Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen is known for his colorful language and fearsome rhetoric, particularly when it comes to his longtime rival, exiled opposition figure Sam Rainsy.
In the last few years, however, his public enemies have dwindled: There are no viable opposition parties after the court-ordered dissolution of the Cambodian National Rescue Party in 2017 and the recent disqualification of the Candlelight Party. Yet the prime minister has kept up his fiery statements against all those who remain, calling out an opposition leader’s marital status, accusing other parties of being “extremists” and saying he would rather dine with Khmer Rouge genocide leaders than Rainsy.
His speeches in the months leading up to the election have been particularly potent. In January, Hun Sen’s remarks — livestreamed on Facebook — that his critics would face legal action or a stick led Meta’s oversight board to review the clip after moderators determined it violated their policies of inciting violence.
Still, he’s kept it up: During the last week of May, Hun Sen targeted his rival again, claiming that Rainsy was expelled from Malaysia, which Malaysian officials disputed. Hun Sen targeted Rainsy multiple times over a few days, warning there would be “problems” if the Vietnamese authorities did not arrest him if he entered the country and claiming he would launch a BM-21 rocket at Rainsy if he tried to enter the country from Thailand.
His statements are not always hot air. On June 13, the prime minister said in Facebook voice notes that he wanted to see an incitement clause and other new criminal elements added to the national election law. He reiterated and expanded upon the idea in speeches throughout the week, saying it would soon become illegal to encourage people to boycott the election or to run as a political candidate in future elections without having voted.
By June 16, just three days later, a draft of the new amendment had reportedly been sent to the National Assembly.
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