Posted on January 23, 2015
By Asia Sentinel
Cambodia, Politics
Cambodia had a year of political reform in 2014, and observers are skeptical about how much change it will bring. But it might be premature to dismiss Prime Minister Hun Sen’s reform efforts as cosmetic. The year began with a series of mass protests organized by the Cambodian National Rescue Party over alleged massive fraud…
Posted on March 8, 2014
By Lin Neumann
Cambodia, Politics
David Puttnam, the once-brilliant film-maker who is best known for producing the amazing movie of Khmer Rouge terror, “The Killing Fields” has stunned journalists, diplomats and others, by praising the current Khmer government and its leader Hun Sen, for “its commitment to ending corruption.” The current member of Britain’s House of Lords, speaking in one…
Posted on February 7, 2014
By Asia Sentinel
Cambodia, Politics
Cambodia’s foreign relations map has undergone dramatic shifts in the past six months. In the aftermath of Cambodia’s elections in July 2013, Beijing promptly recognized the results and congratulated Prime Minister Hun Sen and his ruling Cambodian People’s Party for their victory. However, as anti-government protests led by the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party grew…
Posted on January 7, 2014
By Asia Sentinel
Cambodia, Politics
Reeling from recent violence and the suppression and killing of five young striking textile workers, and the harassing of opposition politicians, Cambodia is looking more and more like something from George Orwell's 1949 masterpiece, '1984.' The country's ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP), the former Communist Party, was today celebrating the 35th anniversary of the 7th January, 1979, ousting…
Posted on January 6, 2014
By Asia Sentinel
Cambodia, Politics
The iron fist of Cambodia's long-ruling Communist Party has smashed into its political foes in the past few days, ending a confused and discordant state of affairs during which an opposition party seemed to write the agenda by calling on Prime Minister Hun Sein to resign or call a fresh election, after an allegedly flawed…
Posted on October 16, 2013
By Asia Sentinel
Cambodia, Politics
Cambodia’s parliamentary elections were supposed to be another boring and tainted exercise to ensure that the party of Prime Minister Hun Sen, already in office for 28 years, remained in power for another five years. Instead, the flagrant vote rigging failed, and the opposition may even have won. Officially, Hun Sen’s party won 68 of…
Posted on September 11, 2013
By Our Correspondent
Politics
Cambodia's recent alarming election results have highlighted deep-seated popular discontent towards the performance of the government and the way it appears to have failed to address pressing fundamental economic, social and governance issues that have negatively impacted the daily life of the Cambodian people. That discontent was expressed by voters in July 28 national elections…
Posted on August 27, 2013
By Our Correspondent
Politics
The opposition Cambodian National Rescue Party's mass rally yesterday should have been a celebration of the national election as victors but for the blatant chicanery of the long ruling former communist party. Instead the party faces five years in a distressed political wilderness with no guarantee they could, in the nature of things, ever win…
Posted on August 22, 2013
By Our Correspondent
Politics
China appeared Wednesday to endorse the Cambodian People's Party's narrow July 28 election victory, while at the same time calling for a swift resolution to the country's perilous political situation, which has raised the real possibility of violence in the streets. Ending a situation where he had vanished from the political scene for almost three…
Posted on August 16, 2013
By Our Correspondent
Politics
Tanks, armored personnel carriers and mounted rocket launchers Thursday were driven on massive trucks up Cambodia's Highway 4 from the deep-water port of Sihanoukville towards Phnom Penh, adding to the tension that is gripping the capital. Asked what the heavy weapons might be used for, Defense Minister Tea Banh was quoted as saying, apparently facetiously:…
