Tea Banh
Cambodian politician (born 1945)
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Tea Banh (Khmer: ទៀ បាញ់ [tiə ɓaɲ]; born 5 November 1945)[2] is a Cambodian politician and general. He was a Deputy Prime Minister of Cambodia and the Minister of National Defence from 1987 until 2023.[3] He is a former general and a member of the Cambodian People's Party and was elected to represent Siem Reap Province in the National Assembly of Cambodia in the 2003 elections.[4] He was succeeded as defence minister by his eldest son Tea Seiha. Tea Banh was elevated to the rank of five-star general in the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces by King Norodom Sihamoni in 2025.[5]
- Sar Kheng (2015–present)
- Say Chhum (2015–present)
- Men Sam An (2021–present)
- Hun Manet (2023-present)
Norodom Ranariddh
Ung Huot
Tea Banh | |||||||||||||||||||
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| ទៀ បាញ់ | |||||||||||||||||||
Banh in 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Vice President of the Cambodian People's Party | |||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 24 December 2021 | |||||||||||||||||||
| President | Hun Sen | ||||||||||||||||||
| Serving with |
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| Preceded by | Hun Sen (2015) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Minister of National Defence | |||||||||||||||||||
| In office 1987 – 22 August 2023[a] | |||||||||||||||||||
| Prime Minister | Hun Sen Norodom Ranariddh Ung Huot | ||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Bou Thang | ||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Tea Seiha | ||||||||||||||||||
| Deputy Prime Minister of Cambodia | |||||||||||||||||||
| In office 16 July 2004 – 22 August 2023 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Prime Minister | Hun Sen | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||
| Born | Tea Sangvan 5 November 1945 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Party | Cambodian People's Party | ||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse |
Tao Toeun (m. 1975) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Children |
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| Relatives | Tea Vinh (brother) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Profession | Politician | ||||||||||||||||||
| Military service | |||||||||||||||||||
| Allegiance |  Cambodia | ||||||||||||||||||
| Branch/service | Royal Cambodian Army | ||||||||||||||||||
| Years of service | 1962–present | ||||||||||||||||||
| Rank |  General of the Army[1] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Commands | National Committee for Maritime Security | ||||||||||||||||||
| Battles/wars | Cambodian Civil War Cambodian–Vietnamese War | ||||||||||||||||||
Personal life
Banh, whose birth name was "Tea Sangvan" later changed to Thai name, Sangvan Hin-kling (Thai: สังวาลย์ หินกลิ้ง) and "Tea Banh" in last,[6] is of Sino-Thai descent. His father, a Thai-Chinese, was named Tea Toek (Thai: เต็ก; RTGS: Tek) and his mother Nou Peng Chenda (Thai: หนู เพ่งจินดา; RTGS: Nu Phengchinda), was an ethnic Thai.[7][8] Banh married Tao Toeun (Thai: เตือนใจ ธรรมเกษร; RTGS: Tueanchai Thamma-keson), who is also an ethnic Thai, in 1975[citation needed]. They have three children, including Tea Seiha (also spelt Tea Seyha), the current Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence National Defence, and former governor of Siem Reap province.[9] Banh's brother Tea Vinh is the commander of the Royal Cambodian Navy.[9]
Sports Management
Tea Banh was Chairman of the National Organizing Committee for the 32nd SEA Games. In 2023, Kun Khmer was added to the Southeast Asian Games Federation's charter and rules. Deputy Prime Minister Tea Banh stated that he was proud that the Southeast Asian Games officially recognized the Cambodian martial art of Kun Khmer and he worked hard to show Kun Khmer's international potential.[10][11]
Honours
Cambodia:
Collar of the Grand Order of National Merit
Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Cambodia
Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Sowathara
Grand Officer of the Royal Order of H.M. The Queen Preah Kossomak Nearirath
Recipient of the Sena Jayaseddh Medal
Recipient of the Medal of National Defense in gold, two stars
Recipient of the Medal of National Defense in silver, two stars
Recipient of the Medal of National Defense in bronze, two stars
Recipient of the Medal of Labour
Recipient of the Decoration of National Construction (Twice)
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