Khmer Times

The prime minister’s eldest son is returning from his protest-marred visit to North America on an optimistic note, describing his two-week visit to the United States and Canada as successful, according to a statement emailed to Khmer Times yesterday, a day before his return. “I consider the visit a success as there were thousands of Cambodians and local level United States officials who turned up to meet my delegation and me,” he wrote. “We had a healthy exchange of views and information.”

He said the protests that erupted outside the venues he held meetings at were a natural expression of democracy, adding that he would have met with the protesters if they had behaved more “appropriately.” Mr. Manet said his withdrawal from the annual Khmer New Year parade in Long Beach, California at the beginning of his trip had disappointed many. “However, we believe it was a good decision [to withdraw] as the Khmer New Year parade was a time to rejoice and showcase Khmer culture, not confrontation. Khmers suffered enough during the genocide regime,” he said, adding that his delegation had contributed items for the parade.

Mr. Manet said his visit sent a positive signal to Cambodians in the United States and Canada that the government was attempting to reach out to them. The thousands who showed up for events to meet him “highlighted the thirst for unity among Cambodians,” he added. The visit by Mr. Manet to Cambodian communities in North America sparked controversy before it began, with threats of protests and expressions of outrage that he had been invited to participate in the Khmer New Year festival in Long Beach California. Cambodian communities in the US and Canada have long been a strong base of support for the opposition, and many members of the diaspora regard Mr. Manet’s father, Prime Minister Hun Sen, as a dictator who has plundered the Kingdom, crushed dissent and undermined development.

read more http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/24165/hun-manet-describes-n--america-tour-as-a----success---/

Hun Manet heckled at Montreal event

Mon, 25 April 2016

Mech Dara

Hun Manet, the eldest son of Prime Minister Hun Sen, who is currently touring North America, beat a hasty retreat from an event over the weekend at a Buddhist pagoda in Canada after attendees began criticising his father’s regime.

Manet, who was confronted by protesters repeatedly during the US leg of the trip, was again confronted by a group of opponents during a Cambodian religious ceremony in Montreal.

A video posted online shows a woman, speaking through a loudspeaker, pushing the scion to elaborate on the situation in Cambodia.

read more http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/hun-manet-heckled-montreal-event