The prime minister’s son Hun Manith has been given an additional rank equivalent to minister, adding to his existing duties as the head of military intelligence.
Manith was given the rank of a minister by a royal decree signed by King Norodom Sihamoni on Tuesday, along with four other government officials. Manith is also a deputy chief for the prime minister’s cabinet and retains his old positions, according to the official document.
The four others given the rank are: Pankhem Bunthorn, a deputy chief of Hun Sen’s cabinet; Chhiv Yiseang, who heads the National Institute of Diplomacy and International Relations at the Foreign Ministry; and Slat Sopheap and Hak Sokhay, who could not be identified.
Royal Cambodian Armed Forces spokesperson Thong Solimo declined to comment on Manith’s promotion and Defense Ministry spokesperson Chhum Socheat could not be reached Tuesday evening.
Manith’s older brother, Hun Manet, is the commander of the army and has been voted by the Cambodian People’s Party to succeed his father. Hun Sen has yet to lay out a timeline for when he will step aside and let his son take over as prime minister.
Manith’s younger brother, Hun Many, is a lawmaker from Kampong Speu province and heads a youth NGO called Union Youth Federations of Cambodia. Manith’s sisters Hun Mana and Hun Maly are businesspersons and involved in many sectors of the economy — as illustrated in a 2016 Global Witness report, Hostile Takeover, that showed Hun Sen’s extended family own or part-control companies worth more than $200 million in listed capital.
