Rumours milling around that Gen. Dul Koeun had died

Gen. Dul Koeun (R) and Gen. Hok Lundy (L).

Deum Ampil newspaper
6th March, 2009
Reported in English by Khmerization

There are rumours that Gen. Dul Koeun, Chief of Logistics and Finance at the Ministry of Interior, had died.

Gen. Dul Koeun was an arch-rival of the late Gen. Hok Lundy, the Police Commissioner who died of helicopter crash on 9th of November, 2008.

After the arrest of his bodyguard, Col. Pheng Phay, on charges of attempted murder of Mr. Thong Uy Pang, rumours are milling around that Gen. Dul Koeun had been arrested by Military Police and detained at Ministry of Interior along with Gen. Ke Kim Yan. Afterward, there are rumours that Gen. Dul Koeun was seriously sick and was sent to Calmette Hospital. Rumours were milling around that he had died at Calmette hospital and his body was sent to his home for funeral.

Since the sacking of Gen. Ke Kim Yan, the Cambodian People's Party had suffered unfortunate and malicious rumours of internal divisions. There were rumours that Gen. Ke Kim Yan was arrested and detained by the Military Police. Later, rumours are circulating that Mr. Khieu Kanharith, Minister of Information, had died. And now rumours about the death of Gen. Dul Koeun had surfaced.

The rumours about Gen. Dul Koeun's death had been milling around for sometimes, but on the morning of the 4th of March, the rumours had spread like a wild fire.

Unexpectedly, on the morning of the 5th, Gen. Dul Koeun had telephoned Deum Ampil News to say that he is still alive, strong and healthy. And he appeals to the authority to find out the source of the rumours so they can be punished.

Rumours that Hun Sen received $80 million in bribe to sack Gen. Ke Kimyan

Gen. Ke Kimyan (R) being briefed by his officers.

Khmer Nation News
24th February, 2009
Reported in English by Khmerization

Gen. Ke Kimyan was sacked because of an $80 million bribe to Prime Minister Hun Sen, reports the Khmer Nation News.

According to the 24th February 2009 edition of Khmer Nation News, which had quoted unofficial sources, a group of powerful Cambodian People’s Party officials and businessmen were not happy with Gen. Ke Kimyan because he had used his position as Commander-in-Chief of the army to protect many plots of high-priced lands linked to those officials and businessmen who are very close to Prime Minister Hun Sen.

The paper then said that, those angry officials and businessmen had gathered and compiled all the documents related to Gen. Ke Kimyan’s business dealings and presented them to Mr. Hun Sen. They are angry that Gen. Ke Kimyan had gotten in the way of their businesses.

The paper added that, after all the relevant documents were gathered and compiled, they then raised $80 million and then bribed Mr. Hun Sen to sack Gen. Ke Kimyan.

Khmerization has not been able to confirm The Khmer Nation’s claims nor has Khmerization any evidence to prove that Prime Minister Hun Sen had indeed been bribed with $80 million.

Gen. Ke Kimyan was sacked as Commander-in-Chief of the army on 22nd January, 2009. According to the leaked minute of the meeting of the Council of Ministers dated 23rd January, 2009, Gen. Ke Kimyan was sacked because of a military reform and because of his impropriety linked to illegal land deals. The minute of the meeting also recommended that Gen. Ke Kimyan be investigated by the authority and the court.

Stung Treng court commences investigation into Gen. Ke Kimyan’s land deals

Gen. Ke Kimyan being briefed by his officers before his sacking.

Doeum Ampil News
14th February, 2009
Translated from Khmer by Khmerization

From a very credible but unconfirmed source said that the Stung Treng court will launch an investigation into thousands of hectares of lands belonging to Gen. Ke Kimyan which previously the courts were afraid to take actions against him because Gen. Ke Kimyan was a very powerful Commander-in-Chief of the army. (Gen. Ke Kimyan was sacked as Commander-in-Chief of the army on 22nd January, 2009).

The same source said that, in the not too distant future, the court will commence its investigation into thousands of hectares of lands belonging to Gen. Ke Kimyan. If it found that those lands were obtained through improper way, they will be confiscated and return to the state.

However, there is no official statement from the government confirming the information. But many observers believe that Prime Minister Hun Sen’s policy of reforms will lead to the above measures (court actions against Gen. Ke Kimyan).

