hun manet phd thesis

• Environment
• The Weekly Dispatch
• Support The Daily

In Search of Hun Manet’s Bristol University PhD Thesis

In 2009, Cambodia’s new prime minister was awarded a doctorate in economics – but it is nearly impossible to access his thesis.

The PhD thesis written by Hun Manet, who took over as Cambodian prime minister from his father Hun Sen last month, is harder to obtain than you might think.

Hun Manet was awarded a PhD by Bristol University in the U.K. in 2009 for his dissertation entitled, “What determines the firm size distribution and structural integration? A cross-county study.”

The thesis supervisor Jonathan Temple, who has since left the university, told me that the work was an econometric study of firm-size distribution measuring the relative importance of small and medium-sized companies across different countries. It was not, Temple added, specifically about Cambodia. The role of the supervisor is to oversee the progress of the research, and in no case would a supervisor be among the examiners who decide whether a PhD is awarded.

In full: https://thediplomat.com/2023/09/in-search-of-hun-manets-bristol-university-phd-thesis/

Related Stories

At least 20 arrested in cambodia for protests against economic pact, cambodia-china people-to-people exchange year: a catalyst for fostering cultural diplomacy, chinese cash paves the way for complicated cambodian development, latest news, for young cambodians, a mobile history lesson from a dark time, cambodia rice exporters urged to be eu esg-compliant, cambodian pm hun manet extends angkor wat opening hours to boost tourism, cambodians lost $40 million to online scams in 1h24, minister reports, cambodia welcomes return of looted treasures from us.

The biggest news shaping Cambodia delivered to your inbox every Friday at 11:30am.

12 japanese taken into protective custody in cambodia, two cambodians held for plotting to overthrow govt, hun manet: in his father’s long shadow, popular posts, cambodia’s ‘lords’ form union under hun sen ahead of polls, un chief implicitly criticizes cambodia’s upcoming elections after top opposition party ban, foreign ministry says anwar unaware of cambodian opposition figure’s entry, cambodia disqualifies main opposition party ahead of election, sea games 2023: it’s time to party, cambodia, popular categories.

• Business 3154
• Politics 2867
• Today’s Top News 1680
• Health 1367
• Lifestyle 1272
• Environment 965
• In Brief 950

The Cambodia Daily is an independent non-profit digital news service for Cambodia and Cambodians.

Contact us: editor at cambodiadaily dot com

© 2024 The Cambodia Daily LLC

• Support The Cambodia Daily
• Weekly Dispatch

Never see this again.

University of Bristol graduate Hun Manet set to become Cambodia's next prime minister

He has been appointed as the next leader of the country's dominant political party

• 14:26, 29 DEC 2021

Sign up to our daily newsletter for the latest local and breaking news in Bristol.

We have more newsletters

A University of Bristol graduate is set to become the next prime minister of Cambodia.

Hun Manet was officially appointed to succeed his father, Hun Sen, as the next leader of the country's main political party after a vote last week, the Guardian reported.

The Cambodian People’s party (CPP), which holds every parliamentary seat in the South East Asian country, voted unanimously for the 44-year-old to become the next head of the party.

READ MORE: Bristol expects 'Welsh invasion' on New Year's Eve as covid rules divide nations

In 2017, the main opposition party was dissolved by the country's supreme court amid accusations of a plot to overthrow the government, a move which critics called the "end of true democracy" in Cambodia.

However, it means that Hun Manet will almost definitely be Cambodia's next prime minister.

Hun Manet graduated with a doctorate in economics at the University of Bristol in 2008 . His dissertation was published in 2009 and can be found on the university's website .

His father has said that he intends to stay in power for another 10 years, so it is unclear when Hun Manet will take over from him.

He has been “groomed to succeed his father who has ruled the country for more than three decades using a combination of corruption and repression”, according to Dr Lee Morgenbesser, a senior lecturer at Griffith University’s school of government and international relations in Australia.

He told the Guardian that “while there will be a temptation to label Hun Manet as some sort of progressive or reformer, he has done nothing to deserve the benefit of the doubt”.

“He is merely the next dictator,” he says. “Since returning from the United States … he has been busy cultivating support within the CPP, winning the backing of the security apparatus, building ties with the business community, and helping to eliminate the political opposition. This should tell us all we need to know.”

In Transparency International’s 2020 Corruption Perceptions Index, Cambodia is ranked at 160 out of 180 countries.

However, Kheang Un, professor of political science at Northern Illinois University, said Hun Manet is seen as a “clean politician” and that he "is known to be well educated, competent, down to earth, and friendly".

Get the best stories about the things you love most curated by us and delivered to your inbox every day. Choose what you love here

• University of Bristol
• Most Recent

An Open Letter to Cambodia’s Hun Manet About His PhD Thesis

• Select a language for the TTS:
• UK English Female
• UK English Male
• US English Female
• US English Male
• Australian Female
• Australian Male
• Language selected: (auto detect) - EN
• What if this news was read by Eminem? - Join our Doodle Experiment
• Thediplomat

Play all audios:

Read The Diplomat, Know The Asia-Pacific

Despite repeated requests, Bristol University has refused to release the Cambodian leader’s doctoral thesis in economics.

Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Manet addresses the National Assembly after it confirmed his accession to the country’s top office, August 22, 2023.

Prime Minister Dr. Hun Manet,

At present, your PhD thesis, completed at Bristol University in 2009, sits gathering dust on a shelf in a library building in southwest Britain.

No one reads it and no one is allowed to photocopy it. Neither is it possible to transfer it to any other academic library. The thesis is literally kept under lock and key.

In early August, I made a request to the university under British freedom of information legislation to be allowed to make a copy of your thesis. Unpublished academic theses can be released under British law if this is deemed to be in the public interest. Given your position as prime minister of a least developed country, the public interest grounds for releasing your research, which I understand concerns small and medium-sized businesses, is clear. For many poor countries, as you know, small business growth is the most realistic engine of mass job creation.

My request was refused by the university. You said in a public speech on November 2 that you are willing to provide your thesis on request. The following day, I received notification from the university that my appeal of their original decision had also been refused.

I have contacted your press office to request a copy of the thesis but have not yet received a reply. Bristol University has contacted you to ask for permission to digitize your thesis, but as yet they don’t have an answer either.

I have relayed the latest decision from the university to your press office, again without reply. With the process of trying to obtain the thesis from the university now exhausted, the only possible further avenue is an appeal to the British government’s Information Commissioner.

There is everything to be gained by making the fruits of your years of research publicly available. This would allow expert public discussion which, in the case of most academic theses, allows knowledge in the subject area to move forward.

The implications of your research for the Cambodian economy could be evaluated and very possibly improved by specialists, including Cambodians, who have devoted their whole working lives to the subject. I hope that you will make it available by any convenient method as soon as possible.

Editor’s note: shortly after the publication of this open letter, Prime Minister Hun Manet issued a response and released his PhD thesis. The thesis is available for download here.

Understand the Asia-Pacific's biggest issues with a The Diplomat subscription.

David Whitehouse, PhD, is a freelance journalist in Paris.

Trending News

Ces 2019: lg & microsoft partner for self-driving cars.

LG and Microsoft have announced a partnership to further grow LG’s advancements in autonomous vehicle and infotainment s...

[Withdrawn] CH41 1HW, Holiferm Manufacturing Limited: environmental permit application advertisement - EPR/JP3042YJ/A001 - GOV.UK

The consultation period for this application has ended. You can view current licences on the Public Registers.The Enviro...

The First 8 Weeks – WABE

WABE’s mission is simple: “Inform, inspire, reflect and empower our greater Atlanta community. ” We do that through the ...

Aero India 2011: Is India flying back into Russia’s arms?

Weather update: IMD issues heavy rainfall alert for several states; check full state-wise forecast for upcoming weekFarh...

Nicholas Parsons: ’The Just a Minute pilot was so awful the BBC didn’t want it’

I'm complimented for calling on the dot of 10.30 as arranged and he is charming throughout our interview. Even when he h...

Xiaomi Smarter Living 2020: Mi Watch SE Teased Ahead of Launch

RT🔄 if you have been waiting for this one. pic.twitter.com/h5FJIHsecz— Mi India #SmarterLiving2021 (@XiaomiIndia) Septem...

Latest News

Read The Diplomat, Know The Asia-PacificDespite repeated requests, Bristol University has refused to release the Cambodi...

Review: Omar Souleyman, 'Bahdeni Nami' | WFAE 90.7 - Charlotte's NPR News Source

Review: Omar Souleyman, 'Bahdeni Nami' By Andy Beta Published July 15, 2015 at 11:03 PM EDT Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Em...

We answer more of your tax questions

THANK you to the many readers who have sent in questions following our income tax helpsheet last month.Unfortunately we ...

IGNOU January 2021 Session Re-registration Date Extended Till March 31: Here’s How to Apply

IGNOU July Session Admission 2024: Registration Begins; Know How To Apply, Fee And Eligibility...

3-2-1 Liftoff! San Diego Middle-Schoolers Treated to Space Camp in Alabama - Times of San Diego

Three San Diego middle-schoolers attended the U.S. Space and Rocket Center Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama, on full sc...

alice potts uses sweat and urine to engineer new biological accessories

alice potts’ collection, ‘perspire,’ comprises sports equipment and fashion materials with crystallized objects, compose...

Microfinance and the Politics of Development

An Open Letter to Cambodia’s Hun Manet About His PhD Thesis

The UK's Bristol University has asked Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet for permission to digitise his PhD thesis completed in 2009. Hun Manet has said publicly that he will release the thesis on request, but so far hasn't taken any steps to do so.

Thanks for reading Microfinance and Development! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

My open letter to Hun Manet appears in The Diplomat .

An Open Letter to Cambodia’s Hun Manet About His PhD Thesis – The Diplomat

Ready for more?

