Heng Samrin played an outsized and often overlooked role in Cambodia’s history and politics. Arguably one of the twentieth century’s greatest guerrilla commanders, he defected from the Khmer Rouge and fled to Vietnam, where he plotted his return with Hanoi as part of a military force that ousted a genocidal regime led by Pol Pot. He then helped lay the foundation for Cambodia as we know it today.
In full: https://thediplomat.com/2019/02/remembering-heng-samrin-and-cambodias-rebirth/