The same source said that those lands are now developed by a private company backed by Gen. Ke Kimyan.

Other than involving in improperly obtaining thousands of hectares of lands in Stung Treng, Gen. Ke Kimyan has been alleged to be behind thousands of hectares of improper land deals in Banteay Meanchey province as well as in Preah Vihear province. But those land deals have been frozen after Gen. Ke Kimyan was sacked on 22nd January 2009.

A government official said that the major reason that Prime Minister Hun Sen sacked Gen. Ke Kimyan was because he was too busy with his land deals and involved in too many scandalous land deals and neglecting his duty as Commander-in-Chief at the same time as when Cambodia is facing border incursions from Thai troops.

Observers said that if the information is true that the Stung Treng court is investigating Gen. Ke Kimyan’s land deals, it has proven that the sacking of Gen. Ke Kimyan was really due to reforms in the army as promised by Prime Minister Hun Sen.

Gen. Ke Kimyan is the 16th most powerful person in the hierarchy of the Cambodian People’s Party and has been seen as the person who is most closest to Mr. Chea Sim, the president of the Cambodian Senate.

Many analysts said that the sacking of Gen. Ke Kimyan is a warning to other officials not to violate the rules of the party and the policies of PM Hun Sen.

The opposition parties and NGO’s said that PM Hun Sen is sacking only those officials belonging to the Chea Sim’s faction. But Mr. Hun Sen denied the suggestions by saying that the sackings were necessary to implement his policies of reforms.

Many analysts said that those who are involved in scandals, corrupt land deals and who committed injustices will have to review their own actions to avoid from suffering the same fate as Gen. Ke Kimyan.

Gen. Ke Kimyan might face court over land deals

Radio Free Asia
By Moa Sotheany
13thh February, 2009
Translated from Khmer by Khmerization

Gen. Ke Kimyan (pictured), the recently sacked Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF), will face court on suspicions of using his army position to make land deals for personal gains.

In a three-page report dated 29th January signed by Mr. Sok An, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Council of Ministers, on the results of the Council of Ministers’ meeting on 23rd January 2009, the report said that the meeting had discussed about three agenda and one of them was Gen. Ke Kimyan’s case.

The report of the Council of Ministers’ meeting detailed the reasons why Gen. Ke Kimyan was sacked as Commander-in-Chief of the RCAF:

1) Gen. Ke Kimyan’s removal was due to reforms in the military based on job performances.

2) There must be a separation of a military duty and personal business activities.(ie. Gen. Ke Kimyan’s sacking was due to his impropriety due to him using his military position to profit from land deals).

The report of the Council of Ministers’ meeting stressed that the Council of Ministers decided to give powers to the Ministry of lands and Urbanization in collaboration with the Commander-in-Chief of the RCAF, the Phnom Penh Municipality Authority and relevant institutions to investigate the legality of the ownership of lands belonging to private companies that were linked to Gen. Ke Kimyan. The report said that lands under investigations are located in Phnom Penh, in Stung Treng province, in the Preah Vihear areas and in other provinces. The report added that the Council of ministers ordered the investigations so that court actions can be taken to disband the troops protecting the lands so that bulldozers and the machinery, currently in operations in the development areas belonging to the companies that have links with Gen. Ke Kimyan, can be confiscated.

Radio Free Asia is unable to contact Gen. Ke Kimyan for comments related to the above allegations.

Mr. Hun Sen’s attempt to sack Mr. Sar Kheng forced King Sihamoni to depart for Beijing

Khmer Nation News
5th February, 2009
Reported in English by Khmerization

King Sihamoni’s departure for Beijing recently has been to avoid any pressures from Mr. Hun Sen to sign a royal decree to sack Interior Minister Sar Kheng, the brother-in-law of the President of the Cambodian People‘s Party (CPP), Mr. Chea Sim, who is an arch-rival of Mr. Hun Sen, reported Khmer Nation News.

The Khmer Nation News reported that since the sacking of Gen. Ke Kimyan, a Chea Sim loyalist, on the 22nd of January 2009, there have been reports of the sackings of many Chea Sim’s loyalists. There have been reports and rumours that Mr. Hun Sen plans to further sack or demote many more of Mr. Chea Sim’s loyalists from position of powers within the military, the police as well as from the government.

