Bun Rany ( km, ប៊ុន រ៉ានី; born, 15 December 1954) is the wife of long-time Cambodian Prime Minister
Hun Sen
Hun Sen (; km, ហ៊ុន សែន, ; born 5 August 1952) is a Cambodian politician and former military commander who has served as the prime minister of Cambodia since 1985. He is the longest-serving head of government of Cambodia, and o ...
, First Lady of Cambodia. She has served as the vice president of the National Association of the
Cambodian Red Cross and, since 1998, as its president.
She has received national and international recognition and numerous awards for her work with Cambodia's orphans and poor, HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention, and her emphasis on women's issues with efforts to improve domestic safety and empowerment through education and vocational training.
[ Her full honorary title is Samdech Kittipritbandit Bun Rany Hun Sen ( km, សម្តេចកិត្តិព្រឹទ្ធបណ្ឌិត ប៊ុន រ៉ានី ហ៊ុនសែន; ).
]
Titles
As the wife of the Prime Minister, she was previously referred to as ''Lok Chumteav Bun Rany - Hun Sen'' (Khmer: លោកជំទាវប៊ុន រ៉ានី ហ៊ុន សែន). ''Lok Chumteav'' is a title for high-ranking female officials or the wives of high-ranking ministers or government officials. The name of her husband follows to indicate her title is due to her status as Hun Sen's wife. On 30 March 2011, Cambodian king Norodom Sihamoni
Norodom Sihamoni ( km, នរោត្តម សីហមុនី, ; born 14 May 1953) is King of Cambodia. He became King on 14 October 2004, a week after the abdication of his father, Norodom Sihanouk. He is the eldest son of Norodom Sihano ...
granted her the title ''Kittipritbandit'' (Khmer: កិត្តិព្រឹទ្ធបណ្ឌិត), a title meaning roughly "Celebrated Senior Sage/Scholar/PhD" and equivalent to an honorary Doctorate in the Royal Academy of Cambodia.[ On 8 May 2013, King Sihamoni awarded her the title ''Samdech'' (Khmer: សម្ដេច), the highest bestowed title in the Khmer kingdom, thus making her full title ''Samdech Kittipritbandit Bun Rany Hun Sen'' (Khmer: សម្ដេចកិត្តិព្រឹទ្ធបណ្ឌិតប៊ុន រ៉ានី ហ៊ុន សែន).][ Although she should technically be addressed as ''Samdech'', she is often informally referenced as ''Lok Chumtiew''.
]
Early life
Bun Rany was born Bun Sam Hieng to a Chinese-Khmer family in what was then the province of Kampong Cham, Cambodia in Roka Khnao, Krouch Chhmar District
Krouch Chhmar District ( km, ស្រុកក្រូចឆ្មារ) is a district (''srok'') located in Tboung Khmum Province, Cambodia. The district capital is Krouch Chhmar town located around 35 kilometres north east of the provincial c ...
(now a part of Tbong Khmum Province
Tboung Khmum ( km, ត្បូងឃ្មុំ ; meaning "Amber"), also spelled as Tbong Khmum, is a province of Cambodia located on the central lowlands of the Mekong River. It borders the provinces of Kampong Cham to the west, Kratié to t ...
).[ Her parents, Lin Kri and Bun Sieng Ly, were prosperous farmers who traced their ancestry to Kwangtung (]Guangdong
Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020) ...
) in China.[ Rany has two brothers and three sisters. As children, before the Cambodian Civil War, they all walked half an hour to school, wading across the Roka Khnao River in the dry season or hitching a ferry ride across in the wet season when the water was too deep to cross. She has stated that her maternal grandparents' gentle instruction in Cambodian tradition was very influential in her later life.][ In 1970, when Rany was 16 years old, her grandparents died. Shortly thereafter, Prince Sihanouk was deposed by General ]Lon Nol
Marshal Lon Nol ( km, លន់ នល់, also ; 13 November 1913 – 17 November 1985) was a Cambodian politician and general who served as Prime Minister of Cambodia
The prime minister of Cambodia ( km, នាយករដ្ឋមន្ ...
. These two events deeply affected her and when the exiled Prince aligned with the Communist Khmer Rouge
The Khmer Rouge (; ; km, ខ្មែរក្រហម, ; ) is the name that was popularly given to members of the Communist Party of Kampuchea (CPK) and by extension to the regime through which the CPK ruled Cambodia between 1975 and 1979. ...
and issued a call for Cambodians to fight against Lon Nol's government, Rany secretly joined the National United Front of Kampuchea
The National United Front of Kampuchea ( or , FUNK; km, រណសិរ្សរួបរួមជាតិកម្ពុជា, ) was an organisation formed by the deposed then Chief of State of Cambodia, Norodom Sihanouk in 1970 while he was in ...
