Hun Sen (; km, ហ៊ុន សែន, ; born 5 August 1952) is a
Cambodia
Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand t ...
n politician and former military commander who has served as the
prime minister of Cambodia
The prime minister of Cambodia ( km, នាយករដ្ឋមន្ត្រីនៃកម្ពុជា, ) is the head of government of Cambodia. The prime minister is also the chairman of the Cabinet and leads the executive branch of the ...
since 1985.
He is the longest-serving
head of government
The head of government is the highest or the second-highest official in the executive branch of a sovereign state, a federated state, or a self-governing colony, autonomous region, or other government who often presides over a cabinet, a gro ...
of Cambodia, and
one of the longest-serving leaders in the world. He is also the president of the
Cambodian People's Party
The Cambodian People's Party (CPP), UNGEGN: , ALA-LC: ; is a Cambodian political party which has ruled Cambodia since 1979.
Founded in 1951, it was originally known as the Kampuchean People's Revolutionary Party (KPRP)., UNGEGN: , ALA-LC: ; ...
(CPP) and a member of the
National Assembly
In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...
for
Kandal. His full honorary title is Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen ( km, សម្តេចអគ្គមហាសេនាបតី តេជោ ហ៊ុន សែន; ; meaning "Lord Prime Minister and Supreme Military Commander Hun Sen").
Born Hun Bunal,; he changed his name to Hun Sen in 1972, two years after joining the
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. ...
as a soldier. He fought for the Khmer Rouge in the
Cambodian Civil War
The Cambodian Civil War ( km, សង្គ្រាមស៊ីវិលកម្ពុជា, Romanization of Khmer#UNGEGN, UNGEGN: ) was a civil war in Cambodia fought between the forces of the Communist Party of Kampuchea (known as the Khme ...
and was a Battalion Commander in
Democratic Kampuchea
Kampuchea ( km, កម្ពុជា ), officially known as Democratic Kampuchea (DK; km, កម្ពុជាប្រជាធិបតេយ្យ ) from 5 January 1976, was a one-party totalitarian state which encompassed modern-day Camb ...
until defecting in 1977 and fighting alongside Vietnamese forces in the
Cambodian–Vietnamese War
The Cambodian–Vietnamese War ( km, សង្គ្រាមកម្ពុជា-វៀតណាម, vi, Chiến tranh Campuchia–Việt Nam), known in Vietnam as the Counter-offensive on the Southwestern border ( vi, Chiến dịch Phản ...
. From 1979 to 1986 and again from 1987 to 1990, he served as Cambodia's
foreign minister
A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between cou ...
in the
Vietnamese occupied government.
At age 26, he was also the world's youngest foreign minister.
Hun Sen rose to the premiership in January 1985 when the
one-party
A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state.
In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government ...
National Assembly
In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...
appointed him to succeed
Chan Sy
Chan Sy, also spelt Chan Si, ( km, ចាន់ ស៊ី; 1932 – 26 December 1984) was a Cambodian politician who served as the Prime Minister of the People's Republic of Kampuchea from 1982 until his death in 1984.
Biography
Chan Sy was ...
, who had died in office in December 1984. He held the position until the
1993 UN-backed elections which resulted in a
hung parliament
A hung parliament is a term used in legislatures primarily under the Westminster system to describe a situation in which no single political party or pre-existing coalition (also known as an alliance or bloc) has an absolute majority of legisl ...
, with opposition party
FUNCINPEC
The National United Front for an Independent, Neutral, Peaceful and Cooperative Cambodia,; french: Front uni national pour un Cambodge indépendant, neutre, pacifique et coopératif commonly referred to as FUNCINPEC,, ; is a royalist politic ...
winning the majority of votes. Sen refused to accept the result.
After negotiations with FUNCINPEC,
Norodom Ranariddh
Norodom Ranariddh ( km, នរោត្តម រណឫទ្ធិ; 2 January 1944 – 28 November 2021) was a Cambodian prince, politician and law academic. He was the second son of King Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia and a half-brother of Kin ...
and Hun Sen agreed to simultaneously serve as First and Second Prime Minister, until the coalition broke down and Sen orchestrated a
coup d'état in 1997 which toppled Ranariddh. Since 1998, Hun Sen has led the CPP to consecutive and often contentious
election
An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office.
Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has opera ...
victories, overseeing
rapid economic growth and development, but also
corruption
Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense which is undertaken by a person or an organization which is entrusted in a position of authority, in order to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's personal gain. Corruption m ...
,
deforestation
Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. The most concentrated d ...
and
human rights violations
Human rights are moral principles or normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for certain standards of hum ...
.
In
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 ...
, Hun Sen and the CPP were reelected with a significantly reduced majority. Allegations of voter fraud led to widespread
anti-government protests. In
2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
he was elected to a sixth term in a largely unopposed poll after the dissolution of the
opposition party
Parliamentary opposition is a form of political opposition to a designated government, particularly in a Westminster-based parliamentary system. This article uses the term ''government'' as it is used in Parliamentary systems, i.e. meaning ''th ...
, with the CPP winning every seat in the National Assembly. He is currently serving in his sixth term as prime minister in ''de facto''
one-party rule
A one-party state, single-party state, one-party system, or single-party system is a type of sovereign state in which only one political party has the right to form the government, usually based on the existing constitution. All other parties ...
.
Hun Sen has been prominent in
communist
Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...
,
Marxist–Leninist
Marxism is a left-wing to far-left method of socioeconomic analysis that uses a materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to understand class relations and social conflict and a dialect ...
and now
state capitalist
State capitalism is an economic system in which the state undertakes business and commercial (i.e. for-profit) economic activity and where the means of production are nationalized as state-owned enterprises (including the processes of capital ac ...
and
national conservative
National conservatism is a nationalist variant of conservatism that concentrates on upholding national and cultural identity. National conservatives usually combine nationalism with conservative stances promoting traditional cultural values, f ...
political parties, and although
Khmer nationalism
Khmer nationalism (or Cambodian nationalism); is a form of nationalism found in Cambodia, which asserts that Khmers (Cambodians) are a nation and that promotes the cultural unity of the Khmer (Cambodian) race.
