The Associated Press
October 5, 2006

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia Cambodia's leader Hun Sen said Thursday he will pay an official visit to Australia next week, and warned against any attempt to stage a coup to topple him during his absence from home.

Against the backdrop of a coup two weeks ago that ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in neighboring Thailand, Hun Sen issued an open warning that no one in Cambodia should even think of staging a similar action.

"Let me remind everyone that it will be impossible," Hun Sen said in a speech during a tour of the countryside Thursday. The speech was broadcast on state-run radio.

The prime minister said he will leave Sunday for a six-day trip to Australia.

"Thaksin was at the United Nations while a coup against him took place in Bangkok. But do not be mistaken about the current situation in Cambodia. It is different," he said.

He recalled a Cambodian coup in 1970 that overthrew former King Norodom Sihanouk — then the country's executive leader — while he was on an overseas trip. "I will not let anyone do anything like what was done to him," he said.

Hun Sen, a former soldier in the communist Khmer Rouge, has ruled Cambodia since the 1980s. He has maintained firm control of the country's military and police forces, whose commanders are loyal members of his ruling Cambodian People's Party.

He was elected to power in 1998, one year after he staged a coup, but the result of the election was questioned by human rights groups.

He is often sensitive to any criticism challenging his rule.

Last month, he accused Cambodia's royalist party, whose president is Prince Norodom Ranariddh, of plotting to remove him after some of its members suggested that his government be dissolved and a national front be established to grant executive power to Sihanouk, Ranariddh's father.

Hun Sen has threatened to forcefully prevent such a move.

He has in the past been assailed for ignoring human rights and free speech, and for jailing critics.

On Thursday, he said what happened in Thailand was its internal affair and that it does not affect bilateral relations between the two countries.

He added that he has written to congratulate Surayud Chulanont, a former Thai army commander, on his appointment by Thailand's ruling military council as the country's interim prime minister.

I don't think the Cambodian people have the will or power to stage a coup.

No one dare to try. Hun Sen as Castro "Dictatorship" that some how would applied here in Cambodia.

Give me an ak-47 i'll do it in a heart beat

can someone explain to me who lon nol was and why he was bad for cambodia?

LON NOL [Lon Nol] , 1913-85, Cambodian general and political leader. He became defense minister and army chief of staff in 1955 in Norodom Sihanouk 's government. He served as premier (1966-67) under Sihanouk. In 1970, he led the coup that deposed Sihanouk, and assumed control of the government. He attempted unsuccessfully to suppress the Communist Khmer Rouge guerrillas, and his efforts plunged the country into civil war. After temporarily relinquishing power, he seized control in 1972 and suspended the constitution. Due to his inept leadership and anti-Communist fervor, he was forced to leave the country in 1975, when the Khmer Rouge advanced on the capital city. He settled in Hawaii. Info from The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition 2006

let me get this straight, the 3 different factions are:

lon nol, united states, sihanouk

vs

khmer rouge, china, sihanouk

vs

north vietnamese, sihanouk

hmmmm... i wonder if cambodia would do better with or without him ...

What in the world? Is he like King of Srok Khmer now...lol My gosh Hunsen is arrogant. How dare he threaten people like that. I think it's possible, and I think he's scared 'cause he knows that it's possible to stage a coup. That's his reason for the threat. IMHO!

he's beyond normal .. "even if you fart, i will know" .. what kind of leader talks like that? he's starting to remind me of our idiot of a president, GBush

He has a lot of class.

i'd rather have the idiot gwbush than the classless dictator hun sen.

i would prefer the same thing, who knows, maybe a new language will be developed since it's okay to make up our own words as we go, na'ameen?


... that was thorrible (terrible + horrible)

^ my favorite is strategery

Hun Sen = Big Brother

Enjoy ur trip PM...

Hun Sen death trap

The last thing Cambodia need is a coup, the country need a stable government to attract foreign investment.

all khmer loving people should prepare for a coup to kick this motherfu-kers and his supporters back to vietnam. rise up people!

YES, He's a bastard. He untouchable,cold heart, murderer,dictator. Have you ever seen him gone anywhere by himself? We talking about a small troop followed his azs.All those body guards make GWB's secret service look like a couple of school girls.

Once again Vietnam is the target for Cambodia's problem

Cambodian Prime Minister leaves for Australia

Phnom Penh - Prime Minister Hun Sen on Sunday left for Australia for high-level talks during which he is expected to ink a deal for a prisoner exchange agreement between the two nations and sign off on a new bauxite mine for Australian mining giant BHP.

Hun Sen declined comment as he left the airport, accompanied by Defense Minister Tea Banh, Commerce Minister Cham Prasidh, high ranking economic officials and a number of Cambodia's top businessmen. Cambodian media and telecommunications magnate Kith Meng was scheduled to join the group later in the evening.

The prisoner exchange deal could see a number of Australians returned home to serve out their sentences, including convicted pedophile Bart Lauwaert, who is serving 20 years, and teenage drug mule Gordon Vuong, who is serving 13 years. Only one Cambodian is believed to be in prison in Australia.

Hun Sen's spokesman, Srey Tamrong, was quoted in local media Sunday as confirming the prisoner exchange and mining deals.

However he was also not available for comment before he boarded the plane at Phnom Penh International Airport Sunday, and an Australian embassy spokesman seeing the delegation off said Australia would comment on the matters Monday.

The Cambodian government has not yet disclosed how much the reportedly rich bauxite mining deal on the border of eastern Kratie and Mondulkiri provinces is worth. BHP has already been awarded a petroleum exploration contract in Cambodia's relatively new and potentially lucrative offshore oil fields.

Members of the Cambodian delegation will meet with Australia's highest government officials as well as business leaders. They are scheduled to end their visit on October 14.