PHNOM PENH: Prime Minister Hun Sen announced yesterday that he would be resigning his position after 38 years of leading Cambodia. He will be handing over the position to his son, Gen. Hun Manet, next month and he has already publicly given guidance towards protecting the peace, which he credits himself for establishing long ago.

Prime Minister Hun Sen wrote a message to his son on Twitter on July 26, encouraging him to protect Cambodia’s peace to maintain the current pace of development and the well-being of the people. He also remarked on the coincidence that on the same day he announced that Hun Manet would become Prime Minister, Bayon TV aired the episode of his birth on the PM’s biographical TV series that runs every week entitled “Son Under the Full Moon.”

Gen. Hun Manet was born on October 20, 1977, while Prime Minister was in Vietnam. He later re-entered with Vietnamese forces to oust the Khmer Rouge in 1979. The PM said, "Your life started very sad and you and your mother tried hard to reunite with me. When you become the Prime Minister of Cambodia, you must protect the peace to ensure the development and peace of the people."

In a special speech on July 26, the Prime Minister announced that he would be turning over his position to his son on August 22. He said the move was meant to maintain the stability, security and long-term development of Cambodia. As the longest serving Prime Minister in the world, Hun Sen will not be disappearing from political life, however, having announced he would become President of the Senate in February.