Hun Sen
Longest-serving Cambodian head of government and de facto leader.
Last updated
via Wikipedia: Xianbei · see source
He previously served as prime minister of Cambodia for multiple terms between 1985 and 2023.[1] He has been regarded as the de facto leader of Cambodia since circa 1993.[2] Currently serving as both president of the Senate and acting head of state, Hun Sen is a Cambodian politician who previously held military officer positions.[1]
Life and work
Human Rights Watch reported that Hun Sen has been linked to extrajudicial killings, torture, and arbitrary arrests.[3] In 1997, he orchestrated a coup that toppled First Prime Minister Norodom Ranariddh.[4] Between 1998 and 2023, he led the CPP to consecutive election victories amid allegations of corruption and human rights violations.[5] He formally announced his resignation as prime minister in 2023 in favour of his son, Hun Manet.[6]
Originally named Hun Bunal at his birth on 5 August 1952, he adopted the name Hun Sen in 1972, following his enlistment as a soldier in the Khmer Rouge two years earlier.[7][8] During the Cambodian Civil War, he served as a battalion commander for the Khmer Rouge until his defection in 1977.[7] After Vietnam's 1979 invasion of Cambodia, Hun Sen became the world's youngest foreign minister at age 26.[3] His sixth term election in 2018 occurred after the Supreme Court had dissolved the main opposition party.[6]
What the cited sources add
Human Rights Watch urged donors and Cambodian officials to press for reforms so that no leader can systematically violate human rights.[3] The Guardian reported that Thailand severed ties with Cambodia after riots in which the Thai embassy was burned.[9] The Guardian stated that Hun Sen publicly criticized a Thai actress and ordered a boycott of Thai goods.[9] The ABC reported that Cambodia recorded zero deaths from COVID-19 as of December 2020.[10]
The ABC stated that Hun Sen downplayed the threat of the virus in the early days of the pandemic.[10] During the coronavirus outbreak, Hun Sen traveled to Beijing to demonstrate solidarity with China.[11] His initial intention was to visit Wuhan, the outbreak's epicenter.[11]
References
- Wikipedia, "Hun Sen" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Cambodia's prime minister has wrecked a 25-year push for democracy", The Economist, 12 October 2017; "Cambodia's Hun Sen to resign after four decades and appoint son as PM", BBC News, 26 July 2023; "Cambodia's Hun Sen, Asia's longest serving leader, says he'll step down and his son will take over", Associated Press, 26 July 2023 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Hun Sen" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Biographies", seasite.niu.edu; "Hun Sen Seeks to Legitimize His Seizure of Power", archive.nytimes.com; Benzaquen-Gautier, "Competing axes, rival dynasties: The new Kingdom of Cambodia", Urban Studies, 6 December 2025; "Cambodia: PM's son Hun Manet appointed next ruler in royal formality", 7 August 2023; "Cambodia Vows Fierce Fight against Thailand in Escalating Border Conflict", Jakarta Globe; "Cambodia: Hun Sen's dynasty consolidates grip on power", dw.com; "Hun Sen: Cambodia election result confirms expected win for PM", 5 August 2023; Hutt en.wikipedia.org
- "30 Years of Hun Sen", Human Rights Watch, 12 January 2015. facts only, no text reused. hrw.org
- Wikipedia, "Hun Sen" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Branigin, "PHNOM PENH REJECTS RESULTS OF ELECTION", Washington Post, 11 June 1993 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Hun Sen" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Cambodian Parliament launches era of one-party rule", The Straits Times, 5 September 2018; "Hun Sen Elected President of Ruling Cambodian People's Party", Radio Free Asia, 22 June 2015; Nachemson, "EU Partially Withdraws Cambodia Trade Deal Amid Rights Concerns", thediplomat.com; Campbell, "In Cambodia, China Fuels Deadly Illegal Logging Trade", 14 May 2013 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Hun Sen" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Cambodia: Hun Sen re-elected in landslide victory after brutal crackdown", The Guardian, 29 July 2018; "Prime Minister Hun Sen announces resignation", Khmer Times, 26 July 2023; "Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen to step down, hand over power to son Hun Manet", SPH Media Limited, November 21, 2024 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Hun Sen" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "30 Years of Hun Sen", Human Rights Watch, 12 January 2015; Strangio, "Hun Sen's Cambodia", Yale University Press, 2014 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Hun Sen" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Cambodian PM to change his official date of birth-Xinhua", 17 May 2022; Mehta, "Strongman: The Extraordinary Life of Hun Sen: The Extraordinary Life of Hun Sen", Marshall Cavendish International Asia Pte Ltd, 2013, p. 62, 73 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- "Thais cut links with Cambodia after riots", the Guardian, 31 January 2003. facts only, no text reused. theguardian.com
- "At first Cambodians couldn't believe their COVID-19 numbers. Now they do", www.abc.net.au, 3 December 2020. facts only, no text reused. abc.net.au
- Tiezzi, "China and Cambodia: Love in the Time of Coronavirus", thediplomat.com. facts only, no text reused. thediplomat.com
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Hun Sen (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
More in Asian & Middle Eastern Monarchs & Strongmen
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Hun Sen (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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