Phnom Penh (FN), Jan. 14 – A book in English entitled "Hun Sen - War & Peace in Cambodia and Southeast Asia" is officially released Thursday morning to readers in both inside and outside Cambodia.

Author Chhay Sophal, said the book describes the events in Cambodia from 1970 to 2020 as Cambodia went through all sorts of tastes, especially while the powerful countries in the West and Asia were competing in weapons, technology, economy, trade, ideology, including geo-politics.

Sophal, who is also a Media and Communication Professor, stated that “Of course, the Cambodian people, including foreigners, know who Prime Minister Hun Sen is but they are probably unaware of many interconnected and complicated issues that the country had been through chaos, bloodshed, massacre in the flames of war, including genocide, until the country is in peace today.

Although the book takes Prime Minister Hun Sen as an integral character, it also describes political, military and internal social events in Cambodia, as well as foreign affairs related to Cambodia, he added.

According to Sophal, the war in Cambodia is not just for Cambodian issue, but also a regional one, as well as the sowing of ideologies by world powers such as the United States, and some countries in Europe, Asia and Asia-Pacific.

Ending the war by bringing peace to Cambodia is not only the happiness and development for Cambodia itself but also the peace for the nations of Southeast Asia, he continued.

In the book with 656 pages in total, the author also raised some special features of the Prime Minister including:

* Good at remerging and recognizing (both geography, daily work, and people)
* Hates disloyal persons, those who insult others, and arrogant persons
* Listens to explanations and accepts what makes sense
* Emotional but not soft and weak
* Good at using people (crooked wood for rims, straight wood for spokes, complicated wood for hubs)
* Fexible based on circumstances for common interest (win-win strategy) but does not like liars who like saying from palm to back hand, and opponents who never listen to reasons.
* Rescued people from the 1979 genocidal regime and bring the regime’s top leaders to justice in the Cambodian-International Court
* Ended war at the end of 1998, bring complete peace to the nation and push national development
* Takes cautions in foreign policy while superpower in Western countries and Asia are competing in weapons, economy, trade, technology and ideology, especially the desire to embrace geo-politics.

The book also mentions that Hun Sen, who is the Prime Minister, went through life as a farmer, a pagoda boy, a small trader in the village, a guerrilla, a military officer, a commander who went through many battlefields, a prisoner, a savior, a minister and Deputy Prime Minister; and despite several assassination attempts, the perpetrators never accomplished the plots.

Through his experience as the youngest Foreign Minister and Prime Minister in the world, especially the longest-serving Prime Minister, Hun Sen has strived to advocate with the superpowers for his national sovereignty and interest, based on the principles of equality and equity without interference of internal affairs each other.

At the same time, he has strengthened the unity and defense forces under a win-win strategy to maintain hard-won peace.
Ten thousand copies of this book have been printed and available in some major bookstores in Phnom Penh, especially at international airports, while some copies will be distributed to Cambodian and foreign diplomats.

The book launch is also to commemorate the 42nd anniversary of Victory Day in January 7, 1979; the 36th anniversary of Prime Minister Hun Sen who became the official Prime Minister on January 14, 1985; and the 22nd anniversary of the war end and bring peace throughout the country; celebrate the first oil drop in Cambodia; 45th anniversary of the wedding of Samdech Techo Hun Sen and Samdech Kittipritthbandit Bun Rany Hun Sen, as well as congratulate the 22nd grandchild of Samdech Techo Hun Sen and Samdech Kittipritthbandit Bun Rany Hun Sen.

So far, Chhay Sophal, a veteran journalist, has written more than 10 books in Khmer, English and Chinese.
=FRESH NEWS