Meas Sophea
| Meas Sophea | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 9, 1955 Banieve village, Banieve Commune, Chhouk district, Kampot Province Cambodia  |
| Allegiance | The Royal Cambodian Army |
| Years of service | 1970—present |
| Rank |  General |
| Commands held | Intelligence office Chief of Operation Cabinet of General Staff The Royal Cambodian Army |
| Battles/wars | Vietnam War Cambodian Civil War Cambodian-Vietnamese War Khmer Rouge War July 7, 1997 coup 2008 Cambodian-Thai stand-off |
H.E General Meas Sophea (born 1955) is a senior general in the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF). He is currently the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the R.C.A.F and chief of the Royal Cambodian Army.
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[edit] Early life and education
Meas was born in Banieve village, Banieve Commune, Chhouk district, Kampot Province on April 9, 1955. He is the only child of Meas Nora and Men Lorn, who originated from poor farming families. Meas worked as a cake seller during his school years. Due to the civil war that ravaged the country (followed by U.S. and South Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia 1970), he joined the Cambodian Nation Front Movement Liberation as a private at age 16.
Meas studied at the local elementary school in Banieve. From 1969 to 1970, he was a student at the Chhouk High-School. Due to the civil war in Cambodia, Meas Sophea went to Vietnam to complete his studies between 1975 and 1977, receiving a diploma. He earned his bachelor's degree at the Military Academy Institute of Da Lat, Vietnam in 1985. Since 2005, Meas is currently taking a Ph.D in Military Science at the same institution.
[edit] Family
In 1980, Meas married Chhor Borey (born on September 9, 1957 in Vealvong village, Kampong Siem district, Kampong Cham province). The couple have three daughters and a son.
[edit] Military career
- 1970: Private in the Cambodian Nation Front Movement Liberation
- 1970 - 1980: Deputy in chief of Intelligence office (G2) General Staff
- 1980 - 1982: Chief of Cabinet of Military defense and Chief Cabinet of General Staff
- 1982 - 1985: Went to study in the Military Academy Institute of Da Lat, Vietnam
- 1985 - 1990: Colonel, Chief of Operation office of General Staff
- 1990 - 1991: Brigadier General, Deputy of General Staff and Chief of Operation Department
- 1991 - 1992: Major General, Deputy of General Staff and Chief of Operation Department
- 1992 - 1993: Lieutenant General, Deputy of General Staff of the R.C.A.F
- 1993 - 1995: General, Deputy of General Staff of the R.C.A.F (dropped one star due to the policy of the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia)
- 1995 - 1999: Lieutenant General, Deputy of General Staff of the R.C.A.F
- 1999 - 2004: Lieutenant General, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the R.C.A.F and Chief of the Army
- 2004–present: General, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the R.C.A.F and Chief commander of the Cambodian Army
[edit] Military experience
Meas Sophea is an experienced commander, having led many battles during the civil war between the pro-government army and the Khmer Rouge guerrillas. Battles that Sophea has commanded soldiers in include those at: Pailin, Preah Vihear, O'Smach, Koh Kong and Battambang.
During the July 1997 coup, Meas Sophea was one of the main commanders that successfully pushed back the Khmer Rouge guerrillas, and 500 fighters loyal to Prince Norodom Ranariddh, into the borders.
In 1998, he also successfully commanded the last counter-attack in Anlong Veng, which was the last stronghold of the Khmer Rouge forces. This led to the capture of Ta Mok, a top Khmer rouge leader.
He is also an honorary member of the TNI special forces Kopassus unit, where he received a Red beret in 2005.
