Statesman Son Soubert

Meeting Son Soubert for the first time with an intro from Martha Pattillo Siv. Photo courtesy Jim Mizerski

I mentioned yesterday that I was fortunate enough to meet His Excellency Son Soubert a couple of times and thanks to photographer Jim Mizerski, here's the record of our first meeting at the National Library for the donation of his memoir Golden Bones, by former US Ambassador Sichan Siv. Jim, a resident of Long Beach, California and a retired American naval officer, has often been in Cambodia following his passion for photography since 2003 and has held exhibitions of his work here, and was kind enough to let me post a couple of his photos. Introductions were made by Martha, Sichan's wife before Sichan joined the conversation. HE Son Soubert is a member of Cambodia's Constitutional Council and a former deputy speaker of the National Assembly. He originally trained as an archaeologist in France, became a professor in the Faculty of Archaeology of the Royal University of Fine Arts and has held many positions in government. During 1993-98, he served as second vice-president of the National Assembly and in March 1998, he became president of the Son Sann Party, a party founded by his father, who served as Prime Minister in the late-60s and who formed the Khmer People's National Liberation Front in 1979, one-third of a three-part coalition movement that opposed the Vietnamese occupation of Cambodia in the '80s.

In deep discussion with Sichan Siv (left) and Son Soubert (right). Photo courtesy Jim Mizerski