Saturday, 19 June 2010

Cambodia's anticorruption chief apologizes for Hun Sen statue plan+


via Khmer NZ News Media

Jun 18 2010

PHNOM PENH, June 18 (AP) - (Kyodo)—The chief of Cambodia's anticorruption commission has apologized for planning to unveil a massive statue of Prime Minister Hun Sen at his commission's headquarters, a letter seen Friday showed.

Om Yin Tieng, one of Hun Sen's personal advisors as well as anticorruption chief, sought "forgiveness" in the letter dated Thursday for having a 5-meter statue of the prime minister made and planning to install it at the anticorruption headquarters.

Hun Sen has reportedly banned making statues of himself and other living Cambodians and installing them on public property because it "goes against Cambodian culture" and, according to some, because it is attracting strong public criticism of those being "honored" for thinking far too highly of themselves.

Om Yin Tieng said in the letter he had planned the statue to honor Hun Sen on his own.

But some Cambodians argue Hun Sen, who has been premier since 1985, was the real power behind the plan.

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