Politics

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen shows his finger after voting at a polling station in Kandal province on July 23. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Hun Sen's Cambodia

Cambodia's Hun Sen dominates election, threatens ballot spoilers

Ruling CPP on track to take 96% of seats in widely criticized vote

24 July 2023
A woman holds a board of Prime Minister Hun Sen during a campaign rally in Phnom Penh on July 21. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Hun Sen's Cambodia

Cambodia's one-sided election: 5 things to know

Walkover expected for Hun Sen's CPP after main opposition party banned

22 July 2023
Theary Seng, a Khmer Rouge survivor who is 12 months into a six-year prison sentence, began a hunger strike on July 17.
Hun Sen's Cambodia

Jailed U.S.-Cambodian activist starts hunger strike ahead of elections

Theary Seng languishes in prison after Cambodia turns from West to China

21 July 2023
Some 10 years after almost losing an election, Hun Sen, center, no longer tolerates competition from serious opponents as he maneuvers to transfer power to eldest son Hun Manet, left, in a reform-resistant, economically and politically fragile system.
Asia Insight

Cambodia democracy dream fades as Hun Sen eyes election walkover

Strongman to coast to July 23 victory, signaling start of handover to eldest son

18 July 2023
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen attends a campaign rally in Phnom Penh on July 1. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Your Week in Asia

China GDP, Tesla's Malaysia launch, Hun Sen's Cambodia elections

Your weekly lineup of Asia's biggest business and political events

16 July 2023
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen's Facebook account was suspended for six months following a recommendation from Meta's oversight board last week. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Hun Sen's Cambodia

Cambodia bars Meta oversight board after PM's Facebook account frozen

Retaliatory move by Hun Sen comes as country heads into July general elections

6 July 2023
Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen, also president of the ruling Cambodian People's Party, attends an election rally in Phnom Penh on July 1. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Comment

At long last, Cambodia's Hun Sen set to achieve his dynastic dream

Dictator silences local critics with repression, and the West with 'China card'

4 July 2023
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen had over 14 million followers on Facebook.
Hun Sen's Cambodia

Cambodian PM Hun Sen deletes Facebook page after criticism

Meta oversight board called for 6-month suspension, citing intimidation of critics

30 June 2023
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen attends an event at the Cambodian People's Party headquarters in Phnom Penh on June 28, 2022. (File photo by AP) 
Defense

Cambodia PM sends troops to Vietnam border to shoot down drones

Hun Sen warns of 'action' as deployment comes ahead of elections next month

28 June 2023
Even on weekends, the lights burn all night in Poipet, a casino hub in Cambodia facing Thailand's Aranyaprathet. Sophisticated scamming and online gambling operations run 24-7.
Society

Threats force anti-trafficking NGO director out of Cambodia

Jacob Sims spoke out about kingdom's booming slave-based scam industry

24 June 2023
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, right, shakes hands with Wang Wentian, the Chinese ambassador to Cambodia, at a groundbreaking ceremony on June 7. (Photo by Yuji Nitta)
International relations

Cambodia breaks ground on China-funded highway to Vietnam border

Country's second expressway one of many projects built with Chinese money

9 June 2023
Hun Manet, the eldest son of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, has never served in an elected role, only in military and party positions. (Pool via Reuters)
Opinion

The next Cambodian government will be outsized

Hun Sen has bought support for son Hun Manet with promises of positions

29 May 2023
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen's CPP has won 10 local and national elections since 1998 without facing a real contest thanks to electoral manipulation and its power to crush any opposition party enjoying popular support. 
Opinion

International community must not accept Cambodia's 'election'

Hun Sen is presenting facade of democracy to preserve CPP power

9 May 2023
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, center, has worked assiduously to maintain his family's grip on power, grooming his eldest son, Manet, left, to succeed him.
Asia Insight

Cambodia's Hun Sen plans power succession to son, allies' children

Strongman prime minister mulling when to hand over to his eldest child, Hun Manet

2 May 2023
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen attends a European Union and Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Brussels on Dec. 14, 2022. 
Politics

Cambodia's 'lords' form union under Hun Sen ahead of polls

New association of tycoons to impart 'ethics' to scandal-hit elite

25 April 2023
In this July 26, 2019, file photo, Cambodian navy crew members stand on a navy patrol boat at the Ream Naval Base in Sihanoukville, southwest of Phnom Penh.
Defense

Cambodia reveals air defense plans near China-funded naval base

Growing military footprint at Ream boosts strategic value for Beijing: experts

1 April 2023
Prime Minister Hun Sen, who has ruled Cambodia for nearly four decades, ordered the revocation of VOD's license in response to its publication of an article about his son that he claimed was inaccurate. (Source photos by AP and AFP/Jiji) 
Politics

Cambodia internet providers told to block independent broadcaster

Activists say last week's censorship of VOD was faster than previous online bans

20 February 2023
Muay Thai is Thailand's national sport that has been the inspiration for kickboxing. (Photo by Akira Kodaka)
Sports

'Muay Thai' or 'Kun Khmer': Neighbors spar over sport's name

Cambodia makes change for SEA Games as Thailand threatens boycott

24 January 2023
Cambodian personnel demonstrate how to use Japan's ALIS mine detection equipment during a training session for Ukrainians. (Photo courtesy of JICA)
Ukraine war

Japan to supply advanced land mine detectors to Ukraine

Clearance training also underway in three-way partnership with Cambodia

20 January 2023
Ukrainian personnel scan for unexploded ordnance and land mines by the main road to Kherson in November. Cambodia, which has faced a long battle to clear mines, is offering its know-how.
Ukraine war

Cambodia to train Ukraine land mine clearance personnel: Hun Sen

Asian countries including Japan attend Paris conference on solidarity, reconstruction

13 December 2022
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, center, sits with his counterparts at the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting Plus on Nov. 23 in Siem Reap, Cambodia.
South China Sea

ASEAN-led defense talks reaffirm norms for South China Sea

China, U.S. and others see eye to eye on avoiding maritime clashes

24 November 2022
ECCC judges at the trial of former Khmer Rouge leader Khieu Samphan in Phnom Penh in August 2021: The tribunal has made impunity seem normal in Cambodia.
Opinion

Cambodia got little justice out of Khmer Rouge tribunal

Hun Sen regime kept genocide inquiry on tight leash to protect itself

4 November 2022
Southeast Asian countries are hosting three major international conferences in November, coming at a time when the world is faced with highly divisive issues. (Source photos by AP and Reuters) 
International relations

Southeast Asia hosts rush of global meetings in November

Political tug of war likely to unfold amid intensifying U.S.-China tension

2 November 2022
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen greets Fumio Kishida, his Japanese counterpart, in Tokyo on Sept. 28: Japan should coordinate sticks and carrots to exert pressure.
Opinion

Time for Japan to stand up for democracy in Cambodia

Attitude of patience has allowed Hun Sen to expand autocratic power

21 October 2022
Though Cambodian officials have long referred to online scam operations -- many of which are based in the coast town of Sihanoukville (pictured) -- under the term illegal online gambling, they are starting to admit to more specific romance scams or fraudulent cryptocurrency schemes. (Photo by Vann Soben)
Politics

Under foreign pressure, Cambodia dismantles some 'scam' compounds

But human trafficking still rife and government not doing enough, critics say

13 October 2022