. The local cadres gave her a choice of positions. She chose the medical field and the leadership
Leadership, both as a research area and as a practical skill, encompasses the ability of an individual, group or organization to "lead", influence or guide other individuals, teams, or entire organizations. The word "leadership" often gets view ...
arranged for her training by doctors who had come from Phnom Penh to lecture fresh recruits. After six months of Khmer Rouge training, she was sent back to Krouch Chhmar with the title of Public Health Officer.[ By 1974, she was the director of a Khmer Rouge hospital located approximately 50 km from the front line of fighting against Lon Nol's ]Khmer Republic
The Khmer Republic ( km, សាធារណរដ្ឋខ្មែរ, ; french: République khmère) was a pro-United States military-led republican government of Cambodia that was formally declared on 9 October 1970. The Khmer Republic wa ...
government forces.
Marriage to Hun Sen
In March 1974, Rany met Hun Sen (through Le Duc Tho) who, having joined the Khmer Rouge in 1970, commanded most of the soldiers that were treated at her hospital.[ As the Khmer Rouge leadership forbade fraternization among the people and strictly controlled every facet of life, including courtship and marriage, they carried on a romance through intermediaries and occasionally on the pretense of official Party business. Hun Sen officially requested the Angkar to allow a marriage in late 1974 but despite his reputation as a good leader, was told to wait until Phnom Penh was captured and the whole country was under Khmer Rouge rule. In 1975, one day before the ]fall of Phnom Penh
The Fall of Phnom Penh was the capture of Phnom Penh, capital of the Khmer Republic (in present-day Cambodia), by the Khmer Rouge on 17 April 1975, effectively ending the Cambodian Civil War. At the beginning of April 1975, Phnom Penh, one of th ...
, Hun Sen was hit by shrapnel and lost his left eye. Considering him now to be disabled, Bun Rany's superiors decided he was not suitable for marriage and instead attempted to arrange for her to marry a series of prominent men in Krouch Chhmar District, all of whom she rejected. Likewise, Hun Sen's superiors attempted to find a "more suitable" partner for him, suggesting, among others, a high-ranking Party woman twelve years his senior. Their refusal to follow the orders of their superiors led to lowered esteem and suspicion of loyalties. In early 1976, the Angkar organized a group marriage ceremony with twelve wounded and handicapped soldiers and notified Hun Sen and Bun Rany that they could marry as part of this event.[ The group wedding took place with little ceremony in a very remote location with no family members in attendance. They were told to live in ]Memot District
Memot District ( km, ស្រុកមេមត់) is a district (''srok'') in Tboung Khmum Province, Cambodia. The district capital is Memot town, around east of the provincial capital of Kampong Cham by road. Memot is a border district and ...
where Hun Sen was stationed on the border with Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
while Rany was assigned to work long hours in neighbouring Ponhea Kraek and Tboung Khmum districts. On 10 November 1976, Bun Rany gave birth to their first child in Memot, a son whom they named Kamsot (meaning "sad") that died later the same day as a result of being dropped by a Khmer Rouge nurse, Rany claims.[
Currently Hun Sen and Rany have six children, four sons (one of them deceased) and three daughters (one of them adopted). Their names are Komsot (deceased), Manet, Mana, Manit, Mani, Mali and Malis.]
Activities as First Lady
In 1977, the Khmer Rouge began internal purges directed at those suspected of disloyalty. Hun Sen, who had risen to the rank of Battalion Commander, became paranoid and fled with his followers into Vietnam where they joined a rebel army and replacement government organized by the Vietnamese in advance of its effort to overthrow the Khmer Rouge regime. Bun Rany, who was left behind, was imprisoned by the Khmer Rouge and would not see her husband again until almost two years later when the Vietnamese invaded Cambodia in 1979. Upon defeating the Khmer Rouge and occupying Cambodia, the Vietnamese named Hun Sen as Deputy Prime Minister and freed Bun Rany who then began organizing orphanages and schools for the orphans left behind by the genocidal
Genocide is the intentional destruction of a people—usually defined as an ethnic, national, racial, or religious group—in whole or in part. Raphael Lemkin coined the term in 1944, combining the Greek word (, "race, people") with the Latin ...
policies of the Khmer Rouge.[ In 1985, Hun Sen was appointed Prime Minister, giving Bun Rany a better platform to expand both her economic activities and her humanitarian work. During the post-1988 process of Thai-Cambodian rapprochement, she forged a close personal relationship with the wife of Thai Prime Minister ]Chatichai Choonhavan
Chatichai Choonhavan ( th, ชาติชาย ชุณหะวัณ, , ; 5 April 1920 – 6 May 1998) was a Thai army officer, diplomat and politician. From 1986 to 1991, he was the chairman of the Thai Nation Party and served as the Prim ...
, and became deeply involved in the rapidly growing legal and illegal trade between Cambodia and Thailand. From her position as first lady, she began to call attention to the plight of those infected with HIV/AIDS, the poor and women's issues. In April 1994 at the first congress of the Cambodian Red Cross, she was elected as its Vice President while Princess Eng Marie, wife of then Co-Prime Minister Prince Norodom Ranariddh was elected president. At its second congress in 1998, Bun Rany was elected President after Hun Sen consolidated his power by violently ousting and exiling Ranariddh.