Theses and dissertations

The library holds a large number of Bristol theses and dissertations, including many PhD and doctoral theses. Read our advice about how to locate theses from other institutions, both in the UK and internationally .

University of Bristol theses and dissertations

To find a University of Bristol thesis:

• If the thesis is held in the Research Reserve, it can be requested using the 'reserve a copy' button.
• If the thesis is held in the Research Reserve, use the online request form to request it.
• See below for details of how to access theses held in our other library sites.
• Recently submitted theses may be listed on Explore Bristol Research  though information about these is regularly added to Library Search.

Arts and Social Sciences

The collection includes theses from Arts Faculty, Social Sciences and Law Faculty, Physics, Mathematics, Biological Sciences, Geographical Sciences, Agricultural Science and the School for Policy Studies.

MA, MSc, MPhil and MLitts do not have to be deposited with the library under the Regulations, so our collections of these are incomplete. 

How to consult a thesis

• Arts and Social Sciences theses are now held in the Library's Research Reserve.  See 'to find a University of Bristol thesis' section above for details of how to request.
• We will notify you when the thesis arrives at the library.
• Thesis loans are for use in the Arts and Social Sciences Library only.

School of Chemistry PhD, MSc and DSc theses from 1910 to date.

Thesis loans are for use in the Chemistry Library only, though postgraduates with seats may keep a thesis at their desk. You may ask if a particular thesis can be kept behind the Issue desk if you will be using it repeatedly for a period of time. Other theses are kept in a Library Staff room and are not available during the evenings.

School of Education EdD, PhD, MPhil, and a selection of Masters theses. Many theses written before 2005 are located in the Research Reserve.

• The MSc and Masters theses are located in the Quiet Study Area;
• The MPhil, PhD and EdDs are located in Research Reserve.  See 'to find a University of Bristol thesis' section above for details of how to request.

The thesis collection from the Medical Library has been relocated to the library's Research Reserve. The collection includes: PhD, MD, MSc, ChM and DSc theses of staff and postgraduate students of the Health Sciences Faculty, from 1910 to date.

A card catalogue in the Medical Library contains details of the earlier theses, or you may check the  Card Catalogue Online .

• See 'to find a University of Bristol thesis' section above for details of how to request.
• We will notify you when the thesis arrives at the library;
• Theses are for use in the Medical Library only and you will be asked to sign a register.

School of Physics PhD, MSc and DSc theses from 1950 to date, with a few earlier ones. BSc and MSci projects are also held.

A card catalogue in the Physics Library contains details of the earlier ones.

• Ask at the Issue Desk to borrow a thesis, quoting author, year and category;
• Theses may be borrowed by staff and postgraduates as standard loans;
• Undergraduates may use theses in the library only;
• BSc and MSci projects may be borrowed by undergraduates: for the standard loan period.

Queens (Engineering, Mathematics, Computer science)

Engineering and Mathematics PhD theses are held in the Research Reserve, including Computer Science theses before the Department transferred to the Faculty of Engineering.  See 'to find a University of Bristol thesis' section above for details of how to request these.

A card catalogue, on the right beyond the Issue desk, contains details of pre-1978 theses.

• It can take 2-3 working days for a thesis to arrive and you will be notified when they are available;
• PhD theses may not be borrowed by undergraduates; taught postgraduates or external members but may be consulted in the library.

MSc Projects

• Some early Engineering MSc projects (1914-1950) are available from the Research Reserve - please contact your  Subject Librarian

Undergraduate projects

• Individual and group projects from 2015/16 - 2019/20 academic years for Civil and Mechanical Engineering are available on the open shelves in the Gallery.
• Early projects from 1920 to 1949 have been moved to  Special Collections  in the  Arts and Social Sciences Library

Veterinary Sciences

MSc Meat Science theses from 1979 to date and a small number of PhD theses. The majority of veterinary sciences PhD theses are housed in the Research Reserve.  See 'to find a University of Bristol thesis' section above for details of how to request.

Theses are shelved in the Computer Room and are for use in the library only.

Wills Memorial (Law, Earth Sciences)

Collections of both Law and Earth Sciences theses.

Theses are confined to the library; please ask at the information desk if you wish to borrow one.

UK and international theses

Information about many UK and international theses can be found via  Library Search . If the thesis you are interested in is not available online, you can use our  inter-Library Loan service . Non-UK theses can be difficult to obtain: in some countries, universities are working together to make full text electronic collections available:

• Electronic Theses Online Service (EThOS)  - a service provided by the British Library
• DART - Europe e-theses Portal
• Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (NDLTD)
• PQDT Open  - open access dissertations and theses
• PQDT Global  -  a collection of dissertations and theses from around the world

Submit a thesis

Advice on how to submit a thesis for a higher degree can be found on the  Presenting and submitting your dissertation for examination  page. Information on how to submit a thesis to the library can be found on the Library's own Thesis Guidance  pages.

