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Hun Sen

Hun Sen

Senate president; acting head of state

Appears in 4 stories

Notable Quotes

Hun Sen said in a 2017 speech that he would rather see the country face instability than allow the opposition to take power.

Hun Sen confirmed he recorded the full conversation and shared it with approximately 80 officials including military leaders and party members.

"The red line has been set. Our forces must weaken and destroy the enemy through counterattacks," he posted.

Stories

Cambodia pardons opposition leader Kem Sokha

Rule Changes

Issued the royal pardon while King Norodom Sihamoni receives medical treatment abroad

Hun Sen arrested Kem Sokha in 2017, dissolved his party, then watched his own party win every parliamentary seat. On Sunday, acting as Cambodia's head of state, Hun Sen pardoned Sokha and ended a 27-year treason sentence.

Updated May 25

Thailand and Cambodia's year of border wars

Force in Play

Power behind the throne, triggered Thai political crisis

A Cambodian soldier died in a border firefight on May 28, and within two months, the countries were exchanging artillery fire and airstrikes across a dozen locations. Three ceasefires—brokered by Malaysia, pressured by Trump, and witnessed by ASEAN—have left over 100 dead and a million displaced, yet the December 27 truce may fail like the others.

Updated May 16

Thailand and Cambodia slide back into border war

Force in Play

Influential hard‑liner urging a strong military response to Thai strikes

A new ceasefire signed on December 27 has brought an uneasy pause to three weeks of fighting that killed more than 100 people and sent over half a million fleeing from their homes. Thai airstrikes, Cambodian rocket barrages, and artillery duels scorched the 817‑kilometer frontier after combat reignited on December 8, shattering Trump‑brokered peace deals from July and October.

Updated May 11

Thailand–Cambodia 2025 border crisis: from landmines and Trump-brokered ceasefire to airstrikes

Force in Play

Influential power broker urging restraint while condemning Thailand

In 2025, a long-simmering territorial dispute along the 817 km Thailand–Cambodia border reignited after a May 28 clash near Preah Vihear killed a Cambodian soldier. The incident sparked a five-day July war—at least 48 dead, about 300,000 displaced—that ended when Trump and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim brokered a ceasefire.

Updated May 10