"Youth activists" expose the methods used by the "Hun family" to employ deception and Khmer Rouge tactics to brainwash Cambodia's youth into fearing change, urging the international community to pressure Cambodia to hold free elections.,
., ., Sam Rainsy, an exiled Cambodian opposition politician based in France, issued a statement announcing the formation of the Cambodian National Rescue Council (CNRC) and has begun operating in this role. "The Independent Government of Cambodia as of 23 October" with the aim of serving as the Cambodian government in place of the Hun Sen regime. Thairath had the opportunity to speak with Samady Ou, former youth chairman of the Cambodian National Rescue Party (CNRP) branch in the United States.
Samady Ou was born and raised in Phnom Penh but fled politically with his family to the United States at age nine. Currently, he is a human rights activist working with the US-based Human Rights Foundation and serves as an ambassador for the Khmer Movement for Democracy.
An important issue Samady Ou is concerned about, beyond Cambodia's worsening human rights situation, is the distorted information that Cambodian citizens, especially the youth, receive from the government, serving the political interests of those in power.
Samady Ou rates Cambodia’s government at 2 out of 10 for democracy and human rights, citing a lack of free and fair elections, virtually no freedom of expression, absence of rule of law, with all authority concentrated in the government. He said whatever the government decrees must be followed, without even discussing checks on government power or transparency, which do not exist.
This is evident in the suppression of NGOs and civil society groups within the country, such as VOA, VOD, and Radio Free Asia, which are labeled as foreign-backed fake news organizations and expelled from Cambodia. There remains only one source—Fresh News Cambodia—which dominates and brainwashes Cambodians, especially youth, creating a distorted image of the outside world.
"Take groups like NDI (National Democratic Institute) and IRI (International Republican Institute), whose role is simply to observe Cambodian elections to ensure fairness. Instead, they were ineffective and, when presenting transparency issues, were disbanded and expelled from Cambodia."
Samady Ou views the inheritance of wealth from father to son as normal worldwide, but a son inheriting control of the country from the father is wrong and tragic—especially for Cambodia’s innocent 17 million citizens. Cambodia now has the highest number of ministers in the region. Hun Sen has established a network of family members—both blood relatives and in-laws—holding key positions. Even if Hun Sen departs, prospects for change remain bleak.
"Change will be difficult when everyone is linked as family. The country is run like a family business: when the father leaves, power passes to sons and grandchildren. Ordinary Cambodians like me have no chance."
Hun Sen’s long rule has deeply affected young Cambodians’ views on democracy and freedom of expression.
Samady Ou says to understand this, one must delve into Cambodia’s history, especially the 1975-1979 genocide where about 3 million people died. Whenever Cambodians feel fear and are exposed to government broadcasts about threats, youth resist change. His own grandmother warns repeatedly against change. Whenever the “father and son” government appears in media, they tell people that change is dangerous and could mean a return to Khmer Rouge times—reintroducing those fears into the public. This is a key factor enabling the father-son duo to maintain power. "Father and son" always tell citizens that change is frightening and risks a return to Khmer Rouge brutality. This fear from the Khmer Rouge era is deeply ingrained because people do not want to experience it again. These are major reasons the father and son have retained control in Cambodia.
"Cambodian history textbooks teach that Hun Sen is the country’s liberator, the father who saved the nation, ignoring prior history. He alone is portrayed as the patriotic leader who freed Cambodians from the Khmer Rouge. This is how children are taught for 12 years, from primary through secondary school."
After the civil war and genocide, the international community pressured Cambodia to end the conflict and sign a peace agreement, resulting in the 1991 Paris Peace Agreement, which stipulated Cambodia’s sovereignty with no foreign interference and called for free and fair elections.
However, since then, one man has remained in power for almost 40 years with no fair elections. Whenever there is a chance of fair elections, a coup occurs. For example, in 2013 when democracy nearly happened, one person declared "enough" and ordered the elimination of the opposition, NGOs, civil society, foreign organizations in Cambodia, and even media outlets. This created conditions for false information to be fed to the youth.
News is amplified claiming all outside Cambodia is evil and accusing certain individuals of wrongdoing. The youth are brainwashed to believe these falsehoods because they lack access to external perspectives. Young Cambodians struggle to distinguish fact from disinformation. Cambodia's Ministry of Information constantly produces and disseminates fake news and false information.