Download EAC News App

After Public Call-Out, PM Releases University Theses

• ដោយ Kristen Winters
• Posted Nov 10, 2023 14:26 by Kristen Winters
• type National

PHNOM PENH: On November 8, freelance journalist David Whitehouse published an open letter to Prime Minister Hun Manet, detailing his arduous attempt to get a hold of the PM’s doctoral thesis from his time as an Economics major at the UK’s Bristol University. The journalist said that the thesis was kept “under lock and key” and that multiple attempts through the university and the Prime Minister’s own press office failed to produce the document.

Prime Minister Hun Manet has faced scrutiny about his education in the past, starting with his time at West Point Military Academy, which opposition leader Sam Rainsy said was only made possible because of his father’s position as the Cambodian prime minister. Hun Manet was the first Cambodian to graduate from the prestigious academy in 1999 and said that his acceptance to the school was based on merit, not on connections.

The Prime Minister went on to graduate from New York University with a masters in Economics in 2001, followed by a doctorate from Bristol University in 2009.

Prime Minister Hun Manet responded to the open letter on the same day, providing a free download to his thesis and questioning the journalist’s intentions. He said he did not recall ever asking Bristol University to keep his thesis confidential and claimed that he had given it out to a number of people in the past upon request. He did not mention Mr. Whitehouse’s request to his press office for copies of the thesis.

He finished by linking both his masters and doctoral theses for the public to read. His master’s thesis was on the subject of land rights, while his doctorate focused on the small and medium enterprise sector.

Related News

EAC TV is now available to download on your smart TV

Cambodian Commerce Minister Advocates for Increased Global Investment

PM Confirms 35 Pagodas in the Angkor Area Will Not Be Demolished

Russia to Enhance Cooperation with Preah Sihanouk Provincial Authority for Further Development

• Technologies
• Entertainment

The Debate | Opinion

Despite repeated requests, Bristol University has refused to release the Cambodian leader’s doctoral thesis in economics.

Prime Minister Dr. Hun Manet,

At present, your PhD thesis, completed at Bristol University in 2009, sits gathering dust on a shelf in a library building in southwest Britain.

No one reads it and no one is allowed to photocopy it. Neither is it possible to transfer it to any other academic library. The thesis is literally kept under lock and key.

In early August, I made a request to the university under British freedom of information legislation to be allowed to make a copy of your thesis. Unpublished academic theses can be released under British law if this is deemed to be in the public interest. Given your position as prime minister of a least developed country, the public interest grounds for releasing your research, which I understand concerns small and medium-sized businesses, is clear. For many poor countries, as you know, small business growth is the most realistic engine of mass job creation.

My request was refused by the university. You said in a public speech on November 2 that you are willing to provide your thesis on request. The following day, I received notification from the university that my appeal of their original decision had also been refused.

I have contacted your press office to request a copy of the thesis but have not yet received a reply. Bristol University has contacted you to ask for permission to digitize your thesis, but as yet they don’t have an answer either.

I have relayed the latest decision from the university to your press office, again without reply. With the process of trying to obtain the thesis from the university now exhausted, the only possible further avenue is an appeal to the British government’s Information Commissioner.

There is everything to be gained by making the fruits of your years of research publicly available. This would allow expert public discussion which, in the case of most academic theses, allows knowledge in the subject area to move forward.

The implications of your research for the Cambodian economy could be evaluated and very possibly improved by specialists, including Cambodians, who have devoted their whole working lives to the subject. I hope that you will make it available by any convenient method as soon as possible.

Study finds that conscious consumption is leading the trend in foodtech

The diplomat: strategic implications and challenges ahead, combatting financial crimes on modern internet platforms, most popular, united arab emirates’ ministry of foreign affairs issue statement on discussions regarding the sudan crisis, a closer look at the data: exploring the complex story behind concerns of football deterioration among coaches, sony introduces soneium blockchain to drive web3 adoption in the mainstream, working dinner between foreign ministers of japan and south africa, 12 must-know update for the 2024 college football season before kickoff, editor picks, opinion: erling haaland’s response to simon hooper’s actions as seen through our writer’s lens, oceanic enterprises riding the tide with impressive funding, innovation, and expansion, uganda’s honourable oryem okello holds meeting with republic of korea’s deputy minister of foreign affairs chung byung-won in seoul, popular posts, one question looms as team usa women aim for their eighth consecutive gold, energy week 2024 – nog, the role of japan as a connector between asean and the oecd – analysis by the diplomat, popular category.

• Africa 1052
• Sports 1044
• Entertainment 26

© Dlatestscoop.org

• Work & Careers
• Life & Arts

Hun Manet’s path to power contrasts with father’s Khmer Rouge past

To read this article for free, register now.

Once registered, you can: • Read free articles • Get our Editor's Digest and other newsletters • Follow topics and set up personalised events • Access Alphaville: our popular markets and finance blog

Explore more offers.

Then $75 per month. Complete digital access to quality FT journalism. Cancel anytime during your trial.

FT Digital Edition

Today's FT newspaper for easy reading on any device. This does not include ft.com or FT App access.

