A Cambodian Dynasty
Published on Aug 29, 2023 by Luke Hunt
Cambodian autocrat Hun Sen completed a “generational” transfer of power this morning after the ruling party approved his eldest son Hun Manet as prime minister and a new government was sworn in by the National Assembly.The vote came one month after the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) secured government by winning 120 of the 125 seats at a national election, derided as “rigged” in the West and by human rights groups, following the disqualification of the opposition Candlelight Party.The Diplomat’s Luke Hunt talks with academic Bradley Murg, an affiliate fellow with Pacific Forum, about the implications of Hun Manet’s rise to the top job in a country where the economy is struggling and perceptions matter.Click here to listen..
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Out of Myanmar
Published on Aug 2, 2023 by Luke Hunt
Security advisor Ross Milosevic has just returned from Thailand’s northern border regions, where he met a wide range of rebels who have sided with the National Unity Government (NUG) and its armed wing, the People’s Defense Force (PDF), in opposing Myanmar’s military takeover.His arrival coincided with more killings and increased politicking as the junta moved former leader Aung San Suu Kyi out of solitary confinement and then went on a public relations drive, a renewed offensive in justifying the carnage of the last 18 months.He talks with Luke Hunt from The Diplomat. Click here for the podcast..
Hun Sen's Election
Published on Aug 1, 2023 by Luke Hunt
Prime Minister Hun Sen has won Cambodia's general election with absolute authority and will transfer power in a "generational" change of leadership, to his eldest son Hum Manet by the end of August.Additionally the children of cabinet ministers are to be hand the portfolio's of their fathers, an unprecedented if not extremely rare reshuffle in the history of government, ensuring power remains within the ruling families.Here is a list of links to background stories from immediately before and after the July 23, 2023, poll that culminated in that change.Naval Base to Test Hun Manet's Reationship with Washington. The DiplomatCambodia's Fate Mapped-Out. Election wrap from VOACambodia's 'Pantomime' Election wrap from UCA NewsPM Wins Big in 'Rigged' One-Sided Election. Hun Sen wins....
Cambodia's One-Sided Vote
Published on Jul 17, 2023 by Luke Hunt
Cambodians head to the polls this month in an election that has been widely criticized by Western countries, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and pro-democracy activists, but authorities in Phnom Penh insist the ballot on July 23 will be free and fair. This piece for VOA television was produced by Luke Hunt, David Brown Vicheka Kol. Click here to watch and listen..
Are Funcinpec a Chance?
Can Funcinpec win any seats at the Cambodian election this Sunday. Luke Hunt write for the Diplomat that just maybe the party of the royalists might win "two or thee seats" and end this country's status as a one-party-state. Click and read more here..
Cambodians Braced for Poll
Cambodians head to the polls this month in an election that has been widely criticized by Western countries, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and pro-democracy activists, but authorities in Phnom Penh insist the ballot on July 23 will be free and fair. Read more about this election from VOA..
Prepped for the Inevitable
About 9.7 million Cambodians go to the polls on July 23 for a one-sided election, which will secure Prime Minister Hun Sen’s absolute authority and an endorsement for a widely-anticipated transfer of power to his eldest son Hun Manet.Only his Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) — which has ruled since a Vietnamese invasion ousted the Khmer Rouge from power in 1979 — is capable of winning a contest bereft of competition since the disqualification of the main opposition party in May, amid a six-year crackdown on dissent.Click here to read more from UCA News..
Three Asian Summits
Published on Jan 6, 2023 by Luke Hunt
A podcast with Brad Murg. Southeast Asia recently played host to an unprecedented group of summits that firmly put the West and its U.S.-led foreign policy in the Indo-Pacific on the front foot.Bradley Murg, distinguished senior research fellow at the Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace, speaks with The Diplomat’s Luke Hunt about the key takeaways and questions that arose after world leaders converged on Phnom Penh, Bali, and Bangkok.Listen here.
Timor-Leste in ASEAN
A podcast with Kupa Lopez. Timor-Leste initially applied for membership to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) 11 years ago, but since then Dili has been frustrated and disappointed, finding entry into the club of 10 nations a difficult ask.This prompted Timor-Leste President José Ramos-Horta to remark earlier this year that: “It seems as if to reach ASEAN, you have to fulfill all the criteria to enter heaven. And then the next step is ASEAN.”Membership seemed assured this year after Cambodia assumed the role of ASEAN’s rotating chair, with Prime Minister Hun Sen promising to do all he could to ensure Timor-Leste’s admittance as the bloc’s eleventh member state. That was not to be.Luke Hunt spoke with Kupa Lopes,....
ASEAN Summit Ends
Published on Aug 17, 2022 by Luke Hunt
PHNOM PENH — Foreign ministers from the Association of South East Asian Nations wrapped up their 2022 annual meetings in Phnom Penh with a plea for peace in the South China Sea, warnings for the junta in Myanmar and plans to bolster COVID-19-crushed economies.Foreign ministers and delegates from about 40 countries gathered here for their annual talks with nine of 10 foreign ministers from ASEAN.Read more..
