The fifth book of the Royal Gazette for 2023 doles out medals and new titles for the political and business elite, including the son of former Prime Minister Hun Sen and a prominent oknha.

Book 5 of the Royal Gazette was published by the government on June 30, 2023, and still contains mostly documents signed in 2022, with a few directives from this year. 

Former Prime Minister Hun Sen’s second son Hun Manith was promoted to a higher rank in his role as a member of the premier’s cabinet, receiving a rank equivalent to a minister. Manith is a three-star general in the Cambodian military and works in the military intelligence unit.

Another high-profile appointment was for notorious oknha Ly Yong Phat to be Hun Sen’s adviser with rank equivalent to minister. Ly Yong Phat is the lead of LYP Group and is linked to land disputes at sugarcane plantations, scam operations and illegal logging. He was picked to head the Cambodian Oknha Association last year.

Honorary medals were given to Leang Khun, head of the Chip Mong Group, former South Korea ambassador Park Heung-kyeong and recent Japanese ambassador Mikami Masahiro. The documents did not state why they were given medals.

Four newly-minted oknha were disclosed in the documents. Two of them are Ung Song Leap, who is the general manager at Hang Meas productions, which is owned by his father Ung Chhay Nguon, and is home to popular music television shows such as Cambodian Idol. The other is Bun Navy, who is the director at CPL Cambodia Properties.

Two other new oknha are Kuch Chanvudthy and Lay Lyhour.