"Young Monks" Movement
Another di ...
has been a consistent trait of all of them, he is thought to lack a core political ideology.
In
foreign policy
A State (polity), state's foreign policy or external policy (as opposed to internal or domestic policy) is its objectives and activities in relation to its interactions with other states, unions, and other political entities, whether bilaterall ...
, Sen has in recent years strengthened a close
diplomatic and economic alliance with China, which has undertaken large-scale infrastructure projects and investments in Cambodia under the
Belt and Road Initiative
The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI, or B&R), formerly known as One Belt One Road ( zh, link=no, 一带一路) or OBOR for short, is a global infrastructure development strategy adopted by the Chinese government in 2013 to invest in nearly 150 ...
. Meanwhile, Sen has frequently criticized Western powers in response to their sanctions on Cambodia over human rights issues
and has overseen a number of diplomatic disputes with neighboring
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
.
He has been described as a "wily operator who destroys his political opponents" by ''
The Sydney Morning Herald
''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...
'' and as an authoritarian leader who has assumed highly centralized power in Cambodia and considerable personal wealth using violence and corruption,
including a personal guard said to rival the country's regular army.
Early life
Hun Sen was born on August 5, 1952, in
Peam Kaoh Sna,
Kampong Cham as Hun Bunal (also called Hun Nal),
the third of six children. His father,
Hun Neang, had been a resident monk in a local
Wat
A wat ( km, វត្ត, ; lo, ວັດ, ; th, วัด, ; khb, 「ᩅᨯ᩠ᨰ」(waD+Dha); nod, 「ᩅ᩠ᨯ᩶」 (w+Da2)) is a type of Buddhist temple and Hindu temple in Cambodia, Laos, East Shan State, Yunnan, the Southern Provi ...
in Kampong Cham province before defrocking himself to join the French resistance and marry Hun Sen's mother, Dee Yon, in the 1940s. Hun Neang's paternal grandparents were wealthy landowners of
Teochew Chinese heritage.
Hun Neang inherited some of his family assets, including several hectares of land, and led a relatively comfortable life until a kidnapping incident forced their family to sell off much of their assets. Hun Nal left his family at the age of 13 to attend a monastic school in
Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh (; km, ភ្នំពេញ, ) is the capital and most populous city of Cambodia. It has been the national capital since the French protectorate of Cambodia and has grown to become the nation's primate city and its economic, indus ...
. At the time, he changed his name to Ritthi Sen or simply Sen; his prior given name, Nal, was often a nickname for overweight children.
Military career and entry to politics
When
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 ...
removed Norodom Sihanouk from power in 1970, Sen gave up his education to join the
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. ...
following
Sihanouk's call to join the insurgency.
Sen also claims he was inspired to fight against foreign interference when his hometown of Memot was bombed by U.S. aircraft in
Operation Menu
Operation Menu was a covert United States Strategic Air Command (SAC) tactical bombing campaign conducted in eastern Cambodia from 18 March 1969 to 26 May 1970 as part of both the Vietnam War and the Cambodian Civil War. The targets of these att ...
. Sen claims he had no political opinions or ideology at the time.
As a soldier, he again changed his name, this time to Hun Samrach, to conceal his identity.
He changed his name to Hun Sen two years later, saying that the name Hun Samrach had been inauspicious and that he had been wounded several times during the period he had that name.
Sen rapidly ascended ranks as a soldier, and fought during 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 ...
, becoming injured and being hospitalized for some time
and sustaining a permanent eye injury.
In
Democratic Kampuchea
Kampuchea ( km, កម្ពុជា ), officially known as Democratic Kampuchea (DK; km, កម្ពុជាប្រជាធិបតេយ្យ ) from 5 January 1976, was a one-party totalitarian state which encompassed modern-day Camb ...
, Sen served as a Battalion Commander in the Eastern Region, with authority over around 2000 men.
The involvement or role of Sen in the
Cambodian genocide
The Cambodian genocide ( km, របបប្រល័យពូជសាសន៍នៅកម្ពុជា) was the systematic persecution and killing of Cambodians by the Khmer Rouge under the leadership of Communist Party of Kampuchea genera ...
are unclear, although he denies complicity.
''
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization, headquartered in New York City, that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. The group pressures governments, policy makers, companies, and individual human r ...
'' suggested he may have had a role in a
massacre
A massacre is the killing of a large number of people or animals, especially those who are not involved in any fighting or have no way of defending themselves. A massacre is generally considered to be morally unacceptable, especially when per ...
to suppress
Cham Muslim unrest in September–October 1975, but Sen has denied this, claiming that he had stopped following orders from the central government by this time.
Sen claims he had increasing disagreements with Khmer Rouge authorities in the administration throughout 1975–1977.
In 1977, during internal purges of the Khmer Rouge regime, Hun Sen and his battalion cadres fled to Vietnam.
During the
Cambodian–Vietnamese War
The Cambodian–Vietnamese War ( km, សង្គ្រាមកម្ពុជា-វៀតណាម, vi, Chiến tranh Campuchia–Việt Nam), known in Vietnam as the Counter-offensive on the Southwestern border ( vi, Chiến dịch Phản ...
as Vietnam prepared to invade Cambodia, Hun Sen became one of the leaders of the
Vietnamese-sponsored rebel army. He was given the secret name Mai Phúc by Vietnamese leaders.
Following the defeat of the Khmer Rouge regime, Hun Sen was appointed as Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of the Vietnamese-installed
People's Republic of Kampuchea/State of Cambodia (PRK/SOC) in 1979 at age 26.
The Vietnamese-appointed government appointed Sen some authority over the
K5 Plan
The K5 Plan ( km, ផែនការក៥), K5 Belt or K5 Project, also known as the Bamboo Curtain, was an attempt between 1985 and 1989 by the government of the People's Republic of Kampuchea to seal Khmer Rouge guerrilla infiltration routes ...
