His current, full, honorary title is: Samdech Akkak Moha Sena Pedey Decho. He is one of the key leaders of the Cambodian People's Party, which has governed Cambodia since the Vietnamese-backed overthrow of the Khmer Rouge in 1979. He was a former Khmer Rouge who escaped to Vietnam before 1979 in order to call the Vietnamese to overthrow the other Khmer Rouge. From then on he was in power.
Since the restoration of multi-party democracy in 1993, the CPP has been in coalition with the royalist Funcinpec party and as senior partner since 1997. The title "Samdech" was attached to his name in 1993 by King Norodom Sihanouk. It is only an honorary title and does not give him further powers. He has a glass eye, the result of a wound sustained during the Khmer Rouge offensive against Phnom Penh in April 1975.
Since the restoration of multi-party democracy in 1993, the CPP has been in coalition with the royalist Funcinpec party and as senior partner since 1997. The title "Samdech" was attached to his name in 1993 by King Norodom Sihanouk. It is only an honorary title and does not give him further powers. He has a glass eye, the result of a wound sustained during the Khmer Rouge offensive against Phnom Penh in April 1975.
Political career
Hun Sen was selected by the Vietnamese for a leadership role in the rebel army and government they were creating for Cambodia. When the Khmer Rouge regime was overthrown, Hun Sen was appointed as foreign minister of the Vietnamese-installed People's Republic of Kampuchea in 1979 and served until 1990, with a brief interruption from 1986 until 1987. As foreign minister, Hun Sen was a key figure in the Paris Peace Talks which brokered peace in Indochina. He became Prime Minister in 1985, shortly after the death of Chan Sy. From 1993 until 1998 he was co-prime minister with Prince Norodom Ranariddh.
In 1997, the coalition was shaken by tensions between Ranariddh and Hun Sen. Funcinpec began to collaborate with the remaining Khmer Rouge rebels (with whom it had been allied against Hun Sen's Vietnamese-backed government during the 1980s), aiming to absorb them into its ranks.
In response, Hun Sen launched a bloody military coup, removing Ranariddh and becoming the country's sole prime minister in 1998. Several royalist supporters were killed or tortured by CPP members, though Hun Sen denied any involvement.He also denied that his action was a coup, arguing that if he had wanted to make a coup, he would have abolished the monarchy.
The elections of July 2003 resulted in a larger majority in the National Assembly for the CPP, with FUNCINPEC losing seats to the CPP and the Sam Rainsy Party. However, CPP's majority was short of the two thirds constitutionally required for the CPP to form a government alone. This deadlock was overcome and a new CPP-FUNCINPEC coalition was formed in mid-2004.
He joined the International Parliament for Safety and Peace, as Senator for Life in October 2007.
In 1997, the coalition was shaken by tensions between Ranariddh and Hun Sen. Funcinpec began to collaborate with the remaining Khmer Rouge rebels (with whom it had been allied against Hun Sen's Vietnamese-backed government during the 1980s), aiming to absorb them into its ranks.
In response, Hun Sen launched a bloody military coup, removing Ranariddh and becoming the country's sole prime minister in 1998. Several royalist supporters were killed or tortured by CPP members, though Hun Sen denied any involvement.He also denied that his action was a coup, arguing that if he had wanted to make a coup, he would have abolished the monarchy.
The elections of July 2003 resulted in a larger majority in the National Assembly for the CPP, with FUNCINPEC losing seats to the CPP and the Sam Rainsy Party. However, CPP's majority was short of the two thirds constitutionally required for the CPP to form a government alone. This deadlock was overcome and a new CPP-FUNCINPEC coalition was formed in mid-2004.
He joined the International Parliament for Safety and Peace, as Senator for Life in October 2007.
Criticism
Some political opponents of Hun Sen accuse him of being a puppet of Hanoi. This is due to his position in the government created by Vietnam while Cambodia was under Vietnamese military occupation and the fact that he was a prominent figure in the People's Revolutionary Party of Kampuchea (now known as the Cambodian People's Party), which governed Cambodia as a one-party state under Vietnamese military occupation from 1979 until the elections in 1993. Hun Sen and his supporters reject such charges, claiming that he represents only the Cambodian people. More recent political opponents outside the country accuse him of being a corrupt dictator who controls the country by force.
Hun Sen was accused of ordering his personal body guards to throw hand grenades into a crowd of protesters at a rally led by Sam Rainsy in 1997, which led to several deaths and many injuries.
Hun Sen's government has also been accused of carrying out a fire sale of land to foreign investors in 2007-08 and the eviction of thousands of residents from their homes.
Hun Sen was also implicated as involving in corruption related to Cambodia's oil wealth and mineral resources in Global Witness' latest report about Cambodia, Country for Sale. He and his close associates were accused of carrying out secret negotiations with interested private parties and taking money from those who he would grant rights to exploit the resources.However, the prime minister and his government have denied this accusation and called it groundless.
Hun Sen was accused of ordering his personal body guards to throw hand grenades into a crowd of protesters at a rally led by Sam Rainsy in 1997, which led to several deaths and many injuries.
Hun Sen's government has also been accused of carrying out a fire sale of land to foreign investors in 2007-08 and the eviction of thousands of residents from their homes.
Hun Sen was also implicated as involving in corruption related to Cambodia's oil wealth and mineral resources in Global Witness' latest report about Cambodia, Country for Sale. He and his close associates were accused of carrying out secret negotiations with interested private parties and taking money from those who he would grant rights to exploit the resources.However, the prime minister and his government have denied this accusation and called it groundless.
Family
Hun Sen is married to Bun Rany. They have four children, one of them adopted.
In October of 2007, Hun Sen made a surprise announcement at a graduation ceremony in front of an audience of around 3,000 that his adopted daughter is a lesbian. He has taken legal steps to disown his daughter and to prevent her from receiving any inheritance. Nonetheless, he asked the audience to accept homosexuals.
Although Hun Sen's birthday is officially celebrated as April 4, 1951, he has revealed that his actual date of birth was August 5, 1952.He apparently altered his date of birth to appear older when joining the Khmer Rouge as a youth.
In October of 2007, Hun Sen made a surprise announcement at a graduation ceremony in front of an audience of around 3,000 that his adopted daughter is a lesbian. He has taken legal steps to disown his daughter and to prevent her from receiving any inheritance. Nonetheless, he asked the audience to accept homosexuals.
Although Hun Sen's birthday is officially celebrated as April 4, 1951, he has revealed that his actual date of birth was August 5, 1952.He apparently altered his date of birth to appear older when joining the Khmer Rouge as a youth.
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