The paper reported that Mr. Hun Sen’s sackings of Gen. Ke Kimyan and many of Chea Sim’s loyalists seem to have caused frictions and rifts within the ruling CPP. There have been criticism that the sackings was an attempt by Mr. Hun Sen to weaken Mr. Chea Sim’s faction, while at the same time strengthening his own power grip in the government as well as in the CPP.

The belief that Mr. Hun Sen’s sackings of Mr. Chea Sim’s loyalist for the purpose of consolidating his powers has been reinforced when a unit of 507 bodyguards of Mr. Chea Sim has been disbanded and ordered to return to barracks, reported the paper.

The reports said that Mr. Hun Sen’s subsequent actions have fuelled tensions between himself and Mr. Chea Sim. There are rumours that on 5th February 2009, the tensions heightened to a shouting match between the two and Mr. Chea Sim resigned in anger. The rumours said that, after Mr. Chea Sim resigned, Mr. Hun Sen became the CPP’s president, Mr. Sar Kheng became the CPP’s vice-president and Mr. Sok An became its secretary-general. The rumours have been denied by Mr. Hun Sen and his camp.

Political observers said that King Sihamoni’s departure for Beijing on 4th February was linked to the heightened tensions between Mr. Hun Sen and Mr. Chea Sim, not for medical check-up as officially declared. The rumours said that the King left Cambodia because he doesn’t want to be seen as taking side, because in the past Mr. Hun Sen has requested him to sign many royal decrees to sack Mr. Chea Sim’s loyalists, report the Khmer Nation News.

The Khmer Nation News further reported that, according to unofficial sources, Mr. Hun Sen was planning to sack Mr. Sar Kheng as Deputy Prime Minister and as Minister of Interior by a royal decree.

According to the same sources, the King was very worried and didn’t want to be seen as taking sides between Mr. Chea Sim and Mr. Hun Sen as he is a constitutional monarch who must be neutral. So, to escape from being pressured to sign a royal decree to sack Mr. Sar Kheng, King Sihamoni has opted to leave the country, the Khmer Nation News reported.

Gen. Ke Kimyan won't get a new position until after municipal election

everyday.com
3rd Feb, 2009
Translated from Khmer by Khmerization

Gen. Ke Kimyan (pictured), who was sacked as Commander-in-Chief of the Cambodian Armed Forces on 22nd January, will not get a new position until after the municipal election in May.

Mr. Cheam Yeap, a Cambodian People's Party's MP, told the Cambodia Daily on Sunday that, on Friday Prime Minister Hun Sen met with Senate President Mr. Chea Sim, and National Assembly President Mr. Heng Samrin to discuss about the upcoming municipal election.

Mr. Cheam Yeap said that, in the meeting the three leaders did not discuss about Gen. Ke Kimyan's case because the Cambodian People's Party Permanent Committee will not meet until after the election in May in order to give Gen. Kimyan a new role.

Mr. Cheam Yeap said that the appointment of Gen. Ke Kimyan to a new role is not a matter of urgency.

Gen. Kun Kim: No more removals of military leaders, but there will be some reshuffles

Kampuchea Thmey newspaper
29th January, 2009
Reported in English by Khmerizaton

Since the sacking of Gen. Ke Kimyan as the Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) and the sacking of Gen. Chhin Chanpor as the Deputy Commander of the Military Police, there are rumours that there will be more sackings.

Ge. Kum Kim (pictured), Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the RCAF, said that there is no further removals of any military leaders from their current positions. He added that the rumours are intended to cause anxiety in the military.

Gen. Kun Kim told Reaksmei Kampuchea that the removals of Gen. Ke Kimyan and Gen. Chhin Chanpor is just the beginning of a military reform. There will be no more removals of any military leaders, but there will be some reshuffles in accordance with the military reforms carried out by the new government.

Gen. Kun Kim said that these sorts of rumours have caused nervousness in the military. He said that the rumour are not true.

According to sources, Gen. Chhoeun Chanthorn alias Mao, commander of a bodyguard unit, has been sacked. But Gen. Kun Kim said that there is no sacking yet, but he added that there will be further reforms in the bodyguard unit as well in order to reduce the numbers of bodyguards. But sources from the Interior Ministry said that all bloated bodyguard units will be cut down.

Sources said that, under the new government, all bodyguards will not be allowed to have dual roles. In the past, some bodyguards use their bodyguard roles to intimidate other people for personal interests.