Some of the highlights of her tenure thus far have been the establishment of five development centers located throughout Cambodia aimed at providing vocational and business training to women and the poor,[ organizing and delivering aid to victims of floods that regularly inundate Cambodia (]2000
File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...
, 2011
File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...
and 2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
, among others)[ and efforts supporting the UN Secretary-General's Action Plan for Women and Children's Health.][
]
Criticism and controversy
As the former communist wife of a leader who is widely considered a despotic dictator
A dictator is a political leader who possesses absolute power. A dictatorship is a state ruled by one dictator or by a small clique. The word originated as the title of a Roman dictator elected by the Roman Senate to rule the republic in times ...
, Bun Rany is not without detractors. For instance, in 2003 Noranarith Anandayath, adviser to Prince Ranariddh, accused her of politicizing the Red Cross, a worldwide organization whose reputation is founded on its political neutrality, by funneling money from her husband's Cambodian People's Party (CPP) to villagers during an election when parties were prohibited from "making gifts" to voters.
In October 2013 critics including Prince Sisowath Thomico and Sam Rainsy
Sam Rainsy ( km, សម រង្ស៊ី, UNGEGN: , ALA-LC: ; ; born 10 March 1949) is a Cambodian activist, economist and politician who most recently served as the Leader of the Opposition. He is now the interim leader of the Cambodia Nation ...
accused her of abusing her position when, at a Cambodian Red Cross flood relief event in Pailin
Pailin ( km, ប៉ៃលិន, ) is a province in western Cambodia at the northern edge of the Cardamom Mountains near the border of Thailand. This province is surrounded by Battambang province, and was officially carved out of Battambang ...
, she spent the majority of her speech denouncing the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP)[ in the wake of a controversial ]national election
A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...
that spawned some of the biggest protests Cambodia has seen in decades.
In October 1999, following the public assassination of popular Cambodian actress Pisith Pilika
Pisith Pilika ( km, ពិសិដ្ឋ ពីលីកា) (4 February 1965 – 6 July 1999), was a Cambodian ballet dancer and actress. Born Oak Eap Pili ( km, ឱក អៀបពីលី), Pilika appeared in hundreds of films and thousand ...
, the French magazine ''L’Express
''L'Express'' () is a French weekly news magazine headquartered in Paris. The weekly stands at the political centre in the French media landscape, and has a lifestyle supplement, ''L'Express Styles'', and a job supplement, ''Réussir''.
History ...
'' claimed that the actress’ diary recounted a love affair with Hun Sen and named Bun Rany as the mastermind behind the shooting; the magazine also claimed that on her deathbed the actress had named Bun Rany to several people. Bun Rany quickly denied these charges, and announced that she would press charges against ''L’Express'' for defamation. However, no charges were ever brought against ''L'Express''.
Special interest groups
Cambodia, officially a multiparty democracy, in reality "remains a one-party state dominated by the Cambodian People's Party and Prime Minister Hun Sen, Bun's husband, a former Khmer Rouge
The Khmer Rouge (; ; km, ខ្មែរក្រហម, ; ) is the name that was popularly given to members of the Communist Party of Kampuchea (CPK) and by extension to the regime through which the CPK ruled Cambodia between 1975 and 1979. ...
official in power since 1985. The open doors to new investment during his reign have yielded the most access to a coterie of cronies of his and his wife, Bun Rany".
Awards and honors
The following is a list of awards and honors accumulated by Lok Chumtiew Bun Rany.[
*November 2006 - Joint UN Program on HIV/AIDS and the Asia Pacific Leadership Forum (APLF) recognize Bun Rany as an APLF Outstanding Champion
*October 2008 - Honorary Doctorate in Humanity from the ]University of Cambodia
The University of Cambodia (often referred to as UC for short; km, សាកលវិទ្យាល័យកម្ពុជា, ''Sakâlvĭtyéalai Kămpŭchéa'') is a private university located on Northbridge Road in Sen Sok District, Phnom Pe ...
*June 2009 - Honorary Doctorate in Economic Science from the Women's University of Seoul
*July 2010 - Honorary Doctorate in Literature from the Jeon Ju University of South Korea
*April 2010 - Honorary Doctorate in Education from Silla University, Busan, South Korea
*March 2011 - Granted title ''Kittiprittbandit'' of the Royal Academy of Cambodia by King Sihamoni
References
External links
Hun Sen's early career
Official Biography from a Government site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bun, Rany
1954 births
Living people
Cambodian Buddhists
Cambodian people of Chinese descent
20th-century Cambodian women
21st-century Cambodian women
Hun Sen
People from Kampong Cham province
People from Tboung Khmum province
Spouses of prime ministers of Cambodia
Spouses of national leaders
Controversies in Cambodia
Hun family