If Warrior Hun Sen is not scared, why does he need several thousands of bodyguards?

Hun Sen: “I was not scared because I was a warrior”

30 June 2009
By P.B.
Cambodge Soir Hebdo
Translated from French by Luc Sâr
Click here to read the article in French

The rockets which exploded in the barrack near Hun Sen’s house were destined for transportation to Preah Vihear.

“The rockets that exploded Sunday evening at the Tuol Krasainf barrack, near my house, in the province of Kandal, they were destined for transportation to Preah Vihear,” Hun Sen indicated during a speech given at a diploma distribution ceremony on Tuesday 30 June in Phnom Penh.

According to Hun Sen, this incident was the result of the inattention from the truck driver and his passenger. The pair were lighting their matches near their leaking vehicle gas tank. The two soldiers were injured, one seriously.

“They were both saved,” Hun Sen said while adding that 29 of the 30 rockets on board of the truck exploded. Impacts of the explosion can be seen in front of Hun Sen’s house where several coconut trees in his garden were knocked down.

Hun Sen alluded to the incident with laughter and he explained that during the explosions, he was busy playing chess. “After the third explosion, my bodyguards asked me to get inside the house. I was not scared because I was a warrior,” Hun Sen revealed while apologizing to his neighbors for the disturbance.

Why were these rockets taken to Preah Vihear and where did they come from? Hun Sen revealed that it is perfectly normal for a country that has border problems with one of its neighbors to be prepared for the defense of its territories.

“Cambodia owns these type of arms since long ago. They are not new,” he said. While discussing about the border issue, Hun Sen again called on Thailand to pull its troops out of Cambodia’s territories. “Cambodia owns enough heavy guns to protect its territories,” Hun Sen launched.

Rocket Truck Explodes Near Hun Sen’s Home

By Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
30 June 2009

A truck full of rockets exploded at a military facility near the home of Prime Minister Hun Sen Sunday, injuring at least two of the premier’s bodyguards, officials said.

The office of the prime minister issued a statement saying a driver of the truck and an assistant had been hurt in a series of blasts near the residence, in Kandal district outside Phnom Penh, and an investigation into its cause was underway.

Gen. Hing Bunheang, chief of Hun Sen’s bodyguard unit, told VOA Khmer Monday mechanic had accidentally lit a fire, which ignited the rockets and damaged a total of five vehicles.

Om Yentieng, a senior adviser to Hun Sen, confirmed the explosion had occurred and said the cause of the blast came from within the compound.

The explosion, which occurred around 7:30 pm, frightened nearby residents.

One woman who asked not to be named said she heard the blast and thought at first it had come from a truck tire, but then subsequent explosions continued for 20 minutes. Her father warned her they were rocket explosions.

“Some people brought their motorcycles and cars inside their homes and closed the doors, because they were afraid of the rockets,” said the woman, who lives 3 kilometers from the facility.

At that distance, military police and police blocked National Road 21, allowing only emergency vehicles to pass. An ambulance, fire trucks and a demining truck from the Cambodian Mine Action Committee were seen driving toward the site.

Cambodian premier describes explosion at his provincial compound

Jun 30, 2009
DPA

Phnom Penh - Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen gave details Tuesday of an ammunition truck explosion in his provincial compound, saying the blast sent a rocket flying over the roof of his house.

Hun Sen said the explosion occurred at 7 pm on Sunday and was sparked after a member of his elite bodyguard unit lit a cigarette near a fuel leak in a truck laden with rockets and other explosives.

'We heard a large explosion and my grandchildren became scared and ran to hug me,' he said in a speech at a university graduation ceremony in Phnom Penh. 'I was playing chess at the time.'

He said one rocket flew over his house and into a coconut palm, but it did not detonate.

Security officials earlier refused to provide information on the explosion, saying only that two bodyguards were injured.

'About 30 rockets were destroyed in the blast, but they did not detonate,' he said. 'Only the bodies of the rockets were damaged and if they had detonated, then the explosion would have been much bigger.'

Hun Sen apologized to residents in the area surrounding the compound, located about 20 kilometres south of Phnom Penh, who he said were 'horrified' by the explosion.

