Hun Sen, who has has held power in Cambodia for more than 30 years, with factory workers near Phnom Penh, the capital © AFP

Cambodia’s Hun Sen vows to spend another decade in office

Veteran leader cites ‘treasonous acts’ for decision to extend 30-year hold on power

Financial Times | 6 September 2017

Hun Sen, the Cambodian prime minister, on Wednesday vowed to spend another decade in office, a day after his main opponent was charged with treason amid what government critics describe as an escalating crackdown on dissent.  

The Cambodian leader, already in power for more than three decades, told garment factory workers on the outskirts of Phnom Penh he had decided to run for another two terms. The next election is scheduled for July 2018. 

“Before, I was very hesitant of when I shall be leaving office, but after witnessing the treasonous acts of some Cambodians in recent days, I have decided to continue my job for another 10 years,” Hun Sen said in remarks quoted by the Associated Press.  


A court on Tuesday charged Kem Sokha, leader of the opposition Cambodia National Rescue party, with treason, an offence that carries up to 30 years in jail. After the politician’s arrest at his home earlier in the week, Hun Sen accused him of colluding with the US.  

Kem Sokha’s supporters say the charges are baseless, and accuse Hun Sen of systematically seeking to silence opposition for fear of losing next year’s election. The CNRP and other opposition parties performed well in local elections in June, narrowing the majority held by the ruling Cambodian People’s party.  

“We don’t know how much longer we can function with leadership locked up and our security at risk,” Monovithya Kem, Kem Sokha’s daughter and a CNRP party official, said after he was arraigned in court. Sam Rainsy, his predecessor as the party’s leader, quit in February after being convicted of criminal defamation.  

The southeast Asian kingdom has long been seen as a test case for democratisation and US-led nation-building since emerging from years of war, genocide, and autocratic rule in the early 1990s. The opposition leader’s arrest on Sunday brought condemnations from the US and other countries.  

Cambodian authorities have taken steps to silence civil society groups and media in recent weeks. Last month they expelled the National Democratic Institute, a Washington-based group that helped to organise monitoring of the recent election.  

 Several radio stations have been ordered to shut down, and on Monday the Cambodia Daily, a leading independent newspaper, published its last issue after being presented with a $6m tax claim it accused authorities of pressing in order to silence it.  

Hun Sen, 65, took power in 1985 and is one of the world’s longest-serving leaders, alongside Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, Angola’s José Eduardo dos Santos, and a handful of other African and Asian leaders. “May I ask all the foreigners, please don’t be jealous of me that I’ve become the world’s longest-serving prime minister,” Hun Sen said on Wednesday.  

The foreign ministry of China, a backer of Hun Sen, said this week that it “supports the Cambodian government’s efforts to protect national security and stability”.