Prime Minister Hun Sen speaks yesterday at the ongoing Asean Summit in Manila. Photo supplied
In recent weeks, Hun Sen and other top government officials have repeatedly accused the US of colluding with the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party to foment a so-called color revolution in the Kingdom, accusations the US Embassy has denied.
The claims have nonetheless precipitated the jailing of opposition leader Kem Sokha on charges of 鈥渢reason鈥� and the initiation of proceedings that could see the party dissolved as early as聽Thursday, developments that have drawn criticism from the US Embassy in Phnom Penh.
Addressing government leaders from all over the world at the summit in Manila yesterday, Hun Sen applauded Trump for his character and leadership, calling him a 鈥渨onderful鈥� and 鈥渕ost respectful鈥� person.
鈥淵ou are a wonderful president for me . . . We want you to be strong and develop and be independent in your own country, trying your own efforts, for your people,鈥� he said. 鈥淭his is what we try together and develop together as a true partner and sustainable long-term partner.鈥�
He claimed that he had been among the few in Cambodia who believed that Trump would win last year鈥檚 presidential election 鈥� a prediction he made publicly twice 鈥� before lamenting that opposition party leaders had criticised him for supporting Trump.
鈥淚 got attacked from the opposition party leaders [who said] that 鈥榯hose who have the same feather live in the same nest鈥�. [They said] 鈥楧onald Trump is a dictator by using money, while Hun Sen is a dictator by using money and arms鈥�,鈥� he said.
Yet, if American officials respected Trump鈥檚 purported policy of nonintervention, America would 鈥渉ave a lot of friends鈥�, the premier argued. He went on to chide the US Embassy in Cambodia, which he said ignored this principle.
鈥淵our policy is being changed but the embassy in Phnom Penh has not changed it yet,鈥� he said.
To bring the embassy in line, he asked Trump to 鈥渞emind鈥� his officers not to intervene in Cambodia鈥檚 internal affairs.
Hun Sen also appealed to Trump to forgive Cambodia鈥檚 1970s-era war debt, which the Kingdom accrued under the Lon Nol regime mainly by buying American goods to cope with a refugee crisis caused, at least in part, by American bombing.
鈥淚t is like you get the hammer to hit on us, and we are going to pay for the cost of the hammer,鈥� he said. The US Embassy declined to comment on the remarks yesterday.
But political analyst Ou Virak said it was unlikely that Trump would call the embassy to heel.
鈥淐ambodia is not important enough for Trump to warn anyone,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 think Trump will have not a single clue what Mr Hun Sen is taking about as Cambodia is not worth a single word of his tweets.鈥�
Over the course of the day, prior to Hun Sen鈥檚 speech, images trickling out of the summit had stoked a partisan back-and-forth over how Hun Sen was faring at the summit amid the widely criticised crackdown on the opposition back home.
Hun Sen supporters were quick to point to chummy photographs featuring Prime Minister Hun Sen posting with Trump 鈥� who flashed a thumbs-up sign 鈥� and with the liberal Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, among others.
Meanwhile, former opposition leader Sam Rainsy posted some screenshots showing the premier standing by himself far away from other leaders as alleged evidence of the premier being given the cold shoulder by other participants.
Council of Ministers spokesperson Phay Siphan said in a message that the 鈥淐old War is no longer鈥�, and as such, 鈥渟overeign states then cordially welcoming [him] on the international stage is normal鈥�.
Cambodian People鈥檚 Party stalwart and former Foreign Minister Hor Namhong was more blunt, appearing to cast the friendly photo op with Trump as an indication of Hun Sen鈥檚 clout.
It鈥檚 better to 鈥渕eet with the boss . . . than talking with the slaves鈥�, he commented in Facebook post.
But Virak highlighted that photographs only reflected singular moments 鈥渋n a [continuum] of events that could be completely different鈥� and should not be given too much attention.
Meanwhile, Carl Thayer, emeritus professor at the University of New South Wales, said that Hun Sen likely wasn鈥檛 getting much attention at the Asean meeting in the first place.
鈥淨uite frankly Cambodia ranks low on the list of important countries attending APEC and ASEAN-related meetings,鈥� he said in an email. 鈥淭his has more to do with Cambodia鈥檚 level of economic develop[ment] and the paucity of any worthwhile initiatives by Hun Sen to shore up regional peace and security.鈥�
Thus country representatives were simply treating him 鈥渋n accord with protocol鈥�.
Thayer did acknowledge that the chummy photo ops could be used by the premier to 鈥減ut his own spin鈥� on the summit, but the focus of discussion 鈥渟hould be on who Hun Sen will be meeting for substantial bilateral sideline discussions鈥�.