Shuffling in Siem Reap due Xok An's health?

Rumors posted on Facebook:

តើបញ្ហាសុខភាពឯត្ដមសុខអានយ៉ាងមេចហើយបានជាថា្នក់ដឹកនាំមានការដោះដូរ និងជំនួសតំណែងគ្នាបែបនេះ?

យោងតាមប្រភព ក្រៅផ្លូវការ ដែល​ប្រជាជនខេត្តសៀមរាប លួចនិយាយ​ទាំងការ ភ័យខ្លាច អំណាច បុណ្យស​ក្ដិ្ អ្នកធំទាំង អស់នេះតៗគ្នា ​បានឱ្យដឹងថា ថ្នាក់ដឹកនាំ បាន​រៀបចំឱ្យ ឯកឧត្ដមស៊ូភិរិនអភិបាលខេត្ត​សៀមរាប ផ្លាស់ប្ដូរ ទៅជំនួសតំ​ណែង ឯកឧត្ដមសុខអាន ដែលជាប្រធា​នអាជ្ញាធរអប្សរា ទៅវិញ និងយកឯកត្ដមឃឹមប៊ុនសុង ដែលជា​ប្រធាន ប្រតិបត្តិការណ៍សឹក ខេ​ត្តសៀមរាប ឋានៈផ្កាយ ១ និងជាម្ចាស់សណ្ខាគារ បុរីអង្គរ រីសត និងស្ប៉ា ទៅជំនួស តំណែងលោក ស៊ូភីរិនជា អភិបាលខេត្តសៀមរា​ប ទៅវិញដែលនឹងចាប់ ផ្ដើមក្នុងពេលឆាប់ៗនេះ។
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Report posted by Khmerization:

Recently, rumours and speculations about Deputy Prime Minister Sok An's illness are milling around Phnom Penh as well as debates among bloggers that the deputy prime minister was hospitalised in Singapore for kidney disease and needs a kidney transplant. Later on, The Cambodia Daily, one of Cambodia's trusted daily newspapers, reported that Sok An was suffering from a kidney stone or a minor stroke.

Eventually, Svay Sitha, spokesman for the Press and Quick Reaction Unit (PQRU), confirmed that Sok An was indeed being hospitalised in a Singaporean hospital, but is recovering well. Today, the Khmer-language Free Press Magazine Online reported that an official from the PQRU said that Sok An is recovering well and will return to Cambodia in the not too distant future.

However, as news that Sok An is recovering well, there is another speculation that he has been replaced by Sou Phirin, Governor of Siem Reap province, as the chairman of Apsara National Authority. The blogger, Pang Sokheoun, reported that a credible source in Siem reap told him that Prime Minister Hun Sen has appointed Sou Phirin as chairman of the Apsara National Authority, a position held by Deputy PM Sok An for more than 10 years. Sou Phirin's deputy, Deputy Governor Khim Bun Song, who is a brigadier general in charge of Siem Reap Military Command and owner of Angkor Borei Resort and Spa, will become governor of Siem Reap province.

The question is: Is Sok An recovering well or is he really sick that he need to be relieved of his official functions? Or has he had fallen out of favour with Hun Sen?

Chea Sim lighter by 507 bodyguards – How many bodyguards does each CPP VIP need anyway?

30 Jan 2009
KI-Media

Shortly after the sacking of Ke Kim Yan from the army, The Cambodia Daily reported in today’s edition that 507 soldiers serving as bodyguards to Chea Sim, the CPP president and Senate president, were sent back to their barracks.

All of these 507 soldiers belong to Brigade 70 which also provides bodyguards to Hun Sen. Pol Saroeun, the new RCAF chief of staff, said that the transfer of these soldiers was not part of a reshuffle, and the men were not reassigned, but they were merely brought back to their barracks for more training. However, an anonymous senior official from Chea Sim’s cabinet indicated that the redeployment of the 507 soldiers is permanent. Major Hem Savy, an officer in Chea Sim’s bodyguards, was quoted by The Cambodia Daily as saying that “there will be more removals.” The 507 soldiers redeployed include two brigadier generals and several army officers. Currently, Chea Sim is still being protected by a unit of about 100 bodyguards. When reached over the phone by a reporter, Tea Banh promptly hung up his phone. With such large contingent of soldiers acting as bodyguards to CPP VIPs, it’s no wonder that Cambodia has no soldiers left defending our borders from the Vietnamese and Thai encroachments. As King-Father would have concluded: Bravo?!?!

Ke Kim Yan fired ... and replaced by Pol Saroeun, a loyalist of Hun Sen: Power struggle among the CPP?

Ke Kim Yan (L) and Pol Saroeun (R)

Cambodian armed forces commander fired

2009-01-22
Associated Press

The head of Cambodia's armed forces was dismissed from his post Thursday and replaced with a longtime loyalist of Prime Minister Hun Sen with whom he served in the Khmer Rouge in the 1970s.

A royal decree announced the removal of Gen. Ke Kim Yan, the commander in-chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces, who was replaced by his deputy, Gen. Pol Saroeun.

No reason was given for the move. Information Minister Khieu Kanharith said it was a normal reshuffle, which was initiated by the government.

After Ke Kim Yan, 53, failed to support Hun Sen's 1997 coup against then co-Prime Minister Norodom Ranariddh, he was marginalized and left without any real power. He was threatened several times with dismissal by the prime minister, whose control of the country is virtually unchallenged.

Ke Kim Yan joined the Cambodian armed forces in 1979 and became its head in 1999. Politically he allied himself with Hun Sen's rivals in the ruling Cambodian People's Party leadership.

Pol Saroeun, meanwhile, is known to have close ties to Hun Sen. Both served during the communist Khmer Rouge regime that took power in 1975, and both fled the murderous group before it was ousted in 1979.

Several other top members of the ruling Cambodian People's Party are also former members of the Khmer Rouge, whose radical policies are widely considered responsible for the deaths of at least 1.7 million people though execution, starvation, overwork and starvation. Several members are the regime have been charged with war crimes at a U.N.-backed genocide tribunal.