The son of Cham Prasidh, the former commerce minister who was named minister for industry and handicrafts last year, is among three senior Commerce Ministry officials replaced by sub-decree on Wednesday after having taken up positions in the new Ministry of Industry and Handicrafts.
Last year, in a reshuffle after the national election, Mr. Prasidh was replaced as commerce minister and placed in charge of the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy. The ministry was then split into two separate ministries, and Mr. Prasidh was named minister of industry and handicrafts in December.
He had served in the influential position of commerce minister since 1994.
A sub-decree signed by Prime Minister Hun Sen on Wednesday and posted on the official Facebook page of the Commerce Ministry says that three of its former officials—Mr. Prasidh’s son, Cham Borith; Kong Sithika; and Mom Chandara—have now made the same transfer to industry and handicrafts.
When Mr. Prasidh was commerce minister, Mr. Borith had served as deputy director-general of Camcontrol, the government’s import-export inspection body, and Ms. Sithika had served as the deputy director-general of domestic trade. Mr. Chandara was the director of the ministry’s administration.
According to Mr. Hun Sen’s sub-decree, all are now working at the Industry and Handicrafts Ministry. The sub-decree did not specify their new positions.
Ken Ratha, spokesman for the Commerce Ministry, declined to comment on the transfer of Mr. Prasidh’s son and his colleagues to his new ministry on Thursday, referring a reporter to the Facebook posting of the sub-decree.
“I do not want to comment on this,” Mr. Ratha said.
“The explanation on the ministry’s Facebook page is fair enough.”
The Commerce Ministry’s Facebook page explains that 10 applicants had applied for the positions vacated by Mr. Borith, Ms. Sithika and Mr. Chandara.
Ek Sonnchan, secretary of state at the Ministry of Industry and Handicrafts, declined to comment, saying he was unaware the three had followed Mr. Prasidh from the Commerce Ministry.
