Nepotism in Cambodia

Dictator Hun Xen (L) standing next to Mini-me (aka 2-moon general Hun Manet)

15 January 2012
By Yun Samean
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Oss Srok

Political observers in Cambodia are concerned that high ranking government officials are transferring important government positions to their relatives and cronies.

On Saturday 14 January, the ministry of Defense nominated Hun Manit, Hun Xen’s second son, to the position of deputy intelligence director of the ministry and he was also promoted from lieutenant colonel to colonel rank as well. The ministry also nominated Chea Dara, the deputy chief of staff, to the position of army intelligence director, replacing general Mol Roeup who croaked last week at the age of 60.

The nomination of Hun Manit is the second nomination of another one of Hun Xen’s sons to an important position in the army rank. In 2011, the ministry nominated Hun Manet, Hun Xen’s oldest son to the position of deputy chief of staff, in addition to his duty as director of the terrorism department and deputy commander of Hun Xen’s bodyguard unit.

Sacrava's Political Cartoon: The Hun's Dynasty

Cartoon by Sacrava (on the web at http://sacrava.blogspot.com)

Cambodian ruler's son enjoys rapid rise

By Michelle Fitzpatrick

If Manet is to rise to the top, he may have to wait a long time -- his father has vowed to stay in power until he is 90.

PHNOM PENH, Sunday 20 February 2011 (AFP) -- When Hun Manet was promoted to a two-star general last month, Cambodia's premier had to defend his eldest son's rapid rise, dismissing claims it was an attempt to engineer an eventual succession.

One expert even drew parallels with dynastic plans in secretive North Korea, where communist ruler Kim Jong-Il has seemingly hand picked son Kim Jong-Un to take over the reigns of power.

Thai-Cambodian border clashes, the heaviest in years between the neighbours, have boosted 33-year-old Manet's military credentials, observers say, a small victory for Prime Minister Hun Sen as the row with Thailand rumbles on.

Described as "a pretty humble guy" by a Phnom Penh-based diplomat who has met Manet on several occasions, the first-born of Hun Sen's six children does not seek out the spotlight.

Much has been made in Cambodia of his foreign education and despite his young age, Manet is already chief of the ministry of defence's anti-terrorism unit as well as deputy commander of his father's personal bodyguard unit.

Strongman father dreams of glory for 'heroic' son

Papa Hun and Baby Hun

10/02/2011
Wassana Nanuam
Bangkok Post

Hun Manet is no stranger to the Thai military. Even ordinary Thais know about the eldest son of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen from the border conflicts near Preah Vihear temple. The Thai military top brass has kept a close watch on Hun Manet since he went to West Point in the United States more than a decade ago.

The Cambodian strongman attended the graduation ceremony of his son at the famous US military school in 1999. Since then the Thai army has known that Hun Sen has a long-term plan to place his son in control of the Cambodian armed forces and succeed him in the top job of the Cambodian government.

The first step was fulfilled when Hun Sen defied criticism from opponents to promote Hun Manet to the rank of a two-star general, as deputy chief of the unit assigned to specifically protect Hun Sen.

Senior Thai military officers noted that Hun Sen was also using his son as a military link between Phnom Penh and Washington - as seen in the increased military aid and training, including US anti-terrorism tactics, given to the Cambodian forces.

Asia's Dynasties

Tuesday, 25 January 2011
Asia Sentinel

Tolstoy was right: Happy families are all alike

Asian family values seem to go from one extreme to another. Either it’s internecine warfare or out-and-out nepotism. Take the latest news this week. In Cambodia, long-time boss Hun Sen has just elevated his favorite son Hun Manet to Major General at the tender age of 32 and is now tipped eventually to succeed his father, now 60.

Mind you, that is slow promotion by the standards of Singapore, where Lee Hsien Loong had got to be a Brigadier-General at 31 and deputy prime minister by 38. In North Korea, Kim Jong-Il has already announced he would pass on his dictatorship to his son, Kim Jong-un, who beat even Lee Hsien Loong at the general game, having been named a field-grade officer at the age of 27 or 28.

Cambodia thus adds to the growing list of Asian countries where family succession has become the norm, joining India, Malaysia, North Korea, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Singapore and the Philippines in the dynastic succession business. (Of course, in America the Kennedys, Bushes, Gores and Clintons have done well by doing good).

Analysis: Succession in focus but Cambodia strongman staying put

Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen waves to the media as he arrives for the ASEAN - China summit, happening on the sides of the 17th ASEAN Summit in Hanoi October 29, 2010. The 17th ASEAN summit runs from October 28 to 30. (Credit: Reuters/Kham)

PHNOM PENH
Sun Jan 23, 2011
By Prak Chan Thul

PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - When a young soldier was made a two-star general and infantry commander this month at the age of only 33, some in Cambodia saw a political dynasty taking shape.