, a Khmer Rouge containment strategy that saw the mass mobilization of civilian labor in constructing barricades and
land mines
A land mine is an explosive device concealed under or on the ground and designed to destroy or disable enemy targets, ranging from combatants to vehicles and tanks, as they pass over or near it. Such a device is typically detonated automati ...
, although the extent of his involvement is unclear.
First appointment as Prime Minister
Hun Sen first rose to the
premiership in January 1985 when the one-party National Assembly appointed him to succeed
Chan Sy
Chan Sy, also spelt Chan Si, ( km, ចាន់ ស៊ី; 1932 – 26 December 1984) was a Cambodian politician who served as the Prime Minister of the People's Republic of Kampuchea from 1982 until his death in 1984.
Biography
Chan Sy was ...
, who had died in office in December 1984. As the ''de facto'' leader of Cambodia, in 1985, he was elected as Chairman of the Council of Ministers and
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
. Sen oversaw continuing conflict against several ongoing
insurgencies
An insurgency is a violent, armed rebellion against authority waged by small, lightly armed bands who practice guerrilla warfare from primarily rural base areas. The key descriptive feature of insurgency is its asymmetric nature: small irr ...
during this period.
In 1987,
Amnesty International
Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...
accused Hun Sen's government of torture of thousands of political prisoners using "electric shocks, hot irons and near-suffocation with plastic bags."
Paris Peace Talks and UNTAC (1991–1993)
As Foreign Minister and then Prime Minister, Hun Sen played a role in the
1991 Paris Peace Talks, which brokered peace in Cambodia and formally ended the
Cambodian–Vietnamese War
The Cambodian–Vietnamese War ( km, សង្គ្រាមកម្ពុជា-វៀតណាម, vi, Chiến tranh Campuchia–Việt Nam), known in Vietnam as the Counter-offensive on the Southwestern border ( vi, Chiến dịch Phản ...
.
He held the position of Prime Minister during the
United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) until the
1993 UN-sponsored elections, which resulted opposition party
FUNCINPEC
The National United Front for an Independent, Neutral, Peaceful and Cooperative Cambodia,; french: Front uni national pour un Cambodge indépendant, neutre, pacifique et coopératif commonly referred to as FUNCINPEC,, ; is a royalist politic ...
winning the majority of votes with a
hung parliament
A hung parliament is a term used in legislatures primarily under the Westminster system to describe a situation in which no single political party or pre-existing coalition (also known as an alliance or bloc) has an absolute majority of legisl ...
. Hun Sen and his party formally rejected the result.
With the support of much of the state apparatus, including the army and police, Hun Sen and his deputy
Norodom Chakrapong
Norodom Chakrapong (born 21 October 1945) is a Cambodian politician, businessman and former major-general of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces. He is the fourth son of Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia and also a half-brother of the current king, N ...
threatened to lead the
secession of seven provinces and CPP-backed forces committed violence against UN and FUNCINPEC forces
although Sen distanced himself from the secessionist movement a few days later.
UNTAC and FUNCINPEC conceded a unique power sharing agreement with Hun Sen serving as Second Prime Minister alongside First Prime Minister
Norodom Ranariddh
Norodom Ranariddh ( km, នរោត្តម រណឫទ្ធិ; 2 January 1944 – 28 November 2021) was a Cambodian prince, politician and law academic. He was the second son of King Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia and a half-brother of Kin ...
.
Co-premiership (1993–1997)
Conflict with Ranariddh
1997 coup
In 1997, the coalition became unstable due to tensions between Ranariddh and Hun Sen.
FUNCINPEC
The National United Front for an Independent, Neutral, Peaceful and Cooperative Cambodia,; french: Front uni national pour un Cambodge indépendant, neutre, pacifique et coopératif commonly referred to as FUNCINPEC,, ; is a royalist politic ...
entered into discussions with the remaining Khmer Rouge rebels (with whom it
had been allied against Hun Sen's Vietnamese-backed government during the 1980s), with the aim of absorbing them into its ranks.
Such a development would have altered the balance of military power between royalists and the CPP.
In response, Hun Sen launched the
1997 coup, replacing Ranariddh with
Ung Hout as the First Prime Minister and maintaining his position as the Second Prime Minister.
In an open letter,
Amnesty International
Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...
condemned the
summary execution
A summary execution is an execution in which a person is accused of a crime and immediately killed without the benefit of a full and fair trial. Executions as the result of summary justice (such as a drumhead court-martial) are sometimes include ...
of FUNCINPEC ministers and the "systematic campaign of arrests and harassment" of political opponents.
Thomas Hammarberg
Thomas Hammarberg (born 2 January 1942) is a Swedish diplomat and human rights defender.
He held the post of Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights in Strasbourg from 1 April 2006 to 31 March 2012. He succeeded the first Commissioner ...
, then Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Human Rights in Cambodia, strongly condemned the coup.
Prime Minister of Cambodia
In the
1998 election, he led the CPP to victory and forming a coalition with FUNCINPEC.
The
2003 Phnom Penh riots resulted in the ransacking of the Thai embassy in Cambodia, following comments made by Thai soap opera actress
Suvanant Punnakant, who claimed that
Angkor Wat
Angkor Wat (; km, អង្គរវត្ត, "City/Capital of Temples") is a temple complex in Cambodia and is the largest religious monument in the world, on a site measuring . Originally constructed as a Hinduism, Hindu temple dedicated ...
belonged to Thailand. Sen called for a boycott of Thai goods and television shows and criticized the actress shortly before the riots. The riots and Sen's response severely damaged
Cambodia–Thailand relations. Sen's Thai counterpart
Thaksin Shinawatra
Thaksin Shinawatra ( th, ทักษิณ ชินวัตร; ; ; Chinese: 丘達新; cnr, Taksin Šinavatra; born 26 July 1949), is a Thai businessman, politician and visiting professor. He served in the Thai Police from 1973 to 1987, a ...
closed the borders, expelled the Cambodian ambassador and evacuated Thai citizens from Phnom Penh in response. Thaksin also sent a warning to Hun Sen after witness reports suggested the army and police had not intervened until the embassy was destroyed.
Sam Rainsy accused Sen of inciting the riot.
