Sar Kheng has not endorsed Hun Manet as Prime Minister Hun Sen’s likely successor, making him the lone holdout among the 10 deputy prime ministers. His nine peers have all signed onto public statements of support for Hun Sen’s eldest son.
The king will light the fire for late Prince Norodom Ranariddh’s cremation Wednesday after funeral ceremonies for the former prime minister.
Hundreds of congratulatory messages supporting Hun Sen’s decision to anoint Hun Manet as the next prime minister flooded Fresh News, including letters of support from cabinet ministers down to district governors.
Hun Sen launched into a tirade on Sunday against alleged “anarchic deforestation” along the Tonle Sap lake, even ordering the use of the “infantry, navy, and helicopters” to crackdown on land grabbing and encroachment.
Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Tuesday he would deal with “extremists” – a thinly-veiled reference to the CNRP – before considering handing over power to the “younger generation.”
Opposition CNRP activists Voeung Samnang and Voeun Veasna were arrested by Thai authorities in Bangkok this week and handed over to Phnom Penh authorities, confirmed a government official on Thursday.
Hundreds of Phnom Penh families protested in the capital on Monday, highlighting two ongoing and long-standing disputes in the city.
Prime Minister Hun Sen took serious umbrage to criticism his government has faced for filling lakes throughout the country and justified the moving around of ministries through land swaps.
Despite the cordial tone in his Facebook post, Hun Sen said earlier in the day that there was speculation the Australian foreign minister would pressure Cambodia during the visit but that he would not allow that.
Prime Minister Hun Sen has promoted 25 people to be his official assistants, including a bodyguard who has received land on Phnom Penh’s Boeng Tamok lake and another who was nearly scammed online by a 14-year-old.
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