The rapid rise of Major-General Hun Manet has drawn attention to a topic rarely discussed in Cambodia: who will succeed his father, long-serving Prime Minister Hun Sen.

Comparisons have been made between the rise of Hun Manet and that of Kim Jong-un, the son of ailing North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, promoted from obscurity in September to be a general and politburo member in what was seen as the unveiling of a successor.

But analysts say the prospect of Hun Sen stepping aside is inconceivable right now and it's too soon to make that link. Rather they see Hun Manet's promotion as a sign of both the deep-rooted nepotism in Cambodia and the unrelenting efforts of Hun Sen to consolidate power for many years to come.

Sen & Son: Cambodia's new dynasty?

Hun Xen admiring his son in Preah Vihear (Photo: Heng Chivoan, The Phnom Penh Post)

Don't criticize Baby Hun: Papa Hun

Cambodian PM defends son's military promotion

Friday, January 21, 2011
AFP

Papa Hun and Baby Hun

PHNOM PENH — Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Thursday defended his son's recent military promotion, a move that has fuelled speculation the young man is being groomed to succeed his father.

Hun Manet, 33, is already chief of the ministry of defence's anti-terrorism unit as well as deputy commander of Hun Sen's personal bodyguard unit.

He was promoted to a two-star general in a ceremony earlier this month, and critics have said his rapid career progression could be seen as an attempt by Hun Sen to consolidate his political power.

But the premier has hit back, saying his son -- who graduated from the US Military Academy at West Point in 1999 and earned a doctorate in economics at Britain's University of Bristol -- was well-qualified for the roles.

Sacrava's Political Cartoon: The Heirs

Cartoon by Sacrava (on the web at http://sacrava.blogspot.com)

Sacrava's Political Cartoon: My Boy

Cartoon by Sacrava (on the web at http://sacrava.blogspot.com)

All dictators promote their sons to general

Hun Xen and Hun Manet: the other father-dictator and general-son team in S.E. Asia

Kim Jong Il promotes son, several others to general

PYONGYANG, Sept. 28 (Xinhua) -- The top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Monday issued an order promoting his son Kim Jong Un and several commanding officers to the rank of general, the official KCNA reported early Tuesday.

Top leader Kim Jong Il's son Kim Jong Un, and Kim Kyong Hui, Choe Ryong Hae and three others from the ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) were promoted to general, said the order.

The order also give the rank of colonel general to Ryu Kyong, lieutenant general to Ro Hung Se, Ri Tu Song and four others, and the rank of major general to Jo Kyong Jun, Jang To Yong and Mun Jong Chol and 24 others.

Also on Monday, Ri Yong Ho, chief of KPA General Staff, was awarded the military rank of Vice Marshal of the Korean People's Army on Monday by a decision of the National Defence Commission.

The appointments came one day earlier ahead of a crucial conference of the ruling WPK, which was widely expected to produce strong influence for the whole country's future.

According to a decision announced by the Politburo of the Central Committee of the WPK on June 23, the WPK conference, the first in 44 years, will elect its highest leading body.

The conference is believed a timely move to reinforce and improve the party's function and mechanism under new domestic and international circumstances and will indicate that the DPRK is about to enter a new age.

According to the order, Kim Jong Il expressed a firm belief that the promoted commanding officers of the KPA would creditably discharge their missions and duties as the mainstay and main force of the revolution and remain true to the party's leadership in the future.

Baby Doc Hun to protect Papa Hun for dynasty preservation

Papa Hun (L) is grooming Baby Doc Hun (R)

Hun Sen's eldest son appointed Deputy Commander of Mr. Hun Sen's Bodyguard Unit

Monday, 27 September 2010
By Khmerization
Source: DAP News

Deum Ampil online has just reported that Hun Manet, Prime Minister Hun Sen's eldest son, has just been appointed Deputy Commander of his father's Bodyguard Unit.

According to Deum Ampil, the announcement of the appointment was made by Gen. Hing Bunheang, Commander of Mr. Hun Sen's Bodyguard Unit, this afternoon.

Hun Manet, who is Prime Minister Hun Sen's favourite son, graduated from the prestigious West Point Military Academy in the U.S, holds a masters degree from Georgetown University in the U.S and holds a Ph.D from the UK's Bristol University.

Recently, Prime Minister Hun Sen seems to be positioning himself for a political succession as his two sons and son-in-law have been seen appearing in public frequently, including doing humanitarian works and visiting troops along the borders.

CPP revision 2: A work in progress

Hun Manet talks to children (All Photos: Kampuchea Thmei)
Hun Manet (2nd from right) sitting next to his brother-in-law Dy Vichea, Hok Lundy's son
The Hun clan distributing the fruit of their corruption

Hun Sen preparing a political dynasty?