In another development, sources from the Defence Ministry said that Gen. Huy Pisith, Deputy Chief of Prime Minister Hun Sen’s Cabinet, has been appointed as the Under-Secretary of State of Defence on top of his current role.

The transfer of power from Gen. Ke Kimyan to Gen. Pol Saroeun

Gen. Tea Banh (L) presented the RCAF's stamp to Gen. Pol Saroeun (R) while Gen. Ke Kimyan watched on in the background.

Koh Santepheap Newspaper
26th January, 2009
Reported in English by Khmerization

The transfer of power from Gen. Kimyan to Gen. Pol Saroeun was held in a ceremony presided over by Gen. Tea Banh, Minister of Defence, at the Defence Ministry on the morning of 24th January, 2009.

Gen. Ke Kimyan was sacked as Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) by Prime Minister Hun Sen on 22nd January and Gen. Pol Saroeun was appointed in his place.

Gen. Ke Kimyan attended the ceremony and has mingled with the crowd happily.

During the ceremony. Gen. Ke Kimyan presented the stamp of the Commander-in-Chief of the RCAF to Minister of Defence Gen. Tea Banh and Gen. Tea Banh in turn presented the stamp to Gen. Pol Saroeun.

After the stamp presentation ceremony, Gen. Ke Kimyan has asked to make a speech. In his speech he has detailed briefly about the history of his services to the national army. He said that he has served the army for 29 years.

Gen. Ke Kimyan stated that he "is not surprised or worried (about his sacking) because this is a duty of the royal government". He also thanked Prime Minister Hun Sen for allowing him to serve in the army for such a long time.

Gen, Ke Kimyan added that "this (his removal) is a normal reshuffle and I have served in the army for more than 29 years already". Gen. Ke Kimyan added that 6 months ago he has asked Prime Minister Hun Sen to allow him to resign from his position as the Commander-in-Chief to make way for the younger generation. He said that his request to resign was due to health reasons and because he cannot endure his job any longer.

He added that "the termination of my job is a joy for me. Truly, in the past, the termination of someone's position in this way, the sacked individual has probably not dared to show face in the public like what I've done today. But for me, to show face in the public is a normal thing because I wanted to transfer power to my replacement".

At the end of his speech, Gen. Ke Kimyan has asked the public to forgive him for his past wrongdoings because he said that no one is perfect, all people is prone to make mistakes in their entire life.

Finally, he said that "nothing is strange in this transfer of power. I am happy to depart to make way for the new generation to continue my works".

Defence Minister Tea Banh, in his speech, said that this is a routine military reshuffle and the removal of Gen. Ke Kimyan is done in accordance with a military reform.

Gen. Pol Saroeun, the new Commander-in-Chief of the RCAF, has stated that he is determined to resolutely protect the constitution and resolutely follow the policies of the royal government for the rebuilding and the protection of the Cambodian motherland, especially the protection of Cambodian territorial integrity and borders. He added that he is determined to serve and protect the nation, protect the constitution and to always follow the policies of the royal government.

At the end of the ceremony, a royal decree to terminate Gen. Chhin Chanpor from his position as Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Military Police was read out.
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1. Read related article "Hun Sen's Political Purges" here.

Hun Sen’s Political Purges

26th January, 2009
Opinion by Khmerization

“Gen. Ke Kimyan has to be sacked, not because of his impropriety, but rather because of Mr. Hun Sen’s insatiable thirst for a political conquest through purges of political opponents and rivals in his quest for a political supremacy.”

Mr. Hun Sen’s insatiable thirst for a political supremacy has turned him into a political animal. His journey toward a political conquest has turned into a political witch hunt reminiscent of the purges carried out by Pol Pot from 1975-1979, by Mao Tse-tung during the Chinese Cultural Revolution in 1966, by Stalin in the Soviet Union in the 1950s, or during Hitler’s purges against his potential enemies in the late 1930s and 1940s. Mr. Hun Sen is journeying into a dangerous political minefield.

Mr. Hun Sen’s current political manoeuvre is a recipe for a disaster and a political suicide. His insatiable thirst for a political supremacy by engaging in the purges against his own comrade-in-arms are very dangerous for Cambodia’s volatile political situation and a fragile political stability. Mr. Hun Sen’s relentless political witch hunt and purges will surely cause a political and social instability that would lead to an armed fighting because the hunted and the purged will fight for their political survival.