The
elections of July 2003 resulted in a larger majority in the National Assembly for the CPP, with FUNCINPEC losing seats to the CPP and the
Sam Rainsy Party
The Candlelight Party ( km, គណបក្សភ្លើងទៀន) is a liberal party in Cambodia. The party was a member of the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats, Liberal International, and the Alliance of Democrats. It is the largest ...
. However, the CPP's majority was short of the two thirds constitutionally required for the CPP to form a government alone. This deadlock was overcome when a new CPP-FUNCINPEC coalition was formed in mid-2004, with
Norodom Ranariddh
Norodom Ranariddh ( km, នរោត្តម រណឫទ្ធិ; 2 January 1944 – 28 November 2021) was a Cambodian prince, politician and law academic. He was the second son of King Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia and a half-brother of Kin ...
chosen to be head of the National Assembly and Hun Sen again becoming sole Prime Minister.
From 2008 to 2013, the
Cambodian–Thai border dispute
The Cambodian–Thai border dispute (Khmer–Thai border dispute) began in June 2008 as part of a century-long dispute between the Cambodia, Kingdom of Cambodia and the Thailand, Kingdom of Thailand involving the area surrounding the 11th-centu ...
was an ongoing conflict, which on a number of occasions led to fighting between Cambodian and Thai forces. Sen and Thai premier
Abhisit Vejjajiva negotiated a de-escalation on several occasions with the encouragement of
ASEAN
ASEAN ( , ), officially the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, is a political and economic union of 10 member states in Southeast Asia, which promotes intergovernmental cooperation and facilitates economic, political, security, militar ...
. Cambodia was granted sovereignty over the
Preah Vihear Temple
Preah Vihear Temple ( Khmer: ប្រាសាទព្រះវិហារ ''Prasat Preah Vihear'') is an ancient Khmer temple built during the period of the Khmer Empire, that is situated on the top of a cliff in the Dângrêk Mountains, i ...
area by a UN court in 2013, ending the dispute.
Sen has opposed extensive investigations and prosecutions related to crimes committed by former Khmer Rouge leaders by the UN-backed
Khmer Rouge Tribunal.
On 6 May 2013, Hun Sen declared his intention to rule Cambodia until the age of 74.
2013–2014 protests
![CNRP protesters raise flags](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5a/CNRP_protesters_raise_flags.jpg)
After the
July 2013 general elections both Hun Sen and his opponents
Cambodia National Rescue Party
)
, headquarters =
, ideology = LiberalismLiberal democracyCivic nationalismPopulismAnti-Vietnamese sentiment
, position = Centre
, international = Liberal International
, affiliation1_title = Regional affili ...
claimed victory. In August, Hun Sen continued to pursue his aim of forming a new government. Cambodians in the United States, Canada and elsewhere, with hundreds of Buddhist Monks, peacefully protested in front of the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
in New York City on 19 August in opposition to Hun Sen's deployment of military and security forces in Phnom Penh, his unwillingness to share political power with opposition groups and seriously address earlier voting fraud and election irregularities.
One person was killed and others injured during protests in Phnom Penh in September 2013, where a reported 20,000 protesters gathered, some clashing with riot police. Following two weeks of opposition protests, Hun Sen declared that he had been constitutionally elected and would not step down nor hold a new election.
On 7 September 2013, tens of thousands of Cambodians, along with
Buddhist
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
monks and opposition groups, including
Sam Rainsy's
Cambodian National Rescue Party
)
, headquarters =
, ideology = LiberalismLiberal democracy Civic nationalism Populism Anti-Vietnamese sentiment
, position = Centre
, international = Liberal International
, affiliation1_title = Regional aff ...
held mass demonstrations in
Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh (; km, ភ្នំពេញ, ) is the capital and most populous city of Cambodia. It has been the national capital since the French protectorate of Cambodia and has grown to become the nation's primate city and its economic, indus ...
to protest the 28 July elections results which they claimed were flawed and marred by voting irregularities and potential fraud. The groups asked the United Nations to investigate and claimed that the elections results were not free and fair.
On 3 January 2014, military police opened fire at protesters, killing 4 people and injuring more than 20. The
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
and
US State Department
The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other nati ...
condemned the violence. US Congressman
Ed Royce
Edward Randall Royce (born October 12, 1951) is an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from California from 1993 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, Royce served as Chairman of the United ...
responded to the report of violence in Cambodia by calling for Hun Sen to step down, saying that the Cambodian people deserve a better leader.
Consolidation of power (2015–present)
![Secretary Blinken Meets with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen in Cambodia (52262934998) (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8a/Secretary_Blinken_Meets_with_Cambodian_Prime_Minister_Hun_Sen_in_Cambodia_%2852262934998%29_%28cropped%29.jpg)
On 10 June 2014, Hun Sen made a public appearance and claimed he has no health problems. He warned that if he were to die prematurely, the country would spin out of control and the opposition could expect trouble from the
armed forces
A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...
, saying he is the only person who can control the army.
In November 2016, Hun Sen publicly endorsed US Republican presidential candidate
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
who went on to be elected president.
Following Hun Sen's orders, on 31 January 2017, the National Assembly voted unanimously to abolish the
Minority Leader and
Majority Leader
In U.S. politics (as well as in some other countries utilizing the presidential system), the majority floor leader is a partisan position in a legislative body. positions to lessen the opposition party's influence. On 2 February 2017, Hun Sen barred the opposition from questioning some of his government ministers. Furthermore, Hun Sen vowed a
constitutional amendment
A constitutional amendment is a modification of the constitution of a polity, organization or other type of entity. Amendments are often interwoven into the relevant sections of an existing constitution, directly altering the text. Conversely, t ...
which later saw the opposition
Cambodia National Rescue Party
)
, headquarters =
, ideology = LiberalismLiberal democracyCivic nationalismPopulismAnti-Vietnamese sentiment
, position = Centre
, international = Liberal International
, affiliation1_title = Regional affili ...
dissolved. This move led to the surprise resignation of opposition leader Sam Rainsy. The controversial law was passed on 20 February 2017, effectively granting the ruling party the right to dissolve political parties. Opposition leader
Kem Sokha
Kem Sokha ( km, កឹម សុខា; born 27 June 1953) is a Cambodian politician and activist who most recently served as the President of the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP). He served as the Minority Leader, the highest-ranking oppo ...
was later arrested for treason.
