Hun Sen consolidates power

The prime minister, Hun Sen, is set to continue to consolidate his power by strengthening patronage networks and sidelining political opponents through lawsuits. Hun Sen has also sought to clear out the least loyal and most corrupt members of the armed forces and the police, as highlighted by the recent arrests of two influential officials. On January 17th Moek Dara, formerly the secretary-general of the National Authority for Combating Drugs, was arrested for accepting bribes, and a week earlier Brigadier-General Samith Virak was charged with a series of offences, including forming an armed force illegally and trafficking weapons. Such arrests rarely take place without the backing of the prime minister, and serve the dual purpose of providing Hun Sen with an opportunity to show the public that he is tough on graft, while also scaring officials into at least toning down any corrupt activity. Officials often make money from illegal activities, such as logging, forest encroachment, selling public land, smuggling, extortion, drug dealing and people-trafficking.

The two recent arrests are part of Hun Sen's wider attempts to strengthen his own grip on power. They follow the gradual sidelining of Chea Sim, who is president of Hun Sen's Cambodian People's Party as well as president of the Senate (the upper house), as well as the emasculation of royalist politicians, and the undermining of Sam Rainsy and other opposition parliamentarians through a series of lawsuits. The increasingly politicised Cambodian judiciary has played an important role in tightening control over the media and clamping down on dissent. Khmer-language media, both broadcast and print, are dominated by pro-government messages. Meanwhile, journalists and publishers who are critical of the government are subject to intimidation and imprisonment. Human rights officials have also become a target for government ire, with even foreign members of international organisations subject to scathing rebukes from high-ranking officials. The moves against perceived opponents of the government have gained momentum, perhaps owing to rising confidence that Cambodia is increasingly independent, relying on several "benefactors" (most notably China), instead of its previous dependence, first on Vietnam, then on the UN. Criticism of the clampdown seems to have had little effect, and Hun Sen's consolidation of power can be expected to continue.