Chhai Eang News Today

LOWELL — For the second time in as many months, Cambodian Americans took to the streets of Lowell to protest the undemocratic regime of Prime Minister Hun Sen, as well as to denounce his transfer of power to his eldest son, Hun Manet, effective Aug. 22.

Three opposition figures send hand-written apologies and pre-recorded videos to Hun Sen in recent days.

LOWELL — The city’s Cambodian diaspora came out in force to Tuesday's City Council meeting to speak out against two motions seeking to establish possible sister-city agreements between Lowell and the Cambodian cities of Battambang and Phnom Penh.

But half their number are kept out by convictions.

Although no specific explanation has been given for the October 8 sacking of Veng Sakhon from the position of agriculture minister, Prime Minister Hun Sen defended his decision, stressing that the dismissal and subsequent appointment of an acting minister were in line with the Constitution.

The proposed change to the country’s Constitution would allow the prime minister to transfer power to his son.

In February, the Cambodian government suspended a planned joint military exercise with China, citing the need to cut spending in order to allocate more resources to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.  But the government’s explanation is less than convincing and likely has more to do with the country’s foreign policy, particularly its broken relationship with the United States. Hun Sen may be using the decision to test the waters with the new administration in the US—to see how President Joe B...