Word: hun
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...recent months Prime Minister Hun Sen has been winning favorable reviews. Once regarded as a mere puppet of the authorities in Hanoi, Hun Sen, 38, has emerged as a leader with a mind of his own. Whether by conviction or out of cynical self-interest, he has pursued reformist policies designed to repair his country's shattered economy as well as to endear him to skeptical citizens: the institution of land-tenure rights for farmers, the beginnings of a free-market economy and recognition of Buddhism as the state religion. While Hun Sen's cloudy history as a former member...
...obvious leader to guide Cambodia toward a more sane solution. The capricious Sihanouk, who ruled in the 1950s and '60s, stands as a symbol of better times. But his erratic behavior in recent months has baffled Cambodians and international observers alike as he has bounced between conciliation with Hun Sen and collaboration with the Khmer Rouge. Son Sann maintains links with a second guerrilla force whose disciplined units are outnumbered by troops preoccupied with smuggling and black-market trading. And the Khmer Rouge continue to inspire revulsion among a populace that remains deeply scarred by Pol Pot's reign...
...China and most of the nations of Southeast Asia consider Hun Sen a usurper. The Prime Minister is a reminder of Viet Nam's expansionist impulse, which has earned Hanoi distrust and fear throughout the region for centuries. China, which continues to arm the Khmer Rouge, is not alone in refusing to allow Viet Nam to win through political means what it failed to achieve militarily. Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore says that Hun Sen must legitimize his rule in a free election. "Any other way of leaving Hun Sen in charge," says Lee, "would mean that aggression...
...which has long provided aid to the non-Communist forces of Sihanouk and Son Sann and has not ruled out military assistance in the future, similarly argues that Hun Sen heads an illegitimate administration imposed by a foreign power. In its anti-Vietnamese zeal, Washington overlooked Sihanouk's alliance with the Khmer Rouge, which did most of the fighting during eleven years of guerrilla opposition. The Bush Administration is left in the uncomfortable position of backing a mercurial prince who remains aligned with men bent on restoring an odious regime. But the Administration maintains, with good reason, that any settlement...
...Cambodia, the current political stalemate is certain to prove costly % for the country's weary civilians. Deserters from Hun Sen's army tell stories suggesting that some of the 40,000 regulars lack both the esprit and basic fighting skills required to hold back the resistance forces. The army's recent practice of shanghaiing young conscripts off the streets is not likely to generate goodwill -- or good soldiers. The national battalions are supplemented by local and provincial militias, perhaps 150,000 in all, which Hun Sen hopes will do better at defending their homes. As yet, both the army...