{"id":1625,"date":"2023-06-19T11:24:46","date_gmt":"2023-06-19T04:24:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kamnotra.io\/en\/?p=1625"},"modified":"2023-09-27T14:55:14","modified_gmt":"2023-09-27T07:55:14","slug":"oknha-titles-handed-out-at-rapid-pace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kamnotra.io\/en\/2023\/06\/oknha-titles-handed-out-at-rapid-pace\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Oknha\u2019 Titles Handed Out at Rapid Pace"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Cambodian honorific oknha is a notorious title. Even Prime Minister Hun Sen in 2021 said<\/a> he wanted a government group to review the bestowing of the coveted title and to ensure that the right people received it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oknha are given the title after they make a donation of $500,000 to the government and pledge public service. The title is held by prominent and influential businesspersons in the country \u2014 as well as their families \u2014 and are linked to state patronage and apparent legal impunity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cambodia\u2019s tycoons with the title have routinely been in the news, in many cases for the wrong reasons. A student television presenter accused an oknha<\/a> in 2021 of attempted rape; another oknha was charged with corruption<\/a> in 2020 in a land dispute with 200 people; and the honorific was given in 2014 to a businesswoman who engaged in alleged fraud<\/a> to take the land of ethnic Jarai minority members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Influential oknha \u2014 who are close to the government or the first family \u2014 have faced accusations of human rights violations and have been at the receiving end of the government\u2019s largesse, but have rarely faced any repercussions whether for mass evictions in Phnom Penh<\/a>, drug busts<\/a> or forced labor<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite some reservations around the title, the Gazetteer has found no apparent slowdown in handing out the honorific.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the Gazetteer, 33 new oknha were minted from June 16 to August 27 last year, or the dates for which the Kamnotra team has so far input data into the database. As we continue to index more volumes of the Royal Gazette, expect this list to get longer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even in this small time frame, around three new formally distinguished tycoons were designated every week. The documents in the Gazetteer show that it is the well-connected and elite who are front of the line for the title.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Businessman Sok Kong \u2014 who has recently been accused of allowing forced labor at compounds he owns<\/a> \u2014 now has four more oknha in the family home<\/a>. Three of his children \u2014 two daughters and a son \u2014 and a son-in-law can now join the family patriarch in the elite group of businesspersons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mong Chanthon and Mong Chanthol are the sons of popular oknha Mong Reththy. They were given oknha titles in August 2022. The two are directors in the family\u2019s parent company, Mong Reththy Group, and are directors in M\u2019s Pig ACMC, an agricultural business revolving around animal husbandry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another addition to the young oknha list is Ly Phounrath, the son of sugar baron Ly Yong Phat<\/a>. In one of his first acts as an oknha, Phounrath donated $100,000<\/a> for the construction of a school building in Phnom Penh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Phounrath is a director in nine companies linked to Ly Yong Phat\u2019s family and is also the son of the first president of the Cambodia Oknha Association. The association was launched recently<\/a> with Ly Yong Phat as its president and Prime Minister Hun Sen serving as its honorary head. The association is part of attempts to ensure oknha are kept in line, with Hun Sen announcing it will be the only official grouping of tycoons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Gazetteer will continue to track the flow of new oknha, especially if a transition in power brings in a new crop of elites and tycoons to the fore. So far, the team has indexed 26 books from 2022 and will continue adding books as they come in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n
Date<\/th>Details<\/th>\n <\/tr><\/thead>\n
27\/08\/2022<\/td>\n Oknha title given to Seng Visal (\u179f\u17c1\u1784 \u179c\u17b7\u179f\u17b6\u179b).<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
27\/08\/2022<\/td>\n Oknha title given to Mong Chanthon (\u1798\u17c9\u17bb\u1784 \u1785\u17b6\u1793\u17cb\u1790\u1793) and Mong Chanthol (\u1798\u17c9\u17bb\u1784 \u1785\u17b6\u1793\u17cb\u1790\u17bb\u179b).<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
19\/08\/2022<\/td>\n Oknha title given to Chhin Song (\u1788\u17b7\u1793 \u179f\u17bb\u1784).<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
19\/08\/2022<\/td>\n Oknha title given to Cheng Sanghak (\u1785\u17c1\u1784 \u179f\u1784\u17d2\u17a0\u17b6\u1780\u17cb).<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
25\/08\/2022<\/td>\n Oknha title given to Kong Sang (\u1782\u1784\u17cb \u179f\u17b6\u1784).<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
19\/08\/2022<\/td>\n Oknha title given to Im Sophannarith (\u17a2\u17ca\u17b9\u1798 \u179f\u17bb\u1795\u17b6\u1793\u17cb\u178e\u17b6\u179a\u17b7\u1791\u17d2\u1792).<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
02\/08\/2022<\/td>\n Oknha title given to Sok Yak (\u179f\u17bb\u1781 \u1799\u17b6\u1780).<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
02\/08\/2022<\/td>\n Oknha title given to Sok Chanthou (\u179f\u17bb\u1781 \u1785\u1793\u17d2\u1792\u17bc).<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
02\/08\/2022<\/td>\n Oknha title given to Sok Chanthy (\u179f\u17bb\u1781 \u1785\u1793\u17d2\u1792\u17b8).<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
