PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) – For years, some Cambodian media have referred to the country’s longtime leader simply as Prime Minister Hun Sen. Authorities warned Thursday that has to stop.
Starting in August, all media must use his full, honorary, six-word title – “Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen” – in the opening lines of print articles, radio and TV stories about the leader.
The title translates roughly to “Lord Prime Minister and Supreme Military Commander” and was bestowed on Hun Sen by Cambodia’s King Norodom Sihamoni in 2007.
The Information Ministry held a nearly three-hour meeting for journalists Thursday to announce the new guidelines and warn that legal action will be taken against media that don’t comply. Officials gave no specifics on the punishment for flouting the rule, which they said was important to show respect for leaders who hold Cambodia’s highest titles.
The new rule appeared aimed specifically at media viewed by the government as pro-opposition and pro-Western. Pro-government media typically refer to officials with their honorary titles.