Mr. Hun Sen should learn from his past experiences. He should know this well because he was himself a victim of Pol Pot’s purges in 1977. For his own political survival and to avoid being killed, Mr. Hun Sen has fled to Vietnam and has returned victoriously with the Vietnamese invading army on 7th January, 1979.

Mr. Hun Sen’s strategy of political victimisation against Mr. Chea Sim’s loyalists could potentially result in bloody armed retaliations from Mr. Chea Sim’s loyalists who, as cornered dogs, will strike back and strike hard. His purges against Chea Sim’s loyalists are reminiscent of those Khmer Rouge purges which saw the hunters (Pol Pot’s side) and the hunted (Hun Sen’s side) brutally massacring each other in 1977 that only ended with the Vietnamese invasion that has brought Mr. Hun Sen to power on 7th January, 1979.

Mr. Hun Sen could draw the two parallels and analogies so he could ponder the potential dangers to his country and his iron fist rule. He should know that no one, himself included, can survive forever politically and that his political immortality will have its use-by-date one day. By drawing this analogy one would want to remind Mr. Hun Sen to stop committing his sins and ponder his own fate when he falls from power.

Mr. Hun Sen began his purges against Mr. Chea Sim’s loyalists since after the 1993 election, when Sin Song, Sin Sen and others were arrested and purged with manufactured evidences after they were accused of allegedly plotting a fake coup in 1994.

The conspiracy against Gen. Ke Kimyan has also been manufactured some time ago because Gen. Ke Kimyan has stood in the ways of Mr. Hun Sen many times in the past. The real reasons for his sacking were not derelictions of duties or his impropriety but rather he was sacked because he refused to follow Mr. Hun Sen’s orders blindly.

Gen. Ke Kimyan has been accused by Mr. Hun Sen of engaging in illegal business activities and for trying to protect illegal land purchases. One would ask, if these are the real reasons behind his sacking then, all of senior government officials, Mr. Hun Sen included, will be dismissed on grounds of impropriety as Gen. Ke Kimyan has been accused of committing.

Madame Yu Ay, a senior minister, has been accused of land-grabs of thousands of hectares from poor peasants in Kampong Speu. Om Yintieng, Hun Sen’s personal advisor, has been reported as engaging in illegal deforestations of thousands of hectares of forests in Rattanakiri province. Sok An, Deputy Prime Minister, owned many controversial parcels of prime real estate lands in Siem Reap and Phnom Penh. Senator Ly Yong Phat has been accused of land-grabs in Koh Kong province. Senator Lao Meng Khin ( Yeay Phu’s husband), has engaged in many controversial business deals and has engaged in controversial land fills at Boeng Kak Lake which flooded the Phnom Penh city recently and Gen. Kun Kim and Hun To, Hun Sen’s nephew, both have been reportedly engaged in land-grabs in Rattanakiri of thousands of hectares. These people have not been dealt with by Mr. Hun Sen and the courts yet because they are Mr. Hun Sen’s relatives and cronies.

Not surprisingly, even Mr. Hun Sen himself has been accused by Global Witness in the “Cambodia’s Family Tree” report of having been involved in thousands of hectares of forest destructions. In this sense, Mr. Hun Sen has committed impropriety. And, if Gen. Ke Kimyan was sacked because of impropriety, why his replacement and all the new appointees are tainted individuals (Gen Hing Bunheang involved in grenades attacks on 30th March, 1997 and Gen. Kun Kim has engaged in numerous human right abuses) and all of them are Mr. Hun Sen’s loyalists? Could this double-standard rings an alarm bell in our ears?

So, the only obvious explanation to his sacking is that Gen. Ke Kimyan is a very honest military leader who is very popular within the Cambodian People’s Party and within the military ranks. He could be a potential political threat and a serious rival to Mr. Hun Sen’s political future. As a consequence, Gen. Ke Kimyan has to be sacked, not because of his impropriety, but rather because of Mr. Hun Sen’s insatiable thirst for a political conquest through purges of political opponents and rivals in his quest for a political supremacy.

Gen. Ke Kimyan sacked as the RCAF commander-in-chief

Gen. Ke Kimyan (R), seen here being briefed by his officers.

