Britain’s The Guardian Newspaper has edited an article that accused Prime Minister Hun Sen of being among thousands of people who illegally obtained a Cypriot passport. While the article now clarifies that the Prime Minister did not in fact obtain a Cypriot passport, it does cast the net even wider, claiming that members of the Prime Minister’s “inner circle” did.
The paragraph in question in the article, first published on Sunday 3 October, has been edited on The Guardian’s website and now reads: “Russian oligarchs and Saudi potentates, as well as some members of the Cambodian leader Hun Sen’s inner circle, were discovered to have been among the thousands of non-Europeans who received a Cypriot passport." It does not say who those people are.
The original paragraph read: "In addition to Russian Oligarchs and Saudi potentials, the Cambodian Leader, Hun Sen, was discovered to have been among the thousands of non-Europeans who received a Cypriot passport."
The editing of the article was in response to a letter sent to the newspaper late on Wednesday by Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Koy Kuong, addressed to the Guardian’s editor-in-chief, Katherine Vine. In the letter he requests “clarification & the authenticity of information” about the article.
He writes, “This is a grossly false and unacceptable claim. Prime Minister Hun Sen's attachment of his life to the life of our people in all circumstances is without any doubt; and his patriotism is absolute. He is a proud and dignified Khmer national and a widely respected statesman who enjoys overwhelming support throughout the country. Therefore, it is absurd to even think that he would need to acquire citizenship or a passport from any foreign country…it is unimaginable that there could be such a story of him on the list of people receiving a foreign passport.”
He concludes the letter by saying, “In this connection, I would highly appreciate it if you could verify the authenticity of the information in the above article and rectify this wrong claim. This is very important to uphold not only the dignity and honour of our national leader, but also the trust for the professionalism and integrity of The Guardian.”
