Rainsy Sam was born on 19 March 1949 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. He moved to France in 1965 to study and work as an investment manager. In 1993 Sam He was MP for Siem Reap from 1993 until 1995 with the Funcinpec, the royalist party. He served as the Minister of Economy and Finance during Norodom Ranariddh’s administration until 1994. He was elected again to the National Assembly 1998 as an opposition member with the Sam Rainsy Party (SRP). In 2012 Sam merged the SRP with the Human Rights Party led by Sokha Kem and co-founded the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP). From 2000 to 2002 and from 2012 to 2014, Sam chaired the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats (CALD).
Rainsy Sam is one of the most internationally respected politicians and pro-democracy activists from Cambodia. Born into a élite family in Phnom Penh, Rainsy Sam left the country to study in France so he was not in Cambodia when the civil war broke out and the Khmer Rouge took power. Following the end of the war and the signing of the Paris Peace Agreements of n 1993 he retourned to Cambodia to compete in the first democratic elections. The divide with the Prime Minister Hun Sen became apparent and in 1997 he barely escaped a murder attempt during public a rally.
Targeted by countless of politically-motivated accusations issued by the Supreme Court of Cambodia, in 2015 Rainsy Sam opted for a self-imposed exile to Paris. Following the sentence to disband the CRNP Rainsy Sam has been barred from doing any political activity. The number of convictions in absentia would put him to jail for life.
International supporters of Rainsy Sam include, since the early 2000s, Marco Pannella, who campaigned with him in Phnom Penh in 2003 and 2008, and Senator John MacCain. Rainsy Sam still in Paris where he continues to be very active for democracy and the rule of law.