THE SON OF THE KHMER EMPIRE

The news covering in Cambodia headlines from yesterday and today is all about the “Removal of Ke Kim Yan”. You can read them here: Cambodge Sior, RFA, Associate Press, DAP, Kohsantepheap which some are translated and posted in KI-Media and Khmerization and many others are not available on online news.

Why is it so interesting? Well, because it is about “the political power centralization of the CPP towards a long-term power controll under Hun Sen which can undermine political stability, economic development, real independence , and democratic improvement in Cambodia“.

There are two political camps in the CPP which  rival each other-The Cheasim and the Hun Sen. The Cheasim has three core leaders,  Chea Sim, Sar Kheng and Ke Kim Yan. 

 The Hun Sen has four core leaders, some are powerful and others are popular like  Hun Sen, Hok Longdy, Sok An, and Chea Sophara. And they are strugling against each anoher for  power dominant, too.

Chea Sophara was removed from his governorship for his popularity in good leadership among the CPP and the non-CPP, esp. among the students in Phom Penh. After his removal, he is appointed to an inactive position for a while in the Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction .

Hun Sen dared not deal with HoK Longdy untill his death because Hok Longdy hade his personal back from Hanoi and he was the one that stored and complicated the death and life witness of Hun Sen’s crimes. Now he is dead and Hun Sen is free.

Sok An is strong for his political strategies and advices for Hun Sen that make Hun Sen imposible without him in Cambodia besides his boss in Hanoi.  And now the power strugle between them is ended since the mariage of their children.  

Personally, Hun Sen is a power-crazy man. He hates to hear others are so strong as him, others are popular or more popular than him. And especially, he strongly hates anyone who claims to want to tople him and even asks him to resign from his power.  Please… no mention about POWER with Hun Sen. So he must stregnten himself  for future power threat.

He has established a good realtionship with many military top leaders  and  he gets many close and loyal men such as particularly Kun Kim, Mol Roeup, Meas Sophea, Hing Bun Heang and  Pol Saroeun. These five men are true friends and servants to Hun Sen. They have shared bad and good together in their political puppet career. Now he has them all around him in the very hig positions.  These men are notorously known in Cambodia for their corruption, power abuses,  and especially their honest services as determined secret agents, political safeguard, and personal protection to Hun Sen.

How about Tea Bahn? In Hun Sen’s eyes, Tea Bahn is also the trusted man and he is not removed for his weak leadership. More importantly, he never has political ambition. He is just  a weak -yes man with Hun Sen in order to maintain his position only. And the time will come when Hun Sen’s son, Hun Manet, is strong enough to take over. 

Now his camp is under his full controll and the next target is the Chea Sim. Then, Ke Kim Yan was the first to be sacked.  The move is to minimize his rival in the CPP- the Chea Sim. Morally, Ke Kim Yan has sided with the Chea Sim. Hun Sen has attempted to fire him twice since 1997  before his final sack this month, because Ke Kim Yan was the only one who dared to refuse Hun Sen’s order in the coup.

The first two attemps were failed due to the strong opposition to the removal and his strugle in his own camp. Ke Kim Yan is also ranked 14th in the CPP’s top central comittee and he is so popular in the military leadership.  Yet, the sack  is posible now because Hun Sen has already consolidate his power in his faction.

And who will be the next? 

It will be Sar Kheng.  Sar Kheng  is the most highly respected man in the CPP. He is known to be a bit moderate and more reasonable in his political leadership than any other CPP’s top leaders.  Morally, he is the most welcomed man and would recieve the most support among the Cambodians whether the CPP or the Opposition if he would be nominated as the candidate of  Prime Minister in every national election. And this has put the big threat against Hun Sen’s future power more than a decade since 1998 . 

Now Ke Kim Yan is in a dead position and the move to sack Sar Kheng will not be so dangerous for Hun Sen at all. Sar Kheng will see his fate before or after the next national election. However, he will be safe if he can stay in a low profile in order to reduce his popularity and show no power ambition  agaist Hun Sen in the CPP.

For Chea Sim, he will be just a symbol from now on in his camp and he has no influence to demand for fear and equal respect from the Hun Sen after his close man Ke Kim Yan sacked.

Who will replace those powerful positions? To achieve “the Power Centralization“, all we can predict is that Hun Sen’s sons or sons-in-law will be appointed to these positions when they are ready and then Hun Sen will lead Cambodia towards ” the Hun Senic Dynasty” if the Oppositions are not united and do not fight against Hun Sen as their common rival. 

To the Oppositions, please watch out from now on and please don’t  forget Hun Sen’s recent warning! He has already centralized his power and besides sacking Sar Kheng the target will be the Oppositions and this will make him easier to handle than before. So please be honest to the people and yet be tough and prepared in the game agaisnt Hun Sen!