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| Bun Rany in full army uniform despite a law that forbids civilians from wearing uniforms or impersonating soldiers |
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| Graphic: RFA The appointment also highlighted Hun Sen's family involvement in the country's administration and business. |
Radio Free Asia
Following his two-star general appointment, critics pressure Hun Sen’s son to clean up Cambodia’s military image.
Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen has made his fast-rising son a two-star general amid pressure to reform the country's tainted military.
Hun Manet, a West Point graduate with a doctorate in economics, was appointed deputy infantry commander-in-chief in the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF).
He currently serves as chief of his father’s bodyguard unit as well as head of the anti-terrorist unit at Cambodia’s Ministry of Defense.
A key challenge facing Hun Manet is reforming the Cambodian military, which has been accused of human rights abuses by various organizations and the U.S. State Department.
Phil Robertson, deputy director of the Asia division at Human Rights Watch in Bangkok, said Hun Sen’s bodyguard unit itself was involved in rights abuses and that Hun Manet faced an enormous challenge in any bid to clean up the military's tarnished image.
“He should … take on the human rights record of the RCAF because many of the units in the RCAF have abused human rights, so if he wants to take this on as a personal mission or as an objective in order to reform the Cambodian military, we would welcome that,” Robertson said.
“But we want to see some action, we don’t just want to hear words. We would want to see clear evidence that there are reforms taking place and that persons who have been responsible for human rights abuses are held accountable,” Robertson said.
Stepping stone
Outspoken Cambodian opposition MP Mu Sochua felt the appointment was temporary and a stepping stone for a "higher position," saying she might not seriously consider restructuring the infantry.
“I don’t oppose the promotion of Hun Sen’s son, because he is qualified for the job, but I’m concerned that he has too many positions,” said the parliamentarian for Kompot province.
According to New York-based Human Rights Watch, Hun Sen's personal bodyguard unit has been linked to a deadly March 1997 grenade attack on the political opposition.
Aside from the charge, various Cambodian military units have been accused of summary executions, arbitrary detentions, political violence, torture, illegal logging and farmland seizures, Human Rights Watch said.
"Cambodian military personnel are not held accountable for serious rights violations. Instead, Hun Sen has promoted military officers implicated in torture, extrajudicial killings, and political violence," the rights group had charged on its website last year.
Hun Sen, 58, is the longest serving leader in Southeast Asia, having ruled Cambodia since 1985. Observers have long speculated, according to local newspaper The Phnom Penh Post, that Hun Manet is being groomed as a potential successor.
Executive director of the Khmer Institute for Democracy Hang Chhaya said that Hun Manet's promotion is “part of the prime minister’s attempt to consolidate power in politics,” the Post reported.
Family involvement
Although Hun Sen's wife Bun Rany holds no elected office, she is addressed as “Lok Chumteav” (Her Excellency), a rank similar to secretary of state.
She has also worn a military uniform in public and received salutes from generals in the RCAF, despite a law that forbids civilians from wearing uniforms or impersonating soldiers.
Hun Sen’s eldest daughter, Hun Mana, serves as the general director of the pro-government Bayon Television station.
Hun Sen has promised that he would not let his son replace him. In a 2008 statement, he called Cambodia a democracy that has no place for nepotism in politics.
He has ruled Cambodia nearly uncontested for the past 25 years and said last year that he plans to serve as prime minister for at least 15 more years.
Reported and translated by Yun Samean for RFA’s Khmer service. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
44 comments:
please help to reform our armed forces. yes, there are many challenges ahead, but if no one is courageous enough to take the job of reforming, they you are the one that can help to make a real difference for the better of our country and armed forces. please don't forgive for our country future depends on your contribution and selfless, moral character, etc. god bless you and cambodia.
ah chhkae ning mi chhkae nis sliek tea hean min ean khmas. mi chhkae nis kroan tae leu kam pleung muoy kroab reak nom dak slip, mok tveu aeng sliek aek san than tea hean. mi sat ah sat de re chhan.
Why not. He must be promoted no mater he is be cause he is a son of a very poor country in the world.
The other people also have the capability...
I would like to wait and see how a very young 2-star General can go against 4-star General.
LET US WISH HIM POWER, SUCCESS, AND PEACE IN HIS VERY DIFFICULT MISSION.
You should feel a shame Hun Manet...we thought you can do something for the better Cambodia but you turn out to be like your father destroy our beautiful nation. Sooner or later your whole HUN FAMILY will go to hell....
If he abuse his power over the people and the country, we will punish his whole family for the crimes he committed. just like Saddam Husein.
Can Hun Manet get back Kos Trol And sea that have been lost to vietnam? If he can than he deserved the star.
come on you wanker. give MANET a try b4 criticize him. At less he is full of education.
Please remember, the west point military academy is not open for all and not a place to have fun.
Before you get there, you need to fulfill all criteria, that some of us may not have. The school need from you a lot other important things in connecting to the military forces and also humanistic resource background.
