Hun Sen In Cambodia

His family members are alleged to be major stake owners and have leading roles in several huge companies, such as Procter & Gamble, Apple, Nokia, Visa, Unilever, Durex and Honda with total capital of more than US$200m. Their total assets are about US$500 million and US$1 billion, according to experts, the report says.

According to the report, they are also involved in neuralgic sectors of Cambodia’s economy such as trade, finance, energy and tourism and in a serious number of companies widely known for corruption incidents in fields such as gambling, construction, agriculture and mining. According to the report of Global Witness many of those companies have had “devastating impacts for Cambodian citizens and the environment, including land

The family members are actively involved in politics, the military, police, media, and charities, key role public sectors that boost the propaganda in favor of Hun Sen’s political party.

Hun Sen’s governing

Hun Sen has been the Prime Minister of Cambodia for about 30 years. He is the most long-lasting governor of Cambodia, who didn’t step down of authority even when he was voted out. He is also notorious for violent behavior towards his political opponents, including murders, tortures and imprisonments.

Hun Sen has managed to attract major investments in Cambodia coming from the UK and China and has inter-trading relationships with the U.S. as well. Therefore the economic situation in Cambodia has significantly improved during Hun Sen’s dictatorship. However, more than 40% of the population is poor, living below or close to the poverty line as the wealth can be enjoyed only by an elite, who is involved in every sector of public and private economy. Cambodia is one of the poorest countries in the world with population of more than15 million

After the abovementioned, the answer is profound. The legal system is also under the strict control of Hun Sen and he has managed, together with his family, to get away with crimes or offenses regarding –not only- anti-corruption laws.

For this reason, as the Global Witness suggests, there should be a reformation of the Anti-Corruption Law which will leave no space for Hun Sen and his family to continue the assaults and without getting punished. They should also be obliged to officially and publicly declare their assets and business holdings in order to enhance transparency and accountability in Cambodia.

Hun Sen’s family and governmental representatives claim that the findings of the report are not true, but a part of the effort made by his competitors to harm Hun Sen’s reputation in view of the upcoming elections. One of Hun Sen’s daughters Hun Mana wrote on Facebook “We very much understand your intention toward my Father and my Family,” wrote Hun Mana, a business mogul who Global Witness linked to at least 22 companies……And as expected every time when we are near election time, your organization always come out with something to try to tarnish my Father [sic]