• Global news & analysis
• Expert opinion

Standard Digital

Essential digital access to quality FT journalism on any device. Pay a year upfront and save 20%.

• FT App on Android & iOS
• FT Edit app
• FirstFT: the day's biggest stories
• 20+ curated newsletters
• Follow topics & set alerts with myFT
• FT Videos & Podcasts

Terms & Conditions apply

Explore our full range of subscriptions.

Why the ft.

See why over a million readers pay to read the Financial Times.

The Weekly Dispatch

Hun Manet Reveals His PhD, Chinese Hackers Hit Hard, Police Puncture Nitrous Parties

Good morning, cambodia. it's friday, november 10, and this is your weekly dispatch..

PARTY OVER: Chea Mony and Rong Chhun are synonymous with the political opposition. The labor leaders this week quit the Candlelight Party and joined the newly formed Nation Power Party. Is this a new era — or a last hurrah? 

RED LINES: Personal debt soared to more than $14 billion in the third quarter, equal to roughly $870 for every Cambodian. More than 50% was tied to property loans, with banks, families and more fearing an ever-ominous bubble.

FEVER PITCH: Prince Norodom Amarithivong and relatives in the Royal Family have invested in a top Thai football club. The prince is promising joint ventures, while outraged local fans want that money spent on home teams. 

So much for “iron-clad” friendships.

Chinese cyberspies have hacked into the networks of at least two dozen Cambodian government agencies, including the Ministry of Defense, giving diplomatic migraines to Hun Manet’s fledgling administration. 

The new prime minister has no good counter moves. He can remain silent and pretend the cyber attacks never happened, or downplay it with assurances that Cambodia has nothing to hide. Protesting, which could risk billions in annual loans and investments, is out of the question.

Critically, the government’s computers remain compromised , and while officials would typically turn to China in times of need, all they can do now is look the other way in embarrassment.

Tourist Trap

The latest tourism figures are wildly misleading.

According to the topline numbers, Cambodia recorded nearly 4 million tourist arrivals over the first nine months of the year, up more than 210% compared to 2022. The figure suggests the tourism industry is well on its way to recovery — but that’s simply not the case.

Angkor Wat, the Kingdom’s premier tourism destination, recorded a mere 602,570 foreign visitors through October, or about 67% less than the 2.2 million counted in 2019, before the pandemic.

A full recovery, analysts predict, is still years away.

Money Trees

Environmental experts are calling on the government to return land taken under the long-failed policy of economic land concessions .

Around 2.25 million hectares, nearly 15% of the country, remains under the control of concessionaires more than a decade after the government stopped the program, which promised jobs and economic growth but yielded little more than mass forced evictions and deforestation.

Most of those hectares now lay unused and fallow, abandoned and stripped of valuable trees. Allowing locals to farm the areas would relieve untold hardships, experts say, while potentially pumping millions into the economy.

TALKING POINTS

Paper Chase

Hun Manet, after weeks of shirty online speculation , publicly released his PhD dissertation , “What Determines the Firm Size Distribution and

Structural Integration? A Cross-Country Study.” The paper explores the workings of small- and medium-sized businesses, although it does not look specifically at Cambodia. Critics had accused the prime minister of keeping the work confidential. Instead, he welcomed their feedback.

Two prominent Candlelight Party leaders called it quits, dealing a significant blow to the Kingdom’s main opposition group. Chea Mony and Rong Chhun , heavyweights of the organized labor movement, jumped ship with several colleagues to the little known Nation Power Party, a move that likely signifies a new era in opposition politics — one without Sam Rainsy or Kem Sokha.

Damage Done

The Ministry of Environment vowed greater scrutiny of new mining projects, acknowledging that commercial interests needed balancing against cultural and ecological concerns. Keo Rattanak, the minister of mines and energy, lamented the long row of quarries along National Road 4 and said mountains with religious or cultural significance must be protected.

Consumers racked up a record $14.3 billion in debt in the third quarter, or about $870 for every man, woman and child in the Kingdom. More than half is tied to mortgages in the troubled real estate sector. The World Bank suggests such high debt levels are risky, and insiders say several banks are struggling under the weight of bad loans.

Cambodia deported 25 Japanese nationals arrested in September for allegedly running an international phone scam ring. The U.N. estimates 100,000 people are involved in the Kingdom’s notorious cyber scam industry, which operates under the protection of well-connected tycoons and corrupt police.

Penalty Kick

Fans are furious with the Cambodian royals who invested in a Thai football club. The group, led by Prince Norodom Amarithivong, signed a joint venture with Police Tero, a team in Thailand’s top division. The prince said collaborations with Cambodian teams were in the works, and local players would gain valuable experience in Thailand.

Police raided the Number 9 club on Bassac Lane during a weekend crackdown on “happy balloons” filled with nitrous oxide, briefly detaining more than 100 patrons, including several foreigners. Cambodia has no laws restricting the use of nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas, but authorities are pushing to ban it after a surge in recreational use.

