Government of Cambodia, election held under the UN supervised (UNTAC), simultaneously he was appointed as the 1st Minister of Tourism -and then head of Missions in New-York Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and the United States of America. At only 12 years old, he was sent to France to study, supposedly for only one year. Then, a coup d’état by Gen Lon Nol in 1970 plunged Cambodia into misery. The coup leaders consigned his father to house arrest. Then when the Khmer Rouge invaded Phnom Penh, Eng’s parents, all five sisters and two brothers were killed. Unable to return to Cambodia he pursued his studies at the Université Paul Cézanne Aix-Marseille III with a degree in public administration. In 1979, Eng joined King Norodom Sihanouk as his private secretary, in exile in France, China and North Korea. Upon the appointment of His Royal Highness Prince Norodom Ranariddh to build up the Royalist Armed Forces along the Thai-Cambodian borders. Eng was appointed as Spokesman in charge of the Information division of the Funcinpec (Royalist Party). Eng's career in the public service began during some of the most turbulent times in Cambodia's history. As private secretary to His Majesty King Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia from 1979 to 1981, he later spent more than a decade in the royalist movement along the Thai-Cambodian border until the Paris Peace Agreement in 1991. Eng was an active participant in the Paris Peace Accords that established UNTAC, the United Nations operation in Cambodia. He was subsequently appointed by His Majesty the King as the then Supreme National Council of Cambodia's (SNC) rotating Ambassador to the United Nations to coordinate the United Nation's Operation in Cambodia. Eng later ran as a MP's candidate for the Kampot under the Royalist's party. Eng served simultaneously as Cambodia's first Minister of Tourism from 1992-1993. During his short tenure, he modernized and transformed Cambodia's nascent tourism sector, transforming the Tourism's Department into a full-fledged Ministry with a clear vision and mandate to develop the country's tourism. As Cambodia started to open up, in 1994, Eng was selected to reestablish diplomatic relations with Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand and from 1999 to 2005 he was posted to Washington D.C. Upon his return, Eng served as Ambassador at-Large with Minister rank.

Eng has contributed numerous articles on development, conflict resolution, and other topics. Among his recent works is “Creating Local-Level Stability and Empowerment in Cambodia” in “Human Security for All: A Tribute to Sergio Vieira de Mello” (Fordham University Press, 2004).

Eng is fluent in Cambodian, French, and English. He is actively involved in various foundations and NGOs and sits on the advisory board of Anjali House, a Siem Reap-based non-profit organization that provides free food, healthcare, and education to under-privileged children, Angkor Photo Festival, Friends of Khmer Culture (FOKCI), Sobbhana Women's Foundation, Jay Pritzker Academy (JPA)...