PHNOM PENH: This year marks the 47th wedding anniversary of Prime Minister Hun Sen and First Lady Bun Rany Hun Sen, on Thursday, 5 January 2023.
The Prime Minister and the First Lady were unable to get married in the festive, traditional way because the Cambodian people were still suffering under the hand of Pol Pot's genocidal regime.
The married life of the Prime Minister and First Lady during this time was without happiness. The young couple struggled together through many difficulties during the Khmer Rouge era, however, they both never gave up on each other.
The following is the love story between Prime Minister Hun Sen and First Lady Bun Rany Hun Sen, who overcame countless obstacles in the era of the Democratic Kampuchea.
The love between the Prime Minister and First Lady began from a combination of many factors. The First Lady was previously a doctor at Krouch Chhmar District Hospital in Tboung Khmum Province, and the Prime Minister was a commander in the National Liberation Movement. It was love at first sight. The Prime Minister decided to make the first move, to make the First Lady his wife as soon as possible.
Prime Minister Hun Sen was formerly known as Hun Nal. He later changed his name to Hun Samrech (at the time the Prime Minister was a Commander-in-Chief who was known as someone who could get things done successfully) and then once again to Hun Sen, in order to hide his identity while he ran into the forest to fight for national liberation.
First Lady Bun Rany was also formerly known as Bun Saing Heang. The Prime Minister first confessed his love to Dr. Rany in August 1974.
On 16 April 1975, Commander Samrech (Prime Minister Hun Sen) suffered serious injuries that left his left eye blind. After many people were evacuated from Phnom Penh during the Pol Pot era, Dr. Rany also moved from Krouch Chhmar District Hospital to be the director of another district hospital in Chhouk commune, Krouch Chhmar district. At the time, the Angkar had ordered the commander to marry another woman, and Dr. Rany was also ordered to marry another man. Both Commander Samrech and Dr. Rany argued against this and refused to get married. Commander Samrech then asked the Angkar if he could marry Dr. Rany instead.
On 5 January 1976, Commander Samrech and Dr. Rany were married along with 12 other women and disabled soldiers. Immediately after they were married, the Angkar separated the two for two months, until Commander Samrech could recover from his eye disease. He eventually had to have his eyeball removed, and did not see his wife again until he found out that she was pregnant.
In late October 1976, Dr. Rany gave birth while the commander was not around because the new military chief had ordered him to inspect the Cambodian-Vietnamese border and draw maps.
The next morning, the commander decided to visit his wife, who had just given birth at the hospital, but the baby tragically died, slipping out of the doctor's arms and hitting the corner of a bed before falling to the ground. The commander wrapped the baby in a scarf with tears and asked the hospital to bury the baby with a piece of paper that had the word "sad" written on it and was put in a bottle.
Towards the end of January 1977, Dr. Rany became pregnant again. This second pregnancy made the commander very worried, so at the end of February 1977, he decided to take his wife to the local military hospital located in Samrong village, Dar commune, Memot district, where his wife worked.
The commander was then separated from his wife again, this time because he was away making plans to destroy the Pol Pot regime. On 20 October 1977, Hun Manet was born. Grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins were there to help Dr. Rany take care of him.
After the 7 January victory, Prime Minister Hun Sen was appointed as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cambodia. He was finally able to return home to reunite with his wife and family. After two months of family reunion, the foreign minister's wife became pregnant with another child, but unfortunately, she suffered from a miscarriage due to heavy work. Since the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Prime Minister Hun Sen) was occupied with work, he did not have time to carry water from the ground floor upstairs at his home. His pregnant wife would go and fetch water herself, because at that time, there was no plumbing system or running water at homes in Phnom Penh.
Although the Prime Minister and the First Lady went through many difficulties, the two did not abandon each other.
The Prime Minister has been a good husband, caring for and supporting his family, while the First Lady has also been a good wife, taking care of her children, managing the family and supporting her husband to be successful in his work.
Prime Minister Hun Sen was elected by the National Assembly as the Prime Minister of Cambodia in 1985, a post which he has held ever since. He is one of the longest-serving Prime Ministers in the history of Cambodia and the world.
Today, the Prime Minister and First Lady have five children: Hun Manet, their eldest son, Hun Mana, their eldest daughter, Hun Manith, Hun Many, and Hun Mali. They also currently have more than 20 grandchildren.
Prime Minister Hun Sen wrote on his Facebook page on Wednesday night, 4 January 2023, that he and the First Lady did not expect to live until now, due to the many obstacles they faced during the Khmer Rouge era.
They also had not imagined that they would have as many children and grandchildren as they do today.
The Prime Minister presented a lesson of love between him and his wife, writing, "Marriage has music or no music, there is no difference, the problem is whether there is love, loyalty, understanding or not? Being divided or stable is the main point."