Mong Reththy, who was originally known as Kasiek Heang (蒙乐提), changed his name when he first arrived in Phnom Penh in 1979, thinking that his childhood name made life difficult for him because of Chinese counsenance.
During the July 1997 coup led by Hun Sen, Mong Reththy was among a handful of faithful who wholeheartedly offered their support to the Prime Minister.
Along with Teng Bunma and Sok Kong, Reththy was among the Cambodian tycoon who helped Hun Sen stay afloat financially and maintain his political stability, while most international lenders had cut their ties with Cambodia.
In April 1997, Reththy had been accused by Ho Sok, an official of the FUNCINPEC, of using his concession of the port in Sihanoukville as a platform for trafficking; the latter died during the confrontation of the 1997 coup.
His construction company, Samnang Khmeng Wat, refers to the time when he was himself a "kmeng voat", a poor child who learns at the pagoda because of lack of resources.
[7] While Reththy Mong has been accused by certain human rights group of land-grabbing, others have appreciated his efforts "to develop more socially benign [..], more profitable and sustainable—plantation concessions in a context that is still marred by extensive land conflict.
[17] Reththy married Man Son, two years younger than him, during one of the forced marriage ceremonies along with 12 other couples orchestrated by the Pol Pot regime.