"If he was withdrawn from his post without real reason, there could be a reaction from soldiers and commanders," - A three-star RCAF general

Written by Post Staff
Friday, 23 January 2009
Phnom Penh Post

GENERAL Ke Kim Yan, commander-in-chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces and long-time loyalist of Cambodian People's Party President Chea Sim, has been removed from his post in a sweeping reshuffle of the Kingdom's military leadership.

According to a royal decree broadcast Thursday on Apsara Television, Ke Kim Yan's deputy, General Pol Saroeun, has been appointed commander-in-chief, and seven officers have been bumped up to the post of deputy commander-in-chief, including Hun Sen loyalists General Kun Kim and General Meas Sophea.

When contacted by the Post Thursday, Pol Saroeun confirmed he had been promoted. When asked how he felt about it, he replied: "I am modest."

Nem Sowath, Cabinet chief for the Ministry of Defence, said that it was a routine reshuffle of the Kingdom's top brass. "There has been no problem," he said.

He added that Ke Kim Yan had led the army for many years and had made "enviable achievements" since being appointed to the post.

Kem Sokha, president of the Human Rights Party , said the reshuffle was likely a result of internal CPP power politics.

"We have long heard rumours that Prime Minister Hun Sen had plans to remove Ke Kim Yan from commander of RCAF because of an internal dispute," he said, referring to speculation that has abounded since 1997 when reports of Ke Kim Yan's death in the factional fighting sent his family fleeing to Thailand. Although the reports proved erronrous, it later emerged Ke Kim Yan had disputed an order to deploy the army on the streets of Phnom Penh.

In 1999, when Hun Sen appointed Kun Kim to the general staff, observers cast it as a move by the prime minister to tighten his grip on RCAF.

A three-star RCAF general who declined to be named said that he was "very surprised" to hear of the transfer.

"If he was withdrawn from his post without real reason, there could be a reaction from soldiers and commanders," he said.

But Nguon Nhel, first deputy president of the National Assembly, denied the move was a sign of internal divisions in the party. "There is no such dispute in the CPP," Nguon Nhel said. "If there was a dispute, the CPP would not have such support."

Ke Kim Yan could not be reached for comment Thursday.

Mr. Hun Sen’s Unchallenged Supremacy

23rd January, 2009
Opinion by Khmerization

“The sacking of Gen. Ke Kimyan should send shiver down the spines of some political and military heavyweights who are on the wrong side of Mr. Hun Sen’s. If Gen. Ke Kimyan can be sacked, no one else is safe. Mr. Hun Sen will not stop there. Next could be Mr. Sar Kheng, the Minister of Interior and Gen. Tea Banh, the Minister of Defence. The fate of Mr. Chea Sim’s faction, of which the CPP’s old guards and party founders belong to, is near its end. They will not survive past the next election in 2013.”

Mr. Hun Sen’s sacking of Gen. Ke Kimyan from his post as the Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces has been viewed by many observers as another attempt by Mr. Hun Sen to solidify his power base in the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP). The sacking has probably resulted from an internal squabbling and a power struggle between the Chea Sim’s faction, of which Gen. Ke Kimyan belongs to, and Mr. Hun Sen’s faction. The sacking has changed the CPP’s internal political and military landscape dramatically. In short, it is the beginning of the demise of the Chea Sim’s faction politically and militarily, because the new commander-in-Chief, Gen. Pol Saroeun and seven other Deputy Commander-in-Chiefs, are all Mr. Hun Sen’s loyalists.

Gen. Ke Kimyan, one of the most honest and best Cambodian military leaders, has been a thorn in Mr. Hun Sen’s eyes for a long time. He wanted to lead the Cambodian army professionally and relatively independent of politics. He has resisted Hun Sen’s attempt to monopolise his control on the army. He has resisted Mr. Hun Sen’s orders to send troops to counter Gen. Serey Kosal’s threats of a partition of Battambang province during a brief military clash in 1995 between the troops loyal to the CPP and troops loyal to the Funcinpec Party. He has refused to participate in a military coup against Prince Ranariddh’s Funcinpec Party in 1997.

Mr. Hun Sen has been reportedly attempted to remove Gen. Ke Kimyan from his post after the 1998 election and replaced him with his own son, Hun Manet. After the 2003 election, Hun Sen again attempted to sack Gen. Ke Kimyan, but, both times, he failed.

