Hun Sen

S?mdech ("Lord") Hun Sen (born April 4 1951) is the Prime Minister of Cambodia. He is a key leader of the Cambodian People's Party, which, has governed Cambodia in a coalition with the Funcinpec party since the restoration of multi-party democracy in 1993. The coalition was shaken by tensions between Funcinpec leader Prince Norodom Ranariddh and Hun Sen, who in 1997 launched a bloody coup, removing Ranariddh and becoming the country's sole prime minister. Several royalist supporters were tortured to death by CPP members, though Hun Sen denied any involvement. http://www.mekong.net/cambodia/hun_sen1.htm He also denied that his action was a coup, alleging that Funcinpec was collaborating with Khmer Rouge rebels. http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/9707/10/cambodia/

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The elections of July 2003 resulted in a larger majority in the National Assembly for the CPP, with FUNCINPEC losing seats to CPP and the Sam Rainsy Party. However, CPP's majority was short of the constitutionally-required 2/3 for the CPP to form a government alone. This deadlock was overcome through some creative interpretation of the constitution and a new CPP-FUNCINPEC coalition was formed in mid 2004.

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Hun Sen was a low-level officer in the Khmer Rouge. After witnessing the excesses of the Khmer Rouge in 1976, he defected to Vietnam in 1977 and quickly became an important leader in the Vietnamese-backed resistance to the Khmer Rouge. When the Khmer Rouge regime was overthrown, Hun Sen was appointed foreign minister of the Vietnamese-installed People's Republic of Kampuchea from 1979 until 1990, with a brief interruption from 1986 until 1987. As foreign minister Hun Sen was a key figure in the Paris Peace Talks which brokered peace in Indochina. He became Prime Minister in 1985, shortly after the death of Chan Sy. From 1993 until 1998 he was co-prime-minister with Prince Norodom Ranariddh. He has been reputed to use intimidation tactics in politics to remain in power.

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Some political opponents of Hun Sen accuse him of being a puppet of Hanoi due to his position in the former PRK as a prominent figure in the People's Revolutionary Party of Kampuchea (now known as the Cambodian People's Party,) which governed Cambodia as a one-party state from 1979 until the restoration of democracy in 1993. Hun Sen tends to denounce such charges, claiming that he represents only the Cambodian people.

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The title "S?mdech" was attached to his name in 1993 by King Norodom Sihanouk. It is only a honorary title and does not give him further powers.

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1951: 1951 was a common year starting on Monday; see its calendar....

Cambodia: The Kingdom of Cambodia (for the various names of the country in Khmer, see naming section below) is a constitutional monarchy in Southeast Asia with a population of more than 13 million people. Most Cambodians are Therevada Buddhists of Khmer extraction. A citizen of Cambodia is usually identified ...

Cambodian People's Party: The Cambodian People's Party (Cambodian: Kanakpak Pracheachon K?mpuch?a, KPK) is the ruling party of Cambodia. It has an outright majority in the National Assembly of Cambodia, but governs in coalition with the royalist Funcinpec party. The Prime Minister, Hun Sen, belongs to the party....

Hun Sen related Images and Photos (experimental)

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Sen. John Kerry Embraces His Wife Teresa Heinz Kerry after Delivering His Concession Speech	St. Loup Defending the City of Troyes Against Attila the Hun on His Horse