On 30 June 2018, weeks before the parliamentary elections, Hun Sen appointed his second eldest son,
Hun Manet
Hun Manet ( km, ហ៊ុន ម៉ាណែត, ; born 20 October 1977) is a Cambodian lieutenant general who currently serves in the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) as the commander of Royal Cambodian Army since 2018. He is the eldest son ...
, into higher military positions. Some analysts have speculated Manet may be a future candidate for Sen's position. Hun Sen affirmed that his son could become prime minister if elected rather than through direct handover, though he intends to rule until at least 2028. The
2018 elections were dismissed as
sham election
An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office.
Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operate ...
s by the international community,
the opposition party having been dissolved.
Hun Sen blocked the return of exiled
Cambodia National Rescue Party
)
, headquarters =
, ideology = LiberalismLiberal democracyCivic nationalismPopulismAnti-Vietnamese sentiment
, position = Centre
, international = Liberal International
, affiliation1_title = Regional affili ...
leaders to Cambodia, including
Sam Rainsy and
Mu Sochua
Mu Sochua ( km, មូរ សុខហួ; born 15 May 1954) is a Cambodian politician and rights activist. She was a Member of Parliament (MP) for Battambang from 2013 to 2017, a seat which she previously held from 1998 to 2003. She was a member ...
, in November 2019. He ordered the military to "attack" them on sight should they return,
threatened airlines with legal actions for allowing them to board, deployed thousands of troops to the Thai and Vietnamese borders, and requested other
ASEAN
ASEAN ( , ), officially the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, is a political and economic union of 10 member states in Southeast Asia, which promotes intergovernmental cooperation and facilitates economic, political, security, militar ...
leaders arrest them and deport them to Cambodia.
In 2020, the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...
suspended its
Everything but Arms
Everything but Arms (EBA) is an initiative of the European Union under which all imports to the EU from the Least Developed Countries are duty-free and quota-free, with the exception of armaments. EBA entered into force on 5 March 2001. There were ...
preferential trade agreement with Cambodia due to concerns over
human rights violations
Human rights are moral principles or normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for certain standards of hum ...
under Hun Sen's government.
Sen criticized the move as "biased" and "unfair", including at the
United Nations General Assembly
The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; french: link=no, Assemblée générale, AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as the main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ of the UN. Curr ...
in 2020.
During the early stages of the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
, Hun Sen downplayed the risk of the
virus
A virus is a submicroscopic infectious agent that replicates only inside the living cells of an organism. Viruses infect all life forms, from animals and plants to microorganisms, including bacteria and archaea.
Since Dmitri Ivanovsky's 1 ...
and declined to introduce preventative measures or evacuate Cambodian citizens from Wuhan during the initial
outbreak in China. It was widely reported this was in an attempt to show solidarity with China, one of Cambodia's
closest diplomatic and economic allies. Hun Sen visited China during the outbreak and offered to visit
Wuhan
Wuhan (, ; ; ) is the capital of Hubei, Hubei Province in the China, People's Republic of China. It is the largest city in Hubei and the most populous city in Central China, with a population of over eleven million, the List of cities in China ...
specifically during its
lockdown
A lockdown is a restriction policy for people, community or a country to stay where they are, usually due to specific risks (such as COVID-19) that could possibly harm the people if they move and interact freely.
The term is used for a prison ...
. In February 2020, at a press conference, he criticized the media for sensationalizing the virus, and threatened to expel those present who were
wearing masks. Hun Sen was also present to welcome passengers of the ''
MS Westerdam
MS ''Westerdam'' is a owned by Holland America Line. She is the third ship of the class to be operated by the line, as well as being the third ship to bear the name ''Westerdam''. Her sister ships are , , and . The beginning of the four ships ...
''
cruise ship
Cruise ships are large passenger ships used mainly for vacationing. Unlike ocean liners, which are used for transport, cruise ships typically embark on round-trip voyages to various ports-of-call, where passengers may go on tours known as "s ...
to dock in Sihanoukville, after it was turned away from other countries. Cambodia started implementing preventative measures and travel restrictions from March 2020 as the pandemic spread globally.
A new State of Emergency Law prepared in response to COVID-19 granted Hun Sen further powers to restrict movement and assembly, seize private property and enforce quarantine. The new law has been criticised by
Amnesty International
Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...
for curbing human rights.
Corruption and land issues
Hun Sen and his family were estimated to have amassed between US$500 million and US$1 billion by
Global Witness
Global Witness is an international NGO established in 1993 that works to break the links between natural resource exploitation, conflict, poverty, corruption, and human rights abuses worldwide. The organisation has offices in London and Washingt ...
in 2016, and a number of allies have also accumulated considerable personal wealth during his tenure.
![Cambodia Protected Area and Economic Land Concessions](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/73/Cambodia_Protected_Area_and_Economic_Land_Concessions.jpg)
Hun Sen implemented land reform, the "leopard skin land reform", in Cambodia.
Hun Sen's government has been responsible for leasing 45% of the total landmass in Cambodia—primarily to foreign investors—in the years 2007–08, threatening more than 150,000 Cambodians with eviction. Parts of the concessions are protected wildlife areas or
national park
A national park is a nature park, natural park in use for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state dec ...
s and have driven
deforestation across the country.
As of 2015, Cambodia had one of the highest rates of
forest loss in the world. The land sales have been perceived by observers as government corruption and have resulted in thousands of citizens being forcibly evicted. According to Alice Beban, the land reform strengthened
patronage politics in Cambodia and did not enable land tenure security.
Hun Sen was implicated in corruption related to Cambodia's oil wealth and mineral resources in the ''
Global Witness
Global Witness is an international NGO established in 1993 that works to break the links between natural resource exploitation, conflict, poverty, corruption, and human rights abuses worldwide. The organisation has offices in London and Washingt ...
