Logo of Phnom Penh Post newspaper Phnom Penh Post - Tight schedule keeps Hun Sen from supporters in New York

Tight schedule keeps Hun Sen from supporters in New York

Content image - Phnom Penh Post
Prime Minister Hun Sen waves before embarking on his plane to New York City for the 77th UNGA. SPM

Tight schedule keeps Hun Sen from supporters in New York

Sok Eysan, spokesman for the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP), clarified that Prime Minister Hun Sen failed to meet with his supporters in the US’ New York City during his visit for the 77th ral Assembly (UNGA) due to his tight schedule.

The clarification followed critics’ claims that Hun Sen wanted to avoid a repeat of an isolated incident during his visit to the US state of Washington for the US-ASEAN Special Summit in May, when a Cambodian-American man threw his shoe at the premier while he was greeting his supporters outdoors.

A day prior to his departure for the September 21-23 UNGA session, Hun Sen took to social media announcing that he would be unable to meet his supporters in New York, as he would only be there for a short time and had a packed timetable.

“I would like to send my regards to my compatriots living in the US and Canada. I apologise for not being able to arrange to meet with you during my short stay in New York City; I have many important events which I am obligated to attend. But I was grateful to have the chance to meet with you in Washington in May,” he wrote, expressing hope that his North American supporters would understand.

Eysan dismissed claims that Hun Sen feared a similar incident “ridiculous”.

“We all know that the prime minister was brave enough to fight on the battlefield when he liberated the Cambodian people from genocide [under the Khmer Rouge], so why would he fear a thrown shoe?” he said in apparent response to Kim Sok, an outspoken political commentator based in the US.

MOST VIEWED

  • Wing Bank opens new branch in front of Orkide The Royal along Street 2004

    Wing Bank celebrates first anniversary as commercial bank with launch of brand-new branch. One year since officially launching with a commercial banking licence, Wing Bank on March 14 launched a new branch in front of Orkide The Royal along Street 2004. The launch was presided over by

  • Girl from Stung Meanchey dump now college grad living in Australia

    After finishing her foundational studies at Trinity College and earning a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Melbourne in 2022, Ron Sophy, a girl who once lived at the Stung Meanchey garbage dump and scavenged for things to sell, is now working at a private

  • Ministry using ChatGPT AI to ‘ease workload’; Khmer version planned

    The Digital Government Committee is planning to make a Khmer language version of popular artificial intelligence (AI) technology ChatGPT available to the public in the near future, following extensive testing. On March 9, the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications revealed that it has been using the

  • Rare plant fetches high prices from Thai, Chinese

    Many types of plants found in Cambodia are used as traditional herbs to treat various diseases, such as giloy or guduchi (Tinospora cordifolia) or aromatic/sand ginger (Kaempferia galangal) or rough cocklebur (Xanthium Strumartium). There is also a plant called coral, which is rarely grown

  • Wat Phnom hornbills attract tourists, locals

    Thanks to the arrival of a friendly flock of great hornbills, Hour Rithy, a former aviculturist – or raiser of birds – in Kratie province turned Phnom Penh tuk tuk driver, has seen a partial return to his former profession. He has become something of a guide

  • PM urges end to ‘baseless’ international Ream base accusations

    Prime Minister Hun Sen urges an end to “baseless” foreign accusations surrounding the development of the Kingdom’s Ream Naval Base, as the US has consistently suggested that the base is being expanded to accommodate a Chinese military presence. Hun Sen renewed his calls while