02\/08\/2022<\/td>\n Oknha title given to Nang Sopheat (\u178e\u17b6\u17c6\u1784 \u179f\u17bb\u1797\u17b6\u178f).<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
02\/08\/2022<\/td>\n Oknha title given to Say Sopheak (\u179f\u17b6\u1799 \u179f\u17bb\u1797\u17d0\u178f\u17d2\u179a\u17b6).<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
09\/08\/2022<\/td>\n Neak Oknha title given to Cheb Limkheang (\u1785\u17b6\u1794 \u179b\u17b8\u1798\u1783\u17b6\u1784).<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
02\/08\/2022<\/td>\n Oknha title given to Mrs. Sok Chantha (\u179f\u17bb\u1781 \u1785\u1793\u17d2\u1790\u17b6).<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
23\/07\/2022<\/td>\n Oknha title given to Yim Tasrong (\u1799\u17b9\u1798 \u178f\u17b6\u179f\u17d2\u179a\u1784\u17cb). [Note: Tasrong is a song writer and businessman]<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
26\/07\/2022<\/td>\n Oknha title given to In Kuot (\u17a2\u17ca\u17b8\u1793 \u1780\u17bd\u178f) and Ly Phounrath (\u179b\u17b8 \u1797\u17bc\u1793\u179a\u17c9\u17b6\u178f\u17cb). [Note: Ly Phounrath is the son of tycoon Ly Yong Phat]<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
26\/07\/2022<\/td>\n Oknha title given to Phou Soviden (\u1797\u17bc \u179f\u17bc\u179c\u17b8\u178a\u17c2\u1793).<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
27\/07\/2022<\/td>\n Oknha title given to Vinh Cheang (\u179c\u17b7\u1789 \u1787\u17b6\u1784).<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
22\/07\/2022<\/td>\n Oknha title given to Sun Bunheng (\u179f\u17ca\u17bb\u1793 \u1794\u17ca\u17bb\u1793\u17a0\u17c1\u1784) and So Sophanny (\u179f\u17bc \u179f\u17bc\u1795\u17b6\u1793\u17cb\u1793\u17b8).<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
23\/07\/2022<\/td>\n Oknha title given to Duch Both Nita (\u178c\u17bb\u1785 \u1794\u17bb\u178f\u17d2\u179a\u1793\u17b7\u178f\u17b6).<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
15\/07\/2022<\/td>\n Oknha title given to Prak Socheata (\u1794\u17d2\u179a\u17b6\u1780\u17cb \u179f\u17bb\u1787\u17b6\u178f\u17b6).<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
15\/07\/2022<\/td>\n Oknha title given to Kim Chamroeun (\u1782\u17b8\u1798 \u1785\u17c6\u179a\u17be\u1793).<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
15\/07\/2022<\/td>\n Oknha title given to Kim Pov (\u1782\u17b8\u1798 \u1796\u17c5).<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
15\/07\/2022<\/td>\n Oknha title given to Kim Leng (\u1782\u17b8\u1798 \u17a1\u17c1\u1784).<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
15\/07\/2022<\/td>\n Oknha title given to Ly Hong (\u179b\u17b8 \u17a0\u17bb\u1784).<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
30\/06\/2022<\/td>\n Oknha title given to Cheam Lido (\u1787\u17b6\u1798 \u179b\u17b8\u178a\u17bc).<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
30\/06\/2022<\/td>\n Oknha title given to Yin Veng An (\u1799\u17b7\u1793 \u179c\u17c2\u1784\u17a2\u17b6\u1793).<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
20\/06\/2022<\/td>\n Oknha title given to Loem Snaekomnith (\u179b\u17b9\u1798 \u179f\u17d2\u1793\u17c1\u17a0\u17cd\u1782\u17c6\u1793\u17b7\u178f).<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
20\/06\/2022<\/td>\n Oknha title given to Aon Sothea (\u17a2\u17ca\u1793\u17cb \u179f\u17bb\u1792\u17b6).<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
16\/06\/2022<\/td>\n Oknha title given to Khieu Rinheang (\u1781\u17c0\u179c \u179a\u17b7\u1793\u17a0\u17ca\u17b6\u1784).<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
16\/06\/2022<\/td>\n Oknha title given to Hei Veasna (\u17a0\u17ca\u17b8\u1784 \u179c\u17b6\u179f\u1793\u17b6).<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n <\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

To see more recently released<\/em><\/em> government decisions, explore our Royal Gazette index.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Around three new oknha were designated every week in a two-month time period sampled by the Gazetteer. Documents show that it is the well-connected and elite who are front of the line for the title.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2692,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pgc_sgb_lightbox_settings":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_caption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_nocaption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_hide":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[66,65,71,70,72,68,35,58],"class_list":["post-1625","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-analysis","tag-ly-phounrath","tag-ly-yong-phat","tag-mong-chanthol","tag-mong-chanthon","tag-mong-reththy","tag-oknha","tag-gazette","tag-sok-kong"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kamnotra.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1625","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kamnotra.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kamnotra.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kamnotra.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kamnotra.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1625"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/kamnotra.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1625\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5417,"href":"https:\/\/kamnotra.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1625\/revisions\/5417"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kamnotra.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2692"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kamnotra.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1625"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kamnotra.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1625"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kamnotra.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1625"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}