'' 2009 report on
Cambodia
Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand t ...
. He and his close associates were accused of carrying out secret negotiations with interested private parties, taking money from those who would be granted rights to exploit the country's resources in return. The credibility of this accusation has been challenged by government officials and especially Prime Minister Hun Sen, himself.
Human rights issues
Sen and the CPP were accused of orchestrating
summary execution
A summary execution is an execution in which a person is accused of a crime and immediately killed without the benefit of a full and fair trial. Executions as the result of summary justice (such as a drumhead court-martial) are sometimes include ...
s during the
1997 coup.
Hun Sen frequently calls for violence against his political opponents during seemingly irrelevant public events, often characterizing this as necessary to maintain peace and stability in Cambodia. In 2017, he said he would be prepared to "eliminate 100 or 200 people if they would destabilize the peace in Cambodia" while speaking at commemoration for his defection from the Khmer Rouge. In 2019, as opposition party leaders prepared to return to the country, Sen ordered the military to "attack them wherever you see them—you don't need arrest warrants at all" while speaking at a graduation ceremony for exceptional high school students in Phnom Penh.
He also threatened the European Union if they withdrew a commercial deal: "If you want the opposition dead, do it. If you want it alive, don't do it and come and talk", although they did not give in. "We didn't pursue you because we didn't want to kill you at the time," Hun Sen said to opposition leader
Sam Rainsy, although such death threats have not been implemented.
Hun Sen's Cambodian People's Party (CPP) has banned public gatherings, driven opposition supporters from the site of former protest meetings 'Freedom Park', and deployed riot police to beat protesters and detain union leaders.
Several Australian politicians, most prominently
Gareth Evans and
Julian Hill
Julian Christopher Hill (born 4 June 1973) is an Australian politician who is currently serving as the Member of Parliament for Bruce in the House of Representatives, and was previously the 4th Mayor of Port Phillip. A member of the Australia ...
, have been highly critical of Sen and his government over human rights issues and have called for changes to
Australia–Cambodia relations.
After the execution of 4 prisoners in July 2022 in
Myanmar
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...
, Hun Sen warned to rethink the peace agreement if the regime continued to execute prisoners.
Public image
In Cambodia, Hun Sen's core support base is from the majority of the population who reside in the countryside and work in the
agricultural
Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating Plant, plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of Sedentism, sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of Domestication, domesticated species created food ...
sector. He is less popular in urban centers like
Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh (; km, ភ្នំពេញ, ) is the capital and most populous city of Cambodia. It has been the national capital since the French protectorate of Cambodia and has grown to become the nation's primate city and its economic, indus ...
.
Hun Sen's leadership has received criticism from various organizations, media and foreign governments for
corruption
Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense which is undertaken by a person or an organization which is entrusted in a position of authority, in order to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's personal gain. Corruption m ...
, cronyism, environmental degradation,
human rights violations
Human rights are moral principles or normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for certain standards of hum ...
and violence.
Hun Sen and his government was described by former Prime Minister of
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
Lee Kuan Yew
Lee Kuan Yew (16 September 1923 – 23 March 2015), born Harry Lee Kuan Yew, often referred to by his initials LKY, was a Singaporean lawyer and statesman who served as Prime Minister of Singapore between 1959 and 1990, and Secretary-General o ...
in 2000 as "utterly merciless and ruthless, without humane feelings".
Alleged Vietnamese ties
Some political opponents of Hun Sen have criticized him for alleged ties to
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 ...
.
Norodom Sihanouk
Norodom Sihanouk (; km, នរោត្តម សីហនុ, ; 31 October 192215 October 2012) was a Cambodian statesman, Sangkum and FUNCINPEC politician, Norodom Sihanouk filmography, film director, and composer who led Cambodia in vari ...
once referred to him as a "one-eyed lackey of the Vietnamese",
with
Sam Rainsy and members of the
Cambodia National Rescue Party
)
, headquarters =
, ideology = LiberalismLiberal democracyCivic nationalismPopulismAnti-Vietnamese sentiment
, position = Centre
, international = Liberal International
, affiliation1_title = Regional affili ...
later echoing similar sentiments during the 2010s.
This is due to his position in the
Vietnamese occupied government and prominence in figure in the
People's Revolutionary Party of Kampuchea
The Cambodian People's Party (CPP), UNGEGN: , ALA-LC: ; is a Cambodian political party which has ruled Cambodia since 1979.
Founded in 1951, it was originally known as the Kampuchean People's Revolutionary Party (KPRP)., UNGEGN: , ALA-LC: ; ...
.
Anti-Vietnamese sentiment
Anti-Vietnamese sentiment ( vi, Chủ nghĩa bài Việt Nam) involves hostility or hatred that is directed towards Vietnamese people, or the state of Vietnam.
Background
Anti-Vietnamese sentiment, known on the lesser version as Vietnamophobia ...
and racism is common in Cambodia.
Control of media
Although Cambodia had relatively independent press during and immediately following the
UNTAC
The United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) ar, سلطة الأمم المتحدة الانتقالية في كمبوديا, italics=off zh, , italics=offfrench: Autorité provisoire des Nations unies au Cambodgerussian: Орг ...
era, Hun Sen and the
CPP have since come to strictly control media in Cambodia.
This has more recently encompassed social media, which surpassed traditional media as a news source for Cambodians in 2017.
Television, radio and newspapers
Bayon Television
Bayon Television (Bayon TV; km, ទូរទស្សន៍បាយ័ន) is a Cambodian free-to-air television network. Bayon TV broadcasts from 06:00 to midnight.
History
It was launched in 1998 by Hun Mana, oldest daughter of prime minist ...
is owned and operated by Hun Mana, Hun Sen's eldest daughter. is joint-owned by
Say Sam Al
Say Sam Al ( km, សាយ សំអាល់; born 15 May 1980) is a Cambodian politician serving as the Minister of Environment since 2013. He is the son of Say Chhum, President of the Senate and Vice President of the Cambodian People's Par ...