To stay inside the academy, you have to be strong in all forms of Body, Mind and Brain. The world inside the academy is different and not the same as in an open University. You are not alone or a son of the Premier Minister. You have to learn to live with and be accepted by other and of course full integration into the institution system, respect the rule of written law..
There was an intention before for US to accept him as the student because he is a son of prime minister. This is not only how talent and smart he is.
There is no lack of Cambodian who are talent enough to access such an school/academy in US but why???
Because they don't have an oppotunity to do so.
If you are willing to bow your head on the bottom of YOUN HANOI how khmer can grow and rising up.
With plenty of entertainment program in Radio/TV system, corruption widerspread in all level of society, with no standard education or education for business purpose, culture of right abuse and intimidation.so on and so on how can other Cambodian young student can expose and discover their tatents???????????
ONLY HUN MANET???????????
4:44 PM
Please learn to understand the world and not just what you wanted.
Talent alone will not help anyone.
To know about the West Point Military Academy, they all sure able to contact the school by themselves, because they have talent and can show their quality and capacity.
Bun Rany's face and eyes looks like eyes hiding behind a painting with a guilty concience from the murders she ordered and crimes she abused in her past.
Hun Manet has billion of US dollar it is not hard for him to get into Military school or PhD.
But the question is can him demontrate his ability to get Kos Trol and sea that have been lost by his Father? If he can than he is well educated man and deserve the star. Otheriwise as North Korea from father to son to grandson.
A Hun Sen's gang are still under control Viet government.
The real leaders of Cambodia are Viet, our Khmer kingdom is already annexed by the Viet.
5:28 PM
You are Thai and not Khmer. In case you are Khmer born, you need to learn better the Cambodian history.
5:52 PM
Contrary to your comment, some our Khmer children did not want to learn and speak our Khmer language. But most of Vietnamese descent born and live in Cambodia, they are able to speak well, read and write perfect our Khmer language than some of us.
It sound we Khmer and not the Vietnamese control our Country. My question to you. Will you let the Vietnamese control you, in case you are the Khmer leader ?
OUT OF LUCK!
I did not win $355M last night and spent over $200 still nothing.
Washington(1) and Idaho(1).
Phnom Bich
Response to 7.40, I maintain my personal opinion, I reiterate that the government of Hun Sen is well controlled by the Viet. and our kingdom is well annexed by the Viet.
Now I ask you, Could you tell me "Who set up the regime of Hun Sen and his cronies since 1979"?
Where does he come from "his origin"?
What a joke?//// Hun Manet is a two stars . I wondering what kind of mission did he take to get that two star???
A mission at the Military Academy at West Point ???
To me it sounds like the Hollywood Police Academy to me.. What a joke//
And what star is Bun Rany ?? Oh I get it, it a red cross star.
Why are they talking reforming of the military now??? Oh I see after the promotion it the reforming so that Hun Manet can take over all the military in srok khmer and taking care of his family. This is what we call family business.
Youn all over Cambodia Hun Sen did not do anything, What can a two stars son do ?
They are all going to be slaves to youn.
This is how the Hun Dynasty operated.
We are vietnam ,we will be strong and a great vietnam soon now we already control laos and cambodia ,we put our people and our agents every where in cambodia ,even in government and in CPP ,we tie everything ,in 1979 we work hard ,we send our suicid commando to phnom penh to catch samdat sihanouk ,we need him stay with us and support us before we push pol pot to the forrest ,but the china worker at phnom penh catch our commando and destroy them ,now samdat sihanouk come to support us by himself ,we have every thing in our hand ,we have samdat sihanouk in our left hand and hun sen in our right hand ,china just a tiger wake up from sickness ,china use to lost a battle at our north vietnam ,we will be a greatvietnam ,long life a great vietnam.........
may god please punish these Hun familly and kill them all at once.
Hi Great Vietnam! Can you please change our Cambodia leader because we are kind of get bored of current leader Mr. HUn Xen and his family ?
Please get rip of them as soon as possible. They are too boring!
Thanks for doing that!
Dissertation from every doctorate was pulished at the university's library or published in the university' s webspace. For months I have searched for the dissertation from PhD Hun Manet but by now I have never found it, as academician like him I am so wonder why this is didding, even dessertation from Mr Khiev Saphan in Frnace I find it. Does someone know what kind of topic who wrote abut his dessertation? Is that the real dissertation or Unverified to copy sb.'s work ?
good said PM HUn sen, SRP always have somethings to criticise, in globle success either in business or in politice or in organization, criticising was the cheapest commondity on eath, why stupid Sam rainsy try to benifite from that, it only attract ignorance peolpe to you Rainsy, peole with normale interllect they can see it, I ask you Rainsy to stope your critict stratergy, you looke down to yourslfe, you are very cheap human minnery. soooooo stupid all Ransy teams.