Monday, 20 September 2010
By Khmerization
Source: Kampuchea Thmey

This latest publicity show is another example of the Hun Clan trying to polish its public image due to Prime Minister's iron fist rule, but importantly due to the misdeeds of his many relatives in the past that have drawn Mr. Hun Sen to warn of a revenge attack when he is no longer in power

Prime Minister Hun Sen seems to be positioning for a political succession in recent years when his children, especially his oldest son Hun Manet, were seen coming out in drove to carry out humanitarian works in less fortunate areas, particularly in rural Cambodia.

The latest publicity stunt happened on Saturday 18th September in Phnom Penh's Russey Keo district when Hun Manet, Hun Many and his wife, Dy Vichea, Hun Sen's son-in-law and son of the late Police Commissioner Hok Lundy, brought abundance of gifts to the 133 orphaned children living in an orphanage in the area.

They donated 5o bikes, 2 tons of rice, 50 kilograms of smoked fish, 100 kilograms of dried and pickled white carrot, 10 boxes of canned fish, 50 boxes of instant noodle, 100 kilograms of salt, 80 kilograms of MSG powder, 200 kilograms of white sugar, 20 containers of fish sauce and 20 containers of liquid bean seasoning sauce.

On top of this, they donated 10 foot balls, 10 volley balls, 10 shuttle cocks etc. They also donated 660 notebooks, 160 T-shirts, pens, pencils, clothes and other things to the 133 children of the orphanage. They donated 6 pairs of clothes, 6 kramas (thin towel), 6 sarongs and 6 pairs of thongs to older disabled people in the area.

On top of this, each of 11 staff of the orphanage gets 200,000 riels ($50) each, each of the 133 orphan gets 20,000 riels ($5), each of the 6 disabled people gets $100,000 ($25) and the orphanage gets an 8 ($2,000) million riels donation from the Hun Sen family. On top of this, the orphanage gets 3 computers, one photocopier and one printer.

Prime Minister Hun Sen has been seen trying to groom his oldest son, Hun Manet who graduated from the prestigious West Point Military Academy in the U.S, holds a Masters Degree from Georgetown University in the U.S and holds a Ph.D from Britain's Bristol University, for the last 3 years or so by attempting to find him a parliamentary seat within the ruling Cambodian People's Party, but was opposed by the party's old guards. He later was appointed a brigadier general in the Cambodian Military.

This latest publicity show is another example of the Hun Clan trying to polish its public image due to Prime Minister's iron fist rule, but importantly due to the misdeeds of his many relatives in the past that have drawn Mr. Hun Sen to warn of a revenge attack when he is no longer in power.

Sacrava's Family Cartoon: Xcambodia's Family trees

Cartoon by Sacrava (on the web at http://sacrava.blogspot.com)

Sacrava's Political Cartoon: The Next King

Cartoon by Sacrava (on the web at http://sacrava.blogspot.com)

Welcome to the century of the Hun dynasty's rule

Hun Mana, shown in a file photo, has just been made assistant to the PM. (Photo: HENG CHIVOAN)

PM appoints own daughter to assist him in new govt

Thursday, 11 September 2008
Written by Cheang Sokha
The Phnom Penh Post

Hun Mana, the director general of Bayon Television and Radio, will help her father to make 'proper reports'

PRIME Minister Hun Sen has appointed his daughter, Hun Mana, as an assistant to his office in the new government, one of her colleagues at Bayon TV said Tuesday.

Rith Chetra, deputy director general at Bayon TV who was also appointed an assistant to the prime minister, said that during the fourth mandate of the government, Hun Sen "will have a lot to do and needs more assistants".

"I don't know what kind of job I will help him with until the new government is formed," he added.

The new government is expected to be formed on September 24.

Government spokesman Khieu Kanharith said that the appointment of Hun Mana was based on her position at Bayon and that she would help the prime minister in writing "proper reports".

"The public dare not comment to government officials, so they use radio and TV [to] bring their issues to the prime minister," Khieu Kanharith said.

Cambodian People's Party ministers have in the past appointed their relatives as assistants. Both Foreign Minister Hor Nam Hong and Social Affairs Minister Ith Samheng sent their sons to work at the Ministry Cabinet offices.

Hun Sen has previously come under fire for appointing multiple advisers and assistants - the distinction between titles pertains to whether the appointee helps with idea generation or workflow.

Opposition Sam Rainsy Party spokesman Son Chhay said that the ruling party wastes a lot of state budget on advisers and assistants, adding that Hun Sen has roughly 1,000 people helping in those positions.

He claimed that most of them do little for their official capacities.

Ho Sothy, Hun Sen's Cabinet chief, declined to comment.