Gen. Ke Kimyan has so far weathered Mr. Hun Sen’s storm unscathed, until yesterday. His military career, if not over, will be reduced to a powerless and idle role. He will be languishing in a military limbo for years to come. His fate might not be any different from police Gen. Heng Pov’s, who had a fallout with the late Gen. Hok Lundy and then with Mr. Hun Sen and was jailed for 35 years.

What does the sacking of Gen. Ke Kimyan mean? The consequence of the sacking would be manifolds. It would mean a deepened political divisions between Mr. Chea Sim’s and Mr. Hun Sen’s faction of the CPP. It will cause some internal military mistrusts and a disquietness within the military ranks. Many middle- and lower-ranked military officers will be very angry because Gen. Ke Kimyan is very popular and loved by the lower ranks. On the contrary, the new appointees, in particular Gen. Kun Kim, are disliked by the lower ranks.

The sacking of Gen. Ke Kimyan should send shiver down the spines of some political and military heavyweights who are on the wrong side of Mr. Hun Sen’s. If Gen. Ke Kimyan can be sacked, no one else is safe. Mr. Hun Sen will not stop there. Next could be Mr. Sar Kheng, the Minister of Interior and Gen. Tea Banh, the Minister of Defence. The fate of Mr. Chea Sim’s faction, of which the CPP’s old guards and party founders belong to, is near its end. They will not survive past the next election in 2013.

Mr. Hun Sen’s political conquest will only end when he has achieved his political and military supremacy in Cambodia. He has so far secured 90% control of the political and military power base as well as the police and the bureaucracy. His political conquest will only be halted when he will achieve total control of his political and military power in Cambodia or when his life ended.

I would not be surprised if one day Mr. Hun Sen died in a helicopter crash just like the fate of his most loyal lieutenant, Gen. Hok Lundy. He has angered too many people within the CPP, especially the old guards and the party founders, who are currently sidelined by Mr. Hun Sen in favours of the young turks. And I am not surprised if plots to assassinate him are on the making from now on and I can predict that they will be hatched any time.

Now Mr. Hun Sen has achieved near total control of the Cambodian military and police as well as the civil administration. Now he can be dubbed as the emperor, or, to be exact, the Caesar of Cambodian politics.

4-star Gen. Ke Kimyan sacked by Prime Minister Hun Sen

Radio Free Asia
By Mayarith
22nd January, 2009
Translated from Khmer by Khmerization

Gen. Ke Kimyan (pictured), Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF), has been sacked today (22nd Jan.) and was replaced by a new person.

In accordance with a royal decree signed by King Norodom Sihamoni, Gen. Pol Saroeun has been appointed in Gen. Ke Kimyan’s place.

The same royal decree did not specify what position Gen. Ke Kimyan will be appointed to. This same decree only directs that Gen. Ke Kimyan has been removed from his current post as Commander-in-Chief of the RCAF.

The same decree has appointed 7 more military officers to the positions of Deputy Commander-in-Chiefs of RCAF.

The 7 generals who were appointed as Deputy Commander-in-Chiefs were: Lt-Gen. Meas Sophea, Lt-Gen. Mol Roeub, Lt-Gen. Chea Dara, Lt-Gen. Hing Bunheang, Lt-Gen. Sao Sokha and Admiral Oung Samkhan.//
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Additional report:

The military exchange head
22-01-2009


The current chief of staff, General Kè Kimyan, gives way to his deputy.
General Kè Kimyan. © LD.

General Kè Kimyan was replaced at the head of the Royal Khmer Armed Forces, by one of his former deputy, General Pol Sareun, who will be assisted by general Kun Kim, Meas Sophea, Mol Roeup, Chea Dara, Hing Bun Heang, Sao Sokha, and Ung Samkhan in his new duties.
Following this waltz appointments, General Ung Samkhan abandoned his post as commander of the navy to General Tea Vinh.
The royal decree was signed on Thursday January 22 by King Norodom Sihamoni.

Khieu Kanharith, government spokesman, said that the replacement of the chief of staff is one of the consequences of state reform in progress.

Khieu Kanharith said that "the general Kè Kimyan remains in the royal army," without specifying his new assignment.

Please read editorial: Mr. Hun Sen's Unchallenged Supremacy.