In 1981, when journalist Denis Gray first met then-foreign minister Hun Sen, he thought the former jungle soldier had a “poor” understanding of world diplomacy.
But this week, as Hun Sen chaired the Greater Mekong Subregion and Asean summit meetings, the longtime regional Associated Press correspondent noted how far the prime minister has come in the last two decades—having shown in recent years, and this week, that he has developed a skill for diplomacy and leadership, he said.
As dozens of Cambodian and foreign journalists waited Tuesday to be admitted into a Hun Sen news conference, Gray went so far as to describe Hun Sen as “remarkable.”
Once inside the room, journalists found Hun Sen waiting—proudly and regally—alone in front of a round table with a background board announcing the 8th Asean Summit.
Officials on Wednesday said the premier earned respect and stature at home and around Southeast Asia for his successful chairmanship of this week’s meetings.
This comes after years of political isolation, and just a few years after the 1997 factional fighting that put Hun Sen firmly in power but temporarily derailed Cambodia’s bid to join Asean.
“I think everyone in the diplomatic community in Phnom Penh feels that Cambodia organized the Asean Summit well,” Indonesian Ambassador Nazaruddin Nasution said on Wednesday. “It was a historic event for this country, and a big job along with the GMS Summit, but I think it was handled very well.”
While he didn’t comment directly on Hun Sen, he said he was impressed with the efficiency of the summit.
“We all know that the activities of terrorist organizations can happen anywhere, but I think everyone felt safe during the summits, and the whole thing was smoothly and efficiently done,” he said.
Phnom Penh resident Bin Den said that through the summits, Hun Sen has built respect for Cambodians in the eyes of foreigners. Others expressed appreciation for the way the summit was handled, saying it was brought pride to Cambodia and gave the country dignity.
But some residents interviewed on Wednesday were critical of the government and the summit, saying it had not changed their lives for the better.
One restaurant owner, 27-year-old Un Darachan, said that any preparations for the summit, such as the rehabilitation of roads near Tonle Bassac, are cosmetic improvements that were done to impress the hundreds of foreign delegates and media who swarmed into Phnom Penh.
“Before the Asean Summit started, the streets in Phnom Penh are so bad along the road near my restaurant, and the city did some things like restore roads and filled holes. But that was for the delegations to show that Phnom Penh is good,” Un Darachan said Wednesday. “But, in fact, Phnom Penh is bad in every corner.”
He also criticized what he perceived to be hypocrisy among the Asian leaders at the summit who “smiled at each other and signed agreements, but didn’t say anything negative about Cambodia.”
“Nothing gets better after the Asean Summit is finished,” he said.
Yean Yeab, a book seller in Phnom Penh, also criticized Cambodian officials for ignoring the realities of Cambodian life, such as the child beggars on the street and the general poverty that still affects much of the country.
Using so much money for a two-day summit while many average Cambodians remain trapped in poverty is also an issue opposition party leader Sam Rainsy has taken up.
Sam Rainsy, who staged a four-day hunger strike to protest the cost of the summit, said previously that the government needed to be aware that it was unfair to spend millions of dollars on the summit while countless of Cambodians remain hungry in the wake of the recent drought and floods.
At the Tuesday press conference, Hun Sen mocked his political opponent for the way Sam Rainsy staged his strike. “They staged a strike without eating food, but they had drinks,” he said.
Sing Someth, a 35 year-old owner of a Phnom Penh clothing store, wasn’t directly aware of the conference or the agreements signed by the leaders. She said she heard from friends that Cambodia will get better after the summit. But she still reserved some criticism for the city.
“After I got home at night, there were many police on the streets for the Asean Summit. But now everything is back to normal, everything has returned to bad,” she said.
Meang Sakada didn’t agree with Sing Someth. Saying that security in the city is still very good, she praised the city for hosting the summit.
But she did question the amount of money spent for the summit and wondered whether some government officials were using some of that money for themselves.
“A lot of money was spent for the summit…but I don’t believe all the expenses are correct,” she said.
(Additional reporting Flora Stubbs)