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Look at the three headlines above in today’s Khmer Times. The rest of the world is mandating very strict measures to prevent the spread of the omicron variant and even going into lockdown. Cambodia, on the other hand, says “preventive measures are enough,” is “confident” facing the omicron tsunami, and says Covid-19 is “nipped for now.”
That all gives me a really bad feeling. We could be hit super hard while we’re singing Happy Days Are Here Again. I hope I’m wrong.
What do you call it when a ruling prime minister (Hun Sen) nominates his son, Hun Manet, to be his successor? Theoretically this week’s election was only the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) choosing Manet as the candidate for future election but note that the headline above (from the Khmer Times) has already declared him prime minister. And since it is basically a one-party state (there are NO opposition members in the legislature), he is fairly well assured the CPP will make him PM. Actually the election assured that.
What is interesting is that his father, Hun Sen, has said he himself wants to contest the next two elections–which will be in 2023 and 2028! If he does that and serves out his full five-year terms, Hun Manet can’t be elected until 2033, twelve years from now! A one-party system plays by different rules….
Today, Kimhorn, a staff member of the Sign Language Project at the Deaf Development Programme, married Sophors, a former student at DDP when Kimhorn was studying there also. Click here to see some photos from the happy occasion.