, CPP Minister of Environment and son of
Say Chhum
Say Chhum ( km, សាយ ឈុំ; born 5 February 1945) is a Cambodian politician who has been the president of the Senate of Cambodia since 2015. He was the first vice president of the Senate until June 2015, when he succeeded Chea Sim up ...
, CPP secretary and the son of CPP Deputy Prime Minister
Sok An
Sok An ( km, សុខ អាន; 16 April 1950 – 15 March 2017) was a Cambodian academic and politician. He was Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for the Office of the Council of Ministers from 2004 to his death, and started serving in t ...
. CTN, CNC and MyTV are all owned by Khmer-Chinese tycoon,
Kith Meng
Kith Meng ( km, គិត ម៉េង; ) is a Cambodian businessman sometimes dubbed as "Mr. Rough Stuff". He is the chairman and CEO of The Royal Group which counts among its holdings 45% of J Trust Royal Bank, the mobile phone operator Cellca ...
.
CPP officials claim that there is no connection between the TV stations and the state. However, CPP lawmaker and official spokesman Cheam Yeap once stated "We pay for that television
overage Overage may refer to:
* Cellphone overage charges
* Land-sale overage
Overage or land-sale overage (also called “claw back”) is a term in land sales used to describe a sum of money in addition to the original sale price which a seller of lan ...
by buying broadcasting hours to show our achievements".
A demand for television and radio licenses was one of 10 opposition requests adopted by the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) at its "People's Congress" in October 2013.
Radio stations were banned from broadcasting ''
Voice of America
Voice of America (VOA or VoA) is the state-owned news network and international radio broadcaster of the United States of America. It is the largest and oldest U.S.-funded international broadcaster. VOA produces digital, TV, and radio content ...
'' and ''
Radio Free Asia
Radio Free Asia (RFA) is a United States government-funded private non-profit news service that broadcasts radio programs and publishes online news, information, and commentary for its audiences in Asia. The service, which provides editoriall ...
'' in August 2017. The country's most prominent independent newspaper ''
Cambodia Daily'' was closed on September 4, 2017, a day after the main opposition leader
Kem Sokha
Kem Sokha ( km, កឹម សុខា; born 27 June 1953) is a Cambodian politician and activist who most recently served as the President of the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP). He served as the Minority Leader, the highest-ranking oppo ...
was arrested for treason.
[''Closing Time''](_blank)
''The Economist'', September ninth-15th, 2017, pp. 45-46. ''
The Phnom Penh Post
''The Phnom Penh Post'' ( km, ភ្នំពេញប៉ុស្តិ៍, ) is a daily English-language newspaper published in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Founded in 1992 by publisher Michael Hayes and Kathleen O'Keefe, it is Cambodia's oldest En ...
'', another widely circulated independent newspaper, was sold to a Malaysian investor with ties to Hun Sen in 2018, which undermined its independence and aligned it closer to the government.
Social media
Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...
and the internet became widely used in Cambodia during the 2010s. It is thought that its adoption by the
Cambodia National Rescue Party
)
, headquarters =
, ideology = LiberalismLiberal democracyCivic nationalismPopulismAnti-Vietnamese sentiment
, position = Centre
, international = Liberal International
, affiliation1_title = Regional affili ...
played a role in the party's gains in the
2013 election.
In the mid-2010s, Hun Sen and the
Cambodian People's Party
The Cambodian People's Party (CPP), UNGEGN: , ALA-LC: ; is a Cambodian political party which has ruled Cambodia since 1979.
Founded in 1951, it was originally known as the Kampuchean People's Revolutionary Party (KPRP)., UNGEGN: , ALA-LC: ; ...
became enthusiastic users of
Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...
. Hun Sen declared in February 2016 they had become an "electronic government" and regularly posts and livestreams speeches, announcements and selfies to million of followers. In 2017, Hun Sen's official page was the eighth-most liked Facebook page of any world leader
and as of December 2020 is the most liked Facebook page in Cambodia.
Facebook activity is monitored by authorities, and criticism of the government and Prime Minister on Facebook has led to several arrests in the country.
Cambodia has also prosecuted women who post images of themselves wearing revealing clothing on Facebook, with Hun Sen saying it is "a violation of culture and tradition" and invites sexual harassment.
Amnesty International
Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...
criticized this speech, characterizing it as "
victim blaming
Victim blaming occurs when the victim of a crime or any wrongful act is held entirely or partially at fault for the harm that befell them. There is historical and current prejudice against the victims of domestic violence and sex crimes, such as ...
" and contributing to
violence against women
Violence against women (VAW), also known as gender-based violence and sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), are violent acts primarily or exclusively committed against women or girls, usually by men or boys. Such violence is often consi ...
.
Personal life
Hun Sen is married to
Bun Rany
Bun Rany ( km, ប៊ុន រ៉ានី; born, 15 December 1954) is the wife of long-time Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, First Lady of Cambodia. She has served as the vice president of the National Association of the Cambodian Red Cross ...
. They have 6 children, including one adopted daughter: Kamsot (deceased),
Manet
A wireless ad hoc network (WANET) or mobile ad hoc network (MANET) is a decentralized type of wireless network. The network is ad hoc because it does not rely on a pre-existing infrastructure, such as routers in wired networks or access points ...
, Mana,
Manith,
Mani
Mani may refer to:
Geography
* Maní, Casanare, a town and municipality in Casanare Department, Colombia
* Mani, Chad, a town and sub-prefecture in Chad
* Mani, Evros, a village in northeastern Greece
* Mani, Karnataka, a village in Dakshi ...
and Mali. The couple also adopted a daughter (who is not named in news media sources) in 1988, but they legally disowned her in 2007 for being lesbian. In 2010, Manet was promoted Major General in the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) and became the Deputy Commander of the Prime Minister's Body Guard headquarters. All three of Hun Sen's sons play big roles in his government. His older brother, Hun Neng, is a former governor of
Kampong Cham and currently a member of parliament.
