Born: 1942 (Phnom Penh, Cambodia)
Biography:
Kek Galabru, known in her native Khmer language as Pung Chhiv Kek, is a Cambodian woman and prominent human rights activist who played a critical role in bringing peace to Cambodia after years of Civil War. As the founder of the Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defence of Human Rights (LICADHO), she is considered one of Cambodia’s foremost defenders of human rights while others have referred to her as the archetype of the femme fatale.
Pung Chhiv Kek Galabru was born on October 4, 1942, in Phnom Penh, as the eldest daughter of an aristocratic family with two daughters. Her father, Pung Peng Cheng, was a teacher who later served as secretary of state at the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Information. Her mother, Siv Eng Tong, was the royal nanny of the future king of Cambodia, Prince Sihamoni.
Pung Chhiv Kek Galabru was trained as a teacher and later became the first female lawmaker in Cambodia. She also served as the Minister of Social Affairs and the Minister of Health. However, her life took a turn when the Cambodian Civil War broke out in 1970.
After obtaining her Cambodian and French baccalaureate in 1960, Pung Chhiv Kek was sent to France to study medicine and graduated from medical school in Angers. She then worked as a doctor in Phnom Penh from 1968 to 1971, while also being co-director of the Sihanoukist newspaper Le Contre-Gouvernement from 1968 to 1970. As the Civil War escalated, she had no choice but to leave Cambodia and seek safety elsewhere.
Pung Chhiv Kek Galabru moved to Canada and continued her work as a doctor. However, her dedication to human rights and her desire to help her home country remained strong. In 1973, she went to Paris to specialize in hematology and also bought a liquor store called La Cave des Pyrénées. She believed that supporting her store would provide her with the resources necessary to contribute to the fight for human rights in Cambodia.
In the late 1970s, Madame Kek met her late husband Jean-Jacques Galabru in Paris, brother of famous actor Michel Galabru, and followed him to various diplomatic posts abroad. And it was during this time that a significant event occurred, which remains somewhat untold in Cambodia’s history.
In early 1987, Jean-Jacques Galabru, a former diplomat, and his wife flew to Phnom Penh to meet with Hun Sen, the current Prime Minister of Cambodia, in order to organize a meeting between Hun Sen and then-Prince Norodom Sihanouk. This historic meeting took place in December 1987 at Fère-en-Tardenois, north of Paris and eventually led to the 1991 Paris Peace Accords.
While her husband had previously met Hun Sen in 1982 during his tenure in Angola, Kek Galabru had maintained close ties with Sihanouk during his exile in Beijing. Her role in bringing these two influential figures together played a crucial part in the peace process for Cambodia.
In October 1989, Kek Galabru was appointed as a special envoy of the State of Cambodia, cementing her position as a significant figure in Cambodian politics and international diplomacy. Her efforts to promote human rights and bring about peace in Cambodia have been commended by many around the world.
Today, Pung Chhiv Kek Galabru continues to devote herself to the cause of human rights. Through her organization, LICADHO, she works tirelessly to document human rights abuses, provide legal aid to victims, and advocate for justice and equality in Cambodia. Her enduring commitment and unwavering spirit make her an inspiration to women and men alike, both in Cambodia and globally.