Ammunition explosion near Cambodian PM outskirt residence injures 2

June 29, 2009
Xinhua

Ammunition explosion on Sunday evening near Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen's outskirt residence wounded two people, but Hun Sen is safe.

The explosion occurred when a truck loaded with ammunition was on fire and exploded, said a witness asked not to be named, adding that a dozen of fire trucks were rushed to the scene.

Prime Minister Hun Sen's Cabinet issued a statement late Sunday saying two military men were injured by a military truck accident during which a number of ammunitions were exploded.

The statement said the incident happened at 7:30 p.m. local time near Tuol Krasaing military camp, where Hun Sen's residence is encompassed. But Prime Minister Hun Sen is safe, a police officer on anonymity said.

According to the Cabinet statement, during the fire, a number of ammunitions loaded on the truck were exploded and that had caused a driver and his assistant injured, one of them was critical.

Tuol Kraisaing Military Camp is camped with Hun Sen's bodyguards unit, located about 13 kilometers south of Phnom Penh.

No need to panic, nobody tried to attack Cambodia's Strongman in his fortress

Translation from Khmer by Socheata

Communiqué from Cambodia’s Strongman (aka Hun Sen) Office

28 June 2008

On Sunday 28 June 2009, at 7:30PM, near Tuol Krasaing Fortress, Kandal Province, a fire burnt down an army vehicle and caused a number of explosions of ammunition on this vehicle. Both the driver and his helper was injured, one of them sustained serious injuries.

After the fire was put completely down, and following a detailed report to Prime minister Hun Sen, the latter authorized his office to report this regrettable incident to the public.

TV and radio stations should broadcast this communiqué.

(Signed) Slat Sopheap

Rocket blast injures soldiers near Cambodia PM's home

PHNOM PEHN, June 28 (Reuters) - Rockets exploded on Sunday at a Cambodian military base near the prime minister's residence, state-run television said, and military officials said the incident was an accident.

Military and police officials said the explosion was caused by a fire started accidentally by a mechanic working on a truck at the base on the southern outskirts of the capital, Phnom Penh.

"A truck driver and his assistant were wounded, one of them seriously," TVK television said in a statement issued by the office of Prime Minister Hun Sen.

At least nine trucks were damaged in the fire.

"A number of rockets were accidentally fired from the truck," a military security guard told Reuters.

It was not known if the prime minister was at home when the explosions occurred.

(Reporting by Ek Madra; Editing by Alan Raybould)

Explosion near Cambodian premier's compound injures at least two

Sun, 28 Jun 2009
DPA

Phnom Penh - An explosion at an ammunition warehouse near Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen's home injured at least two people Sunday night, according to police officers who asked not to be identified. Witnesses said the blast occurred early in the evening Sunday near Hun Sen's compound in a suburb outside Phnom Penh.

It was not known what caused the incident or whether the premier was home at the time.

At least seven ambulances and more than 10 fire trucks were seen passing a roadblock about four kilometers from where the blast occurred.

Government officials refused to comment on the incident but police officers at the scene said at least two people were injured.

A police officer stationed at Phnom Penh's main hospital confirmed that at least two people were being treated for injuries sustained in the explosion

The warehouse stored ammunition used by Hun Sen's personal security guards, the officers said.

Police report ammo blast near Cambodian PM's home

2009-06-28

BANGKOK (AP) - An accidental explosion at an ammunition dump Sunday wounded at least two people in a Cambodian suburb near the residence of Prime Minister Hun Sen, but there were no immediate reports of fatalities.

Security officials gave slightly different accounts of the blast Sunday evening near the capital, Phnom Penh. Fifteen fire trucks were sent to the scene, said police, but the road was blocked to other traffic 3 miles (5 kilometers) from the site.

A police officer said the explosion occurred at an ammunition dump belonging to the prime minister's elite bodyguard unit and wounded at least five people. However, a military officer said it occurred a slight distance from the unit's camp on a truck that was being loaded with ammunition, injuring two people.

Both officials insisted on anonymity because they are not authorized to release information to the press, and the security of the prime minister is an especially sensitive issue.

The bodyguard unit is based about 100 yards (meters) from the perimeter of Hun Sen's well-guarded residence in Takmau, 12 miles (20 kilometers) south of the capital.

It was not known if Hun Sen was at home at the time of the blast.