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Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen has denied reviews that he’s utilizing taxpayer cash to provide a tv collection about his life after a number of senior authorities officers refused to reveal the supply of the venture’s funding and civil society organizations dismissed it as pointless for the nation.
Last week, Hun Sen introduced he can be establishing a movie manufacturing committee to provide a tv collection referred to as “The Son Under the Full Moon” to doc his “life struggle.” The former Khmer Rouge soldier who switched sides has dominated Cambodia for 35 of his 68 years.
The government-appointed filmmaker and Ministry of Information secretary of state Mao Ayuth to chair the committee, which can even embrace the pinnacle of Hun Sen’s bodyguard unit Hing Bun Heang and National Military Police chief Sao Sokha.
Mao Ayuth informed the Voice of Democracy that the collection will use interval props in addition to hairstyles and clothes from the varied eras depicted.
“We need to do this carefully and thoroughly because it is historical,” he stated, including that “It is a huge honor that the top leader has put trust in us, so we must fulfill our obligations to meet his trust.”
When requested by RFA’s Khmer Service Tuesday concerning the measurement and supply of the finances for the tv collection, each authorities spokesperson Phay Siphan and ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) spokesperson Sok Ey San claimed they didn’t know.
RFA additionally contacted Mao Ayuth, who stated he was too busy to speak and was unaware of the main points of the funding.
Ministry of Culture spokesperson Long Bun Sereyvath stated his ministry’s movie division will present technical assist to the movie manufacturing committee however refused to reveal the quantity budgeted for the collection and referred additional inquiries to Mao Ayuth.
Call for transparency
Speaking to RFA throughout a call-in present on Tuesday, Cambodian Youth Network Association president Ul Vann stated the federal government ought to reveal the dimensions and supply of the funding for the collection, calling for full transparency in how the nationwide finances is spent.
“As a citizen, I also want to know what the story is about and how much money will be used to make the series,” he stated.
Other analysts and members of the general public made comparable calls, expressing issues that Hun Sen is “using the budget to distort history” and suggesting that unbiased historians ought to be accountable for preserving the nationwide report.
On Wednesday, following RFA’s call-in present, Hun Sen informed government-affiliated media outlet Fresh News that he is not going to use cash from the nationwide finances to provide his tv collection.
According to the report, Hun Sen contracted a movie manufacturing firm to work on the venture, which is able to use its personal funds to develop the collection and can personal the rights to it.
RFA was unable to independently confirm the account revealed by Fresh News.
Promoting a story
The deliberate “The Son Under the Full Moon” collection bears the identical identify as a long-running radio program about Hun Sen’s life that’s aired often on a station operated by his daughter Hun Mana, notably within the lead as much as Cambodia’s elections.
Mao Ayuth beforehand produced a U.S. $1 million movie about Sdach Kan, who overcame obscurity to usurp a disliked king within the 16th century and lead Cambodia to greatness throughout his transient reign.
Hun Sen usually compares himself to Sdach Kan and lately a number of statues of the previous monarch have been constructed across the nation that bear a resemblance to the present prime minister. Hun Sen, who additionally got here from humble beginnings, has dominated Cambodia with an iron fist for greater than three a long time.
Speaking to Voice of Democracy following the announcement of the tv collection final week, social analyst Seng Sary famous that Hun Sen usually remarks that “history is written by the victor.”
“Usually, the stories of successful leaders should be recorded by other historians, not by themselves … Our society seems backward in recording its history,” he stated.
Reported by RFA’s Khmer Service. Translated by Samean Yun. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
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