A Hun (Sen) Dynasty In The Making?

The Hun clan with Hun Manet standing in the far left

Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Editorial by Khmerization
On the web at http://khmerization.blogspot.com

“Despite past rumours and past denials, people are not easily gullible enough to believe that Mr. Hun Sen has given up the idea of a political dynasty. This time, by constantly and publicly berating and castigating the critics of his son’s possible entering into the political arena, Mr. Hun Sen has no doubt left the impression that people are seeing a political dynasty in the making in Cambodia.”

The issue of Hun Manet succeeding his father, Prime Minister Hun Sen, has popped up so very often that deserves my attention and warrants my comments. But before I launch into a barrage of personal opinions and factual history, I would like to draw some analogy in regard to Mr. Hun Sen’s future political dynasty. (Read Hun Sen's speech about Hun Manet's political future here).

It is interesting to note that, while the PM has constantly likened himself to Sdech Korn, a usurper of peasant background who assassinated the king and enthroned himself, he has not yet likened himself to Attila the Hun (AD 434), a conqueror whose Hunnic Empire spanned across Asia, Europe and the Middle East. Considering that the great Mongolian conquerors, Genghis Khan (1162-1227) and his grandson, Kublai Khan (1215-1294) had claimed to have descended from the Huns (pronounced ‘hunt as in hunting’), and with a surname of Hun (this one pronounced ‘Houn’), one would have expected the PM to make claims to have been descended from the Huns as well, rather than likening himself to a re-incarnation of Sdech Korn, a mediocre king, who was nothing without his brutal usurpation.

History aside and let’s move to the topic of discussion- Mr. Hun Sen’s grooming of his son to succeed him as the prime minister.

It’s been well known within the Cambodian political circle that Prime Minister Hun Sen has been trying to groom his son, Hun Manet, as a future Cambodian leader some time ago. During the 1998 election, there has been rumours that Mr. Hun Sen had unsuccessfully floated the idea of appointing Hun Manet to the position of Commander-in-Chief and Minister of Defence.

In order to put the rumours to rest, in 2007, Mr. Hun Sen has hysterically and strenuously denied the rumours that Hun Manet was about to stand as a member of parliament in the seat of Siem Reap province. Mr Hun Sen’s denial has not put the rumours to rest, because people viewed Hun Manet’s persistent and continuous charity works as an attempt to shore up his good guy image in preparation for his political future. And as early as this week, Mr. Hun Sen has publicly declared that he would like Hun Manet to serve in the army. His political detractors see this as yet another sign of Hun Sen using a military career as a stepping stone for Hun Manet to enter the political arena.

Despite past rumours and past denials, people are not easily gullible enough to believe that Mr. Hun Sen has given up the idea of a political dynasty. This time, by constantly and publicly berating and castigating the critics of his son’s possible entering into the political arena, Mr. Hun Sen has no doubt left the impression that people are seeing a political dynasty in the making in Cambodia.

One more unconvincing reason is that, it is very uncharacteristic and peculiar of Mr. Hun Sen to launch a pre-emptive strike of denials, before people even heard the accusations about his son’s political future. By denying before the accusations had been made, Mr. Hun Sen has no doubt left the impression that he is in a defensive mode and that, due to his persistence and perseverance, Mr. Hun Sen is actually grooming his son to succeed himself.

Hun Manet’s political venture or the lack of it, has been a constant issue that has shaken Mr. Hun Sen’s Cambodian People’s Party’s (CPP) circle to the core. The ideas that Mr. Hun Sen is grooming his son to be his successor has caused a stir within the minds of the CPP’s old guards who sternly opposed the ideas.

To political old-timers, Hun Manet is has all the traits and characteristics to lead Cambodia. Arming himself with good qualifications from American universities (a bachelor from Westpoint, a Masters from Georgetown University(?) and a Ph.D from UK’s University of Bristol), Hun Manet certainly has the potential to be Cambodia’s next generation of leaders, but people would argue that he has to achieve his political ambitions on his own merits, and not to depend on his father to prop him up.

Qualified or not, many of the CPP’s old guards, the likes of Chea Sim and Heng Samrin, who had worked hard and eyed the PM position for more than 50 years, will resent the fact that a young and inexperienced political novice could just appear from nowhere and get the job without having to work hard for it. And this, they would never allow it to happen.

Whether Mr. Hun Sen will succeed in grooming his son to be his successor remain to be seen. He is politically cunning and a very expedient politician. He is a master of tactician who are always three steps ahead of his political opponents. And with his tenacity, he might succeed one day. But, many seasoned political observers would like to argue that, one day, his expedience and political shenanigan will be his own undoing, because other CPP’s old guards will never allow him to always outsmart them and step on their heads all the time.