Paul Chambers, a lecturer at the Institute of South East Asian Affairs at Chiang Mai University, agreed, saying via email that the recent moves only served to reinforce “the sultanistic form of rule that has come to characterize Cambodia under Hun Sen”.
At its congress earlier this month, the Cambodian’s People’s Party emphasised the need to strengthen efforts, from the village level up, to counter the “propaganda” of the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party, which enjoyed a surge at the 2013 polls.