Hun Sen is fluent in
Vietnamese
Vietnamese may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Vietnam, a country in Southeast Asia
** A citizen of Vietnam. See Demographics of Vietnam.
* Vietnamese people, or Kinh people, a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Vietnam
** Overse ...
, in addition to his native
Khmer. Hun Sen also speaks some English after beginning to learn the language in the 1990s, but usually converses in Khmer through interpreters when giving formal interviews to the English-speaking media.
Hun Sen is blind in one eye because of an injury he sustained during 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 ...
while fighting for the Khmer Rouge.
[Premier fed up with insensitive remarks about eye]
by Vong Sokheng, in the Phnom Penh Post; published December 23, 2015; retrieved September 30, 2017
Hun Sen is a
Buddhist
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
. He has made major donations for the renovation of numerous pagodas, including
Wat Vihear Suor.
Honours
National Orders:
*
Grand Order of National Merit
The Grand Order of National Merit ( km, គ្រឿងឥស្សរិយយសជាតូបការ) was founded by King Norodom Sihanouk on 5 October 1995. It is awarded in one class to foreign Heads of State and to Cambodian nationals wh ...
(1996)
Foreign Orders:
* :
**
![Sultan's Golden Jubilee Medal (2017)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f1/Sultan%27s_Golden_Jubilee_Medal_%282017%29.jpg)
Recipient of the Sultan of Brunei Golden Jubilee Medal (2017)
* :
**
![Ribbon jose marti](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/88/Ribbon_jose_marti.png)
Recipients of the
Order of José Martí
The Order José Martí (Orden José Martí) is a state honor in Cuba. The Order was named so after José Martí, the national hero of Cuba. The design was realized by the Cuban sculptor José Delarra.
Notable recipients
* Alexander Lukashenko, ...
(1999)
* :
**
Gold Medal of the Nation (2008)
* :
**
![PHL Order of Sikatuna - Grand Cross BAR](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c4/PHL_Order_of_Sikatuna_-_Grand_Cross_BAR.png)
Grand Cross (Datu) of the
Order of Sikatuna
The Order of Sikatuna ( fil, Orden ng Sikatuna) is the national order of diplomatic merit of the Republic of the Philippines. It is conferred upon individuals who have rendered exceptional and meritorious services to the Republic of the Philipp ...
* :
**
![Orden of Friendship](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5c/Orden_of_Friendship.png)
Recipients of the
Order of Friendship
The Order of Friendship (russian: Орден Дружбы, ') is a state decoration of the Russian Federation established by Boris Yeltsin by presidential decree 442 of 2 March 1994 to reward Russian and foreign nationals whose work, deeds a ...
(2021)
* :
** Knight Special Grand Cordon of the
Order of the White Elephant
__NOTOC__
The Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant ( th, เครื่องราชอิสริยาภรณ์อันเป็นที่เชิดชูยิ่งช้างเผือก; ) is an order (decoration), orde ...
(2001)
[ราชกิจจานุเบกษา]
ประกาศสำนักนายกรัฐมนตรี เรื่อง พระราชทานเครื่องราชอิสริยาภรณ์ให้แก่ชาวต่างประเทศ.
เล่ม ๑๑๘, ตอน ๒ ข, ๓๐ พฤศจิกายน พ.ศ. ๒๕๔๔
See also
*
Modern Cambodia
After the fall of the Pol Pot regime of Democratic Kampuchea, Cambodia was under Vietnamese occupation and a pro-Hanoi government, the People's Republic of Kampuchea, was established. A civil war raged during the 1980s opposing the government's Kam ...
*
Politics of Cambodia
*
People's Republic of Kampuchea
The People's Republic of Kampuchea (PRK), UNGEGN: , ALA-LC: ; vi, Cộng hòa Nhân dân Campuchia was a partially recognised state in Southeast Asia supported by Vietnam which existed from 1979 to 1989. It was founded in Cambodia by the Kamp ...
*
Kleptocracy
Kleptocracy (from Greek κλέπτης ''kléptēs'', "thief", κλέπτω ''kléptō'', "I steal", and -κρατία -''kratía'' from κράτος ''krátos'', "power, rule") is a government whose corrupt leaders (kleptocrats) use political ...
Footnotes
Notes
References
Further reading
*
Elizabeth Becker. 1986, 1998. ''When the War Was Over: Cambodia and the Khmer Rouge''. New York: Public Affairs.
* Chandler, David. ''The Tragedy of Cambodian History: Politics, War, and Revolution since 1945'' (Yale UP, 1991)
* Ciorciari, John D. "Cambodia in 2019: Backing Further into a Corner." ''Asian Survey'' 60.1 (2020): 125–131
online* Deth, Sok Udom, and Serkan Bulut, eds. ''Cambodia's Foreign Relations in Regional and Global Contexts'' (Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, 2017; comprehensive coverage
full book online free
** Path Kosal, "Introduction: Cambodia's Political History and Foreign Relations, 1945-1998" pp 1–26
*
Harish C. Mehta and
Julie B. Mehta. 1999. ''Hun Sen: Strongman of Cambodia''. Singapore: Graham Brash Pte Ltd.
* Peou, Sorpong. "Cambodia in 2018: a year of setbacks and successes." ''Southeast Asian Affairs'' 2019.1 (2019): 104–119
online* Strangio, Sebastian. ''Cambodia: From Pol Pot to Hun Sen and Beyond'' (2020)
Cambodia New Vision ~ newsletter of cabinet of Cambodia's Prime Ministerial office
*Alain Forest (2008), ''Cambodge contemporain'', Indes Savantes,
External links
*
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, -
, -
, -
, -
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Hun, Sen
1952 births
Living people
Cambodian Buddhists
Cambodian Theravada Buddhists
20th-century Cambodian politicians
21st-century Cambodian politicians
Cambodian people with disabilities
Cambodian military personnel
Cambodian revolutionaries
People of the Vietnam War
Khmer Rouge party members
Cambodian People's Party politicians
Foreign ministers of Cambodia
People from Kampong Cham province
People's Republic of Kampuchea
Cambodian politicians with disabilities
Cambodian politicians of Chinese descent
Prime Ministers of Cambodia
Cambodian nationalists
COVID-19 pandemic in Cambodia