BACKPAGES: From The Cambodia Daily Vault

Brothels to Remain Open During Water Festival Weekend

November 6, 2003 Phnom Penh’s brothels will be allowed to remain open through the weekend, despite having been ordered to close during previous Water Festivals, city officials said Tuesday.

Gary Glitter Sues Ministry of Women’s Affairs for Defamation

November 5, 2003 Gary Glitter, the British glam-rock legend whose career lurched to an abrupt halt in 1999 after he was convicted on child pornography charges, is suing the Ministry of Women’s and Veterans’ Affairs for defamation, his lawyer said Tuesday.

Drivers Open Fire on City Boulevard

November 4, 2003 A Sunday evening dance-floor scuffle led to the second shooting in six days involving children of powerful Phnom Penh families, police officials said Monday.

WEEKEND READING

They opened the door. The dictators were waiting.

Sarada Taing was worried sick. A U.S. citizen who was born in Cambodia, he was running from Washington an online, independent news broadcast for audiences in Cambodia and around the world. On his weekday Khmer-language video talk show, which draws between 50,000 and 80,000 viewers, he airs investigative reports on corruption, money laundering, land grabs, deforestation, human rights abuses and human trafficking — challenging the authoritarian government.

Photos: Hacker, public domain. Hun Manet, Facebook. Send comments to [email protected]

Ready for more?

SAM Rainsy សហស្ថាបនិកគណបក្សសង្គ្រោះជាតិ

លិខិតចំហផ្ញើជូនលោក ហ៊ុន ម៉ាណែត នាយករដ្ឋមន្ត្រីកម្ពុជាអំពីនិក្ខេបបទបញ្ចប់ថ្នាក់បណ្ឌិតរបស់គាត់ / An Open Letter to Cambodia’s Hun Manet About His PhD Thesis

០៨ វិច្ឆិកា ២០២៣ / 08 November 2023 

By  David Whitehouse  - November 08, 2023

ទោះបីជាមានការស្នើសុំម្តងហើយម្តងទៀតក៏ដោយ សាកលវិទ្យាល័យ Bristol បានបដិសេធមិនបញ្ចេញនិក្ខេបបទថ្នាក់បណ្ឌិតផ្នែកសេដ្ឋកិច្ចរបស់មេដឹកនាំកម្ពុជា។

Despite repeated requests, Bristol University has refused to release the Cambodian leader’s doctoral thesis in economics.

Prime Minister Dr. Hun Manet,

At present, your PhD thesis, completed at Bristol University in 2009, sits gathering dust on a shelf in a library building in southwest Britain.

No one reads it and no one is allowed to photocopy it. Neither is it possible to transfer it to any other academic library. The thesis is literally kept under lock and key.

Most theses are readily available to be read by interested researchers everywhere. You will have needed to read many completed theses yourself in the course of your studies.

In early August, I made a request to the university under British freedom of information legislation to be allowed to make a copy of your thesis. Unpublished academic theses can be released under British law if this is deemed to be in the public interest. Given your position as prime minister of a least developed country, the public interest grounds for releasing your research, which I understand concerns small and medium-sized businesses, is clear. For many poor countries, as you know, small business growth is the most realistic engine of mass job creation.

My request was refused by the university. You said in a public speech on November 2 that you are willing to provide your thesis on request. The following day, I received notification from the university that my appeal of their original decision had also been refused.

I have contacted your press office to request a copy of the thesis but have not yet received a reply. Bristol University has contacted you to ask for permission to digitize your thesis, but as yet they don’t have an answer either.

I have relayed the latest decision from the university to your press office, again without reply. With the process of trying to obtain the thesis from the university now exhausted, the only possible further avenue is an appeal to the British government’s Information Commissioner.

There is everything to be gained by making the fruits of your years of research publicly available. This would allow expert public discussion which, in the case of most academic theses, allows knowledge in the subject area to move forward.

The implications of your research for the Cambodian economy could be evaluated and very possibly improved by specialists, including Cambodians, who have devoted their whole working lives to the subject. I hope that you will make it available by any convenient method as soon as possible.

Source:   https://thediplomat.com/2023/11/an-open-letter-to-cambodias-hun-manet-about-his-phd-thesis/

ព័ត៌មានថ្មីបំផុត

Read The Diplomat , Know The Asia-Pacific

• Central Asia
• Southeast Asia
• Environment
• Asia Defense
• China Power
• Crossroads Asia
• Flashpoints
• Pacific Money
• Tokyo Report
• Trans-Pacific View

Photo Essays

• Write for Us
• Subscriptions

Hun Manet’s Cambodia?

Recent features.

The Rise, Decline, and Possible Resurrection of China’s Confucius Institutes

Nowhere to Go: Myanmar’s Exiled Journalists in Thailand

Trump 2.0 Would Get Mixed Responses in the Indo-Pacific

Why Thaksin Could Help Hasten a Middle-Class Revolution in Thailand

Can the Bangladesh Police Recover? 

The Lingering Economic Consequences of Sri Lanka’s Civil War

What’s Driving Lithuania’s Challenge to China?

