Hun Sen’s government: A Government without Accountability and Responsibility

By Pang Sokheoun

Practically, it hardly hopes to find any justice in our society while the gangs of the suspects and criminals are controlling the power. These people have no sense of accountability and responsibility at all except the greed for power and money.

It seems that these incompetent, criminal, unaccountable, and irresponsible politicians always use our people’s lives for their political experiment and yet they try to avoid any accountability and responsibility brought against them at all cost in order to shamelessly cling to power as long as they can.

Most politicians in our country, especially, from the ruling party have always bragged about accountability and responsibility, but the reality is otherwise. In practice, we have only a government of no accountability and no responsibility. Instances are too many.

The Killing Fields

Only five criminals; Ieng Thirith, Ieng Sary, Khieu Samp, Noun Chea, and Duch, are brought to trial while many others have died and are still walking free and even holding high positions in Cambodia like Hun Sen, Heng Samrin, Chea Sim, Hor Nam Hong, etc. For instance, Hun Sen is considered as having involved in many crimes during the Khmer Rouge regime. As we know, he was a former deputy commander of one of the three regiments in region 21 of the Democratic Kampuchea’s army based in Memot. We may understand that he would not be promoted to that rank if he was not a good, committed, trusted, and brutal member of the Khmer Rouge.

K5 Plan

It was known as the indirect massacre or killing of our people after the Khmer Rouge regime. It happened under Hun Sen’s rule in 1980s. According to the report from the relief group, Medecins sans Frontieres, Hun Sen was responsible for the death of 200,000 Cambodians as leader of Cambodia’s Vietnamese communist puppet regime from 1984 to 1989.

1997 coup d’état

The coup left hundred people killed, wounded, and detained. In addition to those killed and wounded in the fighting, there were more than 40 people might have been extra-judicially executed according to Amnesty International’s report on 23 October 1997. And we know it was the gangs in the Cambodian People’s Party who started the coup and committed the crimes.

1997 grenade attack

It was attacking on the peaceful demonstrators which left between 16 to 20 people killed and 150 injured according to FBI report published on 24 November 1998. The attackers were identified as Hun Sen’s bodyguards. So who should be held responsible for this crime if not Hun Sen and his followers?

Actress assassinations and acid attack

The most important cases are related to the assassination of beloved actress Piseth Pilika, nationalist singer Touch Srei Nich, and the acid attack of beautiful, young actress Tat Marina. The suspects who involved in the crimes committed on Piseth Pilika and Tat Marina are known, ie. Bun Rany Hun Sen and Svay Sitha’s wife. The whole country know that Hun Sen had personal affair with Piseth Pilika, He made her his mistress and then she was assassinated in the day light.

The assassinations of politicians, rights activist, and journalists

In 2003, Monk Sam Bunthorun, President of the Country Buddhist Meditation Center of Oudong and Om Rathsady, Senior Advisor with FUNCINPEC, and Chu Chetharith, the reporter of Ta Prum radio were all shot. Former Presidents of the Free Trade Union of Workers of the Kingdom of Cambodia (FTUWKC), Chea Vichea and Ros Sovannareth, were both killed in similar attacks in 2004. Hy Vuthy, President of FTUWKC for Suntex Garment Factory was killed in 2007. All the cases are thought to be politically motivated and it is the ruling party that suspected to be involved in these bloody killings in order to secure its power and interests.

Koh Pich Tragedy

It was actually a preventable incident if the government was committed to serving the people. It happened just on the 100-meter Koh Pich bridge where there were many government security forces deployed. But it was our people’s bad luck to have this government and they died in this preventable incident.

These politicians think these killings are just like a normal daily accident in the country. The fact is that all the above mentioned cases, except for the Killing Field even with its limited indictment, all the responsible, criminals and suspects have not been investigated, arrested, and brought to justice. Practically, it hardly hopes to find any justice in our society while the gangs of the criminals and suspects are controlling the power. These people have no sense of accountability and responsibility at all except the greed for power and money.

It seems that these incompetent, criminal, unaccountable, and irresponsible politicians always use our people’s lives for their political experiment and yet they try to avoid any accountability and responsibility brought against them at all cost in order to shamelessly cling to power as long as they can.

Justifiably, Hun Sen clearly said today at the opening of a new government building referring to the Koh Pich tragedy that: "No one will receive punishment for this incident. It is just our carelessness. We have to learn a lesson from this for solving such problems in the future."

However, I think that this does not depends on what Hun Sen said, but it depends on the will of our people because they may not let’s their lives to be suffered and experimented any longer and Hun Sen´d better watch out from now on.