Tea Banh

In this Cambodian name, the surname is Tea. In accordance with Cambodian custom, this person should be referred to by the given name, Banh.

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.

Samdech Pichey Sena Tea Banh NM GCC MP
ទៀ បាញ់
Banh in 2012
Vice President of the Cambodian People's Party
Incumbent
Assumed office 24 December 2021
President	Hun Sen
Serving with	Sar Kheng (2015–present) Say Chhum (2015–present) Men Sam An (2021–present) Hun Manet (2023-present)
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
Additional positions Minister of Transport Minister of Posts and Telecommunications In office 1982–1987 Prime Minister Chan Sy Hun Sen Member of Parliament for Siem Reap Incumbent Assumed office 14 June 1993 Majority 52,356 (13.24%)
Personal details
Born	Tea Sangvan (1945-11-05) 5 November 1945 (age 79) Kampot Province, Cambodia, French Indochina
Political party	Cambodian People's Party
Spouse	Tao Toeun ​ (m. 1975)​
Children	Siam Seiha
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,^[5] 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.^[6][7] 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.^[8] Banh's brother Tea Vinh is the commander of the Royal Cambodian Navy.^[8]

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.^[9][10]

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)