Hun Manet: In His Father’s Long Shadow

Afghanistan: A Nation Deprived, a Future Denied

In Photos: Life of IDPs in Myanmar’s Rakhine State

Indian Government’s Intensifying Attack on Scientific Temperament Worries Scientists

Beyond Tariffs: Unveiling the Geopolitics of Electric Vehicles Through Supply Chains

Manet’s path to security in power will be difficult, as he is forced to carefully navigate the system his father built and, to a large degree, still controls.

Hun Manet, foreground, a son of Cambodia Prime Minister Hun Sen, waves his supporters as he leads a procession to mark the end of an election campaign of Cambodian People’s Party, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on July 21, 2023.

For the first time in nearly four decades, Cambodia has a new prime minister. In August, Hun Sen, Cambodia’s leader since late 1984, stepped aside to make way for his eldest son, Hun Manet. The succession represents a new era for the country in terms of symbolic change at the top, but in the medium term at least it appears to offer mostly continuity in change, as Manet inherits – and will be forced to navigate – the system that Hun Sen and his generation created and are attempting to pass to their children. 

This is not without perils for the new leader. Manet must attempt to build his own support among the country’s elite and ensure that he keeps a lid on discontent from below at a time of growing economic uncertainty, all while trying to assert his authority and emerge from his father’s shadow.

Hun Manet and Cambodia’s Elite Politics

Hun Manet’s ascension to the top job marks the realization of a process of hereditary succession that has been underway for several years. Power transitions in authoritarian regimes are potentially destabilizing, absent competitive elections and a democratic process through which power passes to a new generation of leaders. In systems like Cambodia’s, where power has been personalized to a significant degree under Hun Sen, the threat of instability is enhanced. As personalist leaders consolidate their positions, they necessarily sideline competitors and seek to undermine institutions that could provide a counterbalance to their rule. As a corollary, this can leave a vacuum in power and potential for a chaotic grab for control among rival elites as the preeminent leader’s time in power comes to an end Hereditary succession, which promises continuity amid change, can provide the opportunity to ensure elite buy-in and smooth over the cracks in such a system, but it nevertheless must be carefully managed.

For a long time, it had been clear that Hun Sen was preparing the ground for Manet to take power. His approach balanced the interests of potential powerbrokers within the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) and forestalled threats to Manet by also promoting the children of the elite into positions of power. The goal has been to ensure that all are invested in the system’s survival, while maintaining the preeminence of the Hun family. 

Thus, hereditary succession is being repeated broadly across government, with a dizzying number of new cabinet members having familial links to their predecessors. These appointments serve to institutionalize the political family as a factor in Cambodia’s governance structure, which has been further embedded through the intermarriage of the elite. Important military figures who are still young have been further ensconced in their positions of power, and their relatives have been granted a route to political prominence.

Do Cambodia’s 2023 Elections Matter?

By astrid norén-nilsson.

By Markus Karbaum

Cambodia’s Former PM Sues Rights Activist For Defamation

By sebastian strangio.

Cambodian PM Hun Manet’s Rise to the Top of the CPP Leadership

By chhengpor aun.

By Aleksander Lust

A Gen-Z Revolution in Pakistan Will Have to Wait

By abdul basit.

Indonesia’s Bold Bid to Become a Semiconductor Hub

By patrick kurniawan.

By Rajeev Bhattacharyya

By Si-yuan Li and Kenneth King

By Hailun Li

By Derek Grossman

By Jason Johnson

Accessibility links

• Skip to main content
• Skip to main Navigation
• Skip to Search

Analysis: Hun Manet's Path to Power to Be Cemented At Historic CPP Gathering

• Aun Chhengpor

For the first time in more than 30 years, Cambodia’s ruling party is set to select a new prime minister candidate when its central committee convenes on Christmas Eve to vote on Prime Minister Hun Sen’s proposal for his eldest son, Army Chief Lt. Gen. Hun Manet, to succeed him.

The prime minister is framing the succession, which would take place after 2028, as a generational transition of Cambodia’s political leadership. The old guard will step aside to be replaced by their progeny — with the Hun family still atop the ruling party apparatus. It would also likely cement Hun Manet as his 69-year-old father’s heir apparent should anything happen before then.

Analysts say the meeting of the 800-plus-member central committee will likely be the culmination of Hun Sen’s decades of consolidating control within the party, though it also risks exposing rare public rifts between senior party leaders.

“Hun Sen’s endorsement indicates and projects him speaking from a position of strength,” said Astrid Norén-Nilsson, a senior lecturer who studies Cambodian politics at Lund University in Sweden.

Norén-Nilsson notes the ruling party’s succession event is taking place right after the apparent meltdown of the main opposition coalition, the Cambodia National Rescue Party, already outlawed by the CPP loyalists-led Supreme Court.

“More generally speaking, now is a good and relatively quiet time to rally support around Manet, before going into the next electoral cycle,” she added. “For Hun Sen, it is certainly preferable to avoid the uncertainties generated by opening for an interim power-holder. Handing over directly to Manet means a greatly reduced risk of messy complications and the development of new and entangled agendas within the party.”

