First time in Funcinpec Chakrapong joined Sihanouk in helping to form the
Funcinpec in March 1981. He was appointed a commander of the
Armee Nationale Sihanoukiste (ANS, informally known as the Funcinpec army). In March 1985, Chakrapong became the deputy Chief of Staff of ANS. During this time, Chakrapong defended ANS military bases against Vietnamese incursions. In 1989, Ranariddh made Chakrapong to represent Funcinpec in negotiations leading to the
1991 Paris Peace Accords. Chakrapong was against the decision to co-opt the
Khmer Rouge into playing any role in future Cambodian governments, a stand that came into conflict with Ranariddh and other senior Funcinpec leaders. Chakrapong was a leading figure of the guerilla war against the Vietnamese occupation, spending most of the time in the jungle at the Cambodia-Thailand border.
Cambodia People's Party, secession and coup attempt In late 1991, Chakrapong quit Funcinpec to join the CPP at Hun Sen's invitation. He was given a seat in the party's
politburo, and in January 1992 Chakrapong was appointed Deputy Prime Minister in charge of civil aviation, tourism, industry, culture, education, and social welfare affairs. He also encouraged foreign investment in Cambodia and provided support to investors that established financial institutions and enterprises in the country. When the
1993 general elections were held, Chakrapong campaigned for a
Presidential system of government for Cambodia with Sihanouk as president. On 10 June, Chakrapong led a few senior CPP allies, including Sin Song and
Bou Thang, to declare the secession of seven eastern Cambodian provinces bordering Vietnam from control by the
United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC). The region was renamed the "
Samdech Euv Autonomous Zone". UNTAC staff personnel were ordered to leave, and Chakrapong issued orders to soldiers under his command to ransack UNTAC and Funcinpec offices in these provinces. Three days later, Ranariddh returned to Cambodia to preside over an emergency parliamentary meeting to reinstate Sihanouk as the country's Head of State. At the same time,
Tea Banh issued a directive to the
Royal Cambodian Armed Forces to restore order in the seven eastern provinces. When Chakrapong received news of these developments, he fled across the border to Vietnam on 15 June. Sihanouk made a formal request for Chakrapong to drop his secessionist movement and return to Phnom Penh. Chakrapong obeyed his father's request to return and was awarded the military rank of
Major-General for the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces. After a permanent government was formed in September 1993, Chakrapong and Sin Song appealed to the CPP politburo to be reinstated as Members of Parliament. The CPP made several
motions for this purpose, but faced strong opposition from Funcinpec members of parliament under Ranariddh's instructions. In May 1994, the CPP was able to secure support from Funcinpec to outlaw the Khmer Rouge in exchange for an agreement not to pursue any further motions to reinstate Chakrapong and Sin Song as Members of Parliament. In July, Chakrapong was accused of participating to a failed coup attempt by Gen. Sin Song. He has always denied his involvement. Hun Sen ordered soldiers to arrest Sin Song, Sin Sen, and Chakrapong. When Chakrapong heard that Sin Song was arrested, Chakrapong issued a statement to deny his involvement in the coup attempt, and sent a letter to then-Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister
Anwar Ibrahim for long-term asylum in Malaysia. Anwar turned down Chakrapong's request after Ranariddh expressed disapproval, and Chakrapong subsequently sought long-term refuge in France where he was to stay for the next four years.
Subsequent political career in February 2013. Chakrapong received a royal pardon from Sihanouk in November 1998 and returned to Cambodia in early 1999. He subsequently rejoined Funcinpec as an ordinary member in March 1999 at Ranariddh's invitation. Chakrapong abstained from playing an active role in the party to avoid renewing tensions with his brother, and focused on his business career. After the Khmer Soul Party failed to win any seats in the
2003 general elections, Chakrapong dissolved the party and returned to Funcinpec in March 2004. In May 2005, Chakrapong was appointed to the newly minted party post of general-inspector. In January 2006, Chakrapong was elected senator for
Prey Veng Province. Two months later, Ranariddh appointed him secretary-general, but faced opposition from some senior party members such as
Nhek Bun Chhay and
Lu Laysreng. Within a week of Chakrapong's nomination, the finance ministry issued a bill calling for him to pay up due taxes from a failed airline business venture, prompting Chakrapong to withdraw from the secretary-general post. In May 2006, an anonymous letter from the Ministry of Information was circulated within the party, stating Ranariddh's purported intention to form a new royalist party. Nhek Bun Chhay followed the issue closely and provided a list of party members who were planning to defect from Funcinpec, which included Serey Kosal and Chakrapong. At the same time, Nhek Bun Chhay appointed Nouv Sovathero party spokesman, while re-designating the then-incumbent party spokesman Chea Chanboribo the personal spokesman for Ranariddh. The cascade of incidents from Nhek Bun Chhay stoked anger from Serey Kosal and Chakrapong who threatened to sue him. When Ranariddh was fired from his position as the president of Funcinpec in October 2006, Chakrapong was also expelled from the party and senate the following month. Within days after his expulsion, Chakrapong joined Ranariddh to form the
Norodom Ranariddh Party (NRP), and was in turn appointed the party's vice president. Ranariddh had been issued two lawsuits over embezzlement of property and adultery, and Chakrapong publicly defended Ranariddh, saying that the lawsuits were politically motivated. After Ranariddh sought exile in Malaysia in March 2007 following his conviction over his embezzlement charges, Following the commune elections, Chakrapong resigned from the NRP in June 2007. ==Business career==