Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has fired angry broadsides at diplomats, non-government organizations (NGOs), outlawed politicians and journalists while at the same time opening the door to delay a transfer of power for his oldest son Hun Manet by another three to four years.
The daily outbursts escalated amid a continued backlash over the forced closure of the Church-backed independent news outlet Voice of Democracy (VOD) in response to a disputed quote which Hun Sen said “could have led to internal conflict in the cabinet, and I cannot forgive them for that.”
It was a frank admission of a potential split in the cabinet as the prime minister prepares for elections in July, which only his long-ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) can win, and a widely expected handover of power to Hun Manet.
However, on that note, according to the government mouthpiece Fresh News, Hun Sen has been asked by French President Emmanuel Macron to remain in office for another three to four years in order to support Cambodian-French relations, made during a working dinner inside the Elysee Palace in December.
Hun Sen did not say whether he intended to stay on, nevertheless, his intentions of establishing a family dynasty were implicit in a separate attack on Sam Rainsy, exiled leader of the outlawed Cambodian National Rescue Party (CNRP).
“I have already told my children and grandchildren not to pardon the extremist political leader [Sam Rainsy] because extremists have slandered, smearing [sic] and insulted my sister-in-law, who passed away recently,” the government-friendly Khmer Times reported.
He was referring to 67-year-old Bun Sotha, the wife of Tan Panhavuth, and sister of Hun Sen’s wife Bun Rany, who passed away on Feb. 3.
“But if other politicians who are followers of this extremist leader want to come to Cambodia and if they declare that they have broken away from this person, I can ask the King [Norodom Sihamoni] to pardon them,” he said.
His outbursts followed a report by UN experts — mandated by the Human Rights Council but are independent and do not speak for the United Nations — expressing alarm about the revocation of VOD’s license, saying it was done without due process.
“Cambodia needs a vibrant civil society and independent media at this critical juncture, including media outlets that critically report on government policies,” they said. “We strongly urge authorities to reverse the decision.”
The United States government, Western embassies, NGOs, press freedom groups and social commentators, have also criticized his decision to shut VOD, among the last independent news outlets in Cambodia.
However, Hun Sen said foreigners should not interfere in Cambodia’s internal affairs without knowing the facts.
“Do not think that the opinion of some foreigners will lead to the reopening of this media outlet. If the opinion of western commentators was able to alter the laws of the kingdom, would some dissolved political parties not still exist?” he said in an apparent reference to the CNRP.
“Closing down this one outlet does not adversely affect Cambodia’s media freedom. On the contrary, it makes it stronger and improves the professional ethics of journalists,” he said.
