Cambodia’s authoritarian Prime Minister Hun Sen will preside over the country’s first Southeast Asian Games in May and national elections in July, and he has ticked every box required for an orderly transfer of power to his eldest son Hun Manet at some point in the coming years.
It’s a trifecta of the tallest order and over recent months the region’s longest-serving leader has bluntly stated what his expectations are in terms of media coverage. This month’s closure of the independent news outlet Voice of Democracy (VOD) has served as a warning for those who fail to toe the line.
In regard to the Southeast Asian Games, Hun Sen stated quite clearly in December, “I would like to, once again, appeal to public and private media to actively involve [sic] in the campaign to advertise and clean up homes and society.”
In full: https://thediplomat.com/2023/02/the-cambodian-governments-recommendations-for-journalists/