Hun Sen set the upcoming succession vote in motion after the December 2 speech in which he made his first public endorsement of Manet to succeed him as prime minister. However, the prime minister, who has been in power since 1985, seemingly prepared for this moment since becoming president of the party following Chea Sim’s death in 2015.

In early 2015, before Hun Sen’s takeover, the party’s central committee was composed of about 200 members, according to the CPP official document as of November 5. When the committee convened on Friday, its membership stood at 833 (compared to Vietnam’s Communist Party’s central committee, which has 180 members, and the Chinese Communist Party’s central committee with 205).

“The expansion of central committee members have both bolstered the PM’s standing within the party and served his succession plan,” said Norén-Nilsson, adding that many of the new members “can now be counted on to endorse Manet.”

CPP spokesperson Suos Yara said the size of the party central committee is justified, as the country’s population has grown from about 4 million people following the Khmer Rouge to 16 million people today. “So the number is not a subject that we should analyze,” he added.

The premier’s move to install his eldest son was hardly a surprise. Hun Sen called Hun Manet a “possible future leader” in a 2018 interview with Japanese news agency Kyodo. Soon after, he was promoted to serve both as the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces’ Deputy Commander-in-Chief and the Royal Cambodian Army Commander.

After playing a key role in building CPP networks abroad, mainly in countries where the opposition has strong support from the diaspora, Manet was later included in the CPP’s all-powerful standing committee in late 2018. In 2020, he was tapped to head the party’s youth wing.

The West Point alumnus was seen in a much-talked photo with Hun Sen and Chinese President Xi Jinping during the Prime Minister’s visit to Beijing in February 2020. And Manet and his wife Pich Chanmony were active in leading a pro bono medical team to assist the pandemic response in the past year.

And yet, the power play by Hun Sen has already exposed schisms within the party’s upper echelon.

Following Hun Sen’s endorsement of Manet, messages of enthusiastic support poured in from party members, loyalists, and business leaders. However, for days, there was a conspicuous silence from Interior Minister Sar Kheng, a deputy party president who inherited the rival faction of Chea Sim. And when Sar Kheng’s message finally came on December 7, unlike the others, he did not mention Manet, instead committing to “respecting the decisions of the CPP congress and convention" regarding future prime minister candidates. Interior Ministry spokesperson Khieu Sopheak could not be reached for comment.

Hun Sen appeared to shrug off the speculation surrounding public pronouncements in a speech on Dec. 9. “Whoever supports or not via a public endorsement does not matter,” he said. “What will be valid is the party central committee convention’s resolution,” he said, which will then be voted before the full party congress.

The core members of the politburo — consisting of himself, Senate President Say Chhum, and Deputy Prime Ministers Sar Kheng, Tea Banh, and Men Sam An — approved the “reserve cabinet”, mostly consisting of the educated children of senior party members, during a meeting on December 8, Hun Sen said.

The timing of the move has led some to speculate about Hun Sen’s health. However, Suos Yara, the CPP spokesman, said the convention was scheduled to respond to the eased domestic situation surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.

“As I said, we are a family that normally the children listen to the father,” Suos Yara told VOA Khmer when asked about Manet’s candidacy.

However, Hun Manet’s allies are leaving nothing to chance, apparently worried that some wayward offspring might use the secret ballot to upset his standing at the convention, or back other candidates if there are any.

Soon after Hun Sen’s pronouncement, Manet’s aides from the party’s central youth wing came forward with a new series of pledges online that they will not only vote for Manet at the convention but will also take a photograph of their ballots as proof of “history of Cambodian political journey.”

Those aides include Heng Sour, Huot Hak, and Chrun Theravat, who are secretaries of state at labor, rural development, and parliamentary relations ministries.

Political commentator Ly Sreysrors, who leads the Young Analysts Group, said the campaigns for public support had the opposite effect of showing the internal party structure has not come “as one.”

“I dare not jump to an estimate with percentage. I dare to say that, based on the gestures and activities of some senior CPP figures, there could be some rival candidates to challenge Mr. Hun Manet as a premier candidate,” she said. “But I do think the prime minister is significantly confident that he nominates Mr. Hun Manet to the place with so much preparation that he can move to make Manet’s candidacy public.”

Sreysrors said she had mixed feelings about the new team of CPP leaders, most of whom grew up in luxury and studied abroad.

“As I said, the elevation of these offspring lacks, honestly speaking, integrity. This is a mere father-to-son power transfer. That gives me little hope for the improvement, and I think the dirty politics will continue,” Sreysrors said.

She added that if the new CPP leadership continues to weaken the ability of civil society and the public to engage politically, “they cannot lead Cambodia on a positive path.”

Cambodia's Leader Hun Sen Endorses Oldest Son as Successor

In Another Flip, Hun Sen Now Says He Will Rule Indefinitely

36 Years On, Hun Sen Faces His Final Challenge

Cambodian spolight.