10:48 PM,
you are stupic slave Viet. Someone write here you suggest as Ransy Teams, but you don't know how many people are not involved in the policy and maybe hate you as slave Viet too. And those are living not far away from your house. If you are not slave Viet no Khmer people are interested against you.
At least the right man got a promotion for once. Give him a chance and see what he can do or what become of him.
Dr. top dog or Doghead Dr.???
Why a dr, degree general be a head of bodyguard?///
That is a no brain Dr.!!!!
Dissertation from every doctorate was pulished at the university's library or published in the
university' s webspace. For months I have searched for the dissertation from PhD Hun Manet but by now I have never found it, as academician like him I am so wonder why this is didding, even dessertation from Mr Khiev Saphan in Frnace I find it. Does someone know what kind of topic who wrote abut his dessertation? Is that the real dissertation or Unverified to copy sb.'s work ?
As for me as long as I don't find his dessertation, Humm Maybe only sorry "Buying PhD"
Hun Manet if you are a truely man with honor why don't you get Kos Trol and sea back from vietnam and Thailand to Cambodia? Show us your real ability to defence Cambodia man. Show us that your PhD and military skill from US and Bristan is worth saving Cambodia Man!
Hun Manet also show that you can make Cambodia developed like US and England man!
Cant wait to see this family hanged when Hun Sen fellower failed to beleived in him...
A Ph.D. never in a war.
-Can he fight for Cambodian Border from Vietnam?
This Ph.D is in the War of $-Billion Dollar from the Poor.
yes, challenges for hun manet ahead, however, reforms are necessary for cambodia armed forces. someone got to do it. that's part of being a leader, you take on challenges heads-on. if it were easy anybody could've done that, really! may god bless mr. hun manet and guide him and educate him to see the right way of doing his job, etc... cambodia needs young faces in the gov't.
it create a conflict of interest, sort of like an interference of your job when there are evidence that some members of your family violated the law, etc... that is the real challenge in reforms. that's why only rule of law counts when it comes to something like this, really! perhaps, after he reformed the armed forces, things would get better, not repeat the same violation like this. they say everybody make mistakes, but learn from it is what counts! so, don't discredit the good man, mr. hun manet, just yet! give hime a chance to do his job because he studied hard and went to school for it, etc... everything takes time. yes, smart people can change. we are still human beings, no matter what positon we hold, you know! the rule and regulation should be strictly enforce so people don't break the law, period! yes, there are more to cambodia than you and i and anybody else, really! law is law, no exception. imagine if everybody in cambodia were to break the law, then we would have a failed state again, you know! wake up, please! show the country and people that you are smart, clever, intelligent, honored, law-abiding, good citizens, etc... god bless.
of course, it's a challenge, it's not a job for the frail!
11:41 are you stupid and retarded!
That went back to Chamkout Loung!
Why you ask for imposible and not resonable!
If you can crawback to your motherworm, Hun Manet will try to be your father! maybe he would not care to have acrazy fool like you!stupihead!
young as he maybe, there's always an exception to the rule! did you hear or read about an exceptionally gifted boy in america a few years ago who got a phd degree at 18 years of age? well, that showed that on this planet, there is always an exception to the rule, so no discrimination against someone's young age, ok! sometimes, a kid can give good advice as well, you know!
These thugs are in leadership by guns, and not by brain.
In the land of Hun Clan where gun rules.
Assassinate one of the Hun members will save Cambodia from the Vietcongs.
2:54AM! do you know what require to have PhD in the US! Not like the one ah Kwack get from Hanoi, fool!
What's an exceptional you lightning striked!
Hun Sen has more Crimes than any other in Cambodia' history.
His Crime as follows :
1)- Brought Yuon to Invade Cambodia.
2)- Created K-5 plan.(Aprox. 600,000 Killed)
3)- Bombast in front of the old ASS.
4)- Coup D'etat 1997 (Aprox. 13,000 Killed)
5)- Koh Pich Murder (Aprox 400 Killed)
6)- Cut land to Yuon Enemy
All these crimes are enough evidences for International Prosecution.
I ask all khmer to file International lawsuit against Hun Sen for his "Axis of Evil" on Khmer People. And make The CASE "OO4" for KRT. backed by United Nation.
Not so long ago to get a positiona at this rank costed $30,000.
Who let the DOGS OUT???????? Woof Woof!!! Hanoi let the DOGS OUT!!!!
i think the wife of leaders should only be allowed a roll like that of the first lady of the american president. she should not be like her husband but plays a different roll altogether. i think cambodia should study the roll of first lady in america, so they can adopt the same roll. that's better than meddling in the husband state affair, etc! this way, the issue of conflict of interest can be avoided, really!
Kom meul gueay mee roleay Bun Rany mee neung chea may tea hean peak sarc PHKAY PREAH CHAN .... som chreab tearn.
TEA BANH , prours anh chang banh !
He doesn't have a doctorate degree in economics. He is a West Point grad, that's it.
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