"After conflicts with Thailand, the Cambodian government monitors activists abroad, then cites credible international sources like CNN or FOX to report actual events. Subsequently, the Ministry of Information labels those pages as fake news. Youth believe this because the Ministry says so, effectively closing their eyes and ears to outside information."
Samady Ou believes young Cambodians seeking political reform should first seek truth—understanding what lies they have been told and the real history of Cambodia. Currently, youths wishing to learn the truth often need to use VPNs to access information online.
Samady Ou sees international pressure as a key hope for democracy in Cambodia. Previously, the European Union (EU), through the Everything But Arms (EBA) agreement, allowed Cambodia to export goods to the EU tariff-free except for weapons due to its poverty. But as the Cambodian government violated NGO rights and suppressed opposition, the EU raised tariffs to 20% on Cambodian exports.
The United States has also played a significant role in pressuring Cambodia’s government. For instance, former President Trump imposed a 49% tariff on Cambodian goods, partly because of Cambodia's closeness to China. This forced Cambodia to court Western countries to avoid economic damage. After negotiations, the tariff was reduced to 19%.
"I think the Cambodian government is adept at following trends. They might have hoped to survive situations by, for example, nominating a US leader for the Nobel Prize, which failed because the US seized $15 billion in assets from Oknha Chen Zhi, equivalent to a minister’s rank. This is clear evidence of cybercrime and human trafficking supported by the Cambodian government. This will never end unless Cambodia’s ruling party cooperates with the international community, especially the US, to combat it."
Samady Ou urges the international community to look to the US as an example. Previously, the US paid little attention to Cambodia’s democracy issues until the Cambodian government created a “Mafia State” through cybercrime and human trafficking. About 350,000 people were deceived into working in Cambodia, Myanmar, and Laos, nearly half in Cambodia.
These people scammed about $10 billion from Americans, prompting the US to begin measures including legislation awaiting President Trump’s signature to sanction Cambodian elites supporting crime and trafficking, targeting current government ministers.
"So I want the international community to watch Cambodia carefully. If you want to stop human trafficking and cybercrime worldwide, you must act and cooperate to pressure countries or governments that support such crimes."
When asked about Thailand’s role as a neighboring country with disputes with Cambodia, Samady Ou sees Thailand as important in exposing cybercrime organizations backed by Cambodia’s elite. Currently, he hopes the Thai government will join him and human rights activists coordinating with the US government to work with the US Congress to sanction those behind these crimes linked to Cambodia’s government. He also knows some Thais have been kidnapped and taken to work in Cambodia; although some have been rescued, many remain trapped. He urges Thailand to expedite help for Thai victims in Cambodia.
Currently, Cambodia’s exiled opposition movement is led by Sam Rainsy, Hun Sen’s main rival, who on the 34th anniversary of the 1991 Paris Peace Agreement on 23 October 2025 established the Cambodian National Rescue Council (CNRC). From Samady Ou’s perspective as a human rights advocate and someone who has spoken with Sam Rainsy, he sees Rainsy as a visionary democrat and could be called the father of democracy in Cambodia.
"I cannot speak for the CNRC group, but as a Cambodian, I believe he is the only remaining hope, the sole person who can establish peace and hold free and fair elections in Cambodia and revive the 1991 Paris Peace Agreement. The international community must seriously engage with Cambodia's government that excluding the opposition and NGOs violates the peace agreement. There must be free and fair elections, and dissenters must have the chance to compete."
Currently, all opposition leaders are blacklisted and barred from entering Cambodia. Some are even banned from entering Thailand, such as the head of Radio Free Asia. In the past, the two families had close ties, and Hun Sen still had influence in Thailand, but now the stance has shifted.
Samady Ou believes Cambodian politics is unpredictable. Looking at countries like Nepal, Bangladesh, and Indonesia, people rose up after losing patience. Therefore, Cambodians may need to take a clear stand against the government, and when people protest, the international community must intervene to hear the people's voices without violence. Change requires both internal and external forces working together.
"People inside the country must act, as in Bangladesh or Nepal, but those outside must help ensure the transition is democratic. How can one guarantee no future dictatorships? Cambodia risks reverting to dictatorship unless democratic transitions are guaranteed."
When asked if he would become foreign minister if democracy is restored, Samady Ou said he cannot predict the future but would like to enter politics if free and fair elections are held, possibly serving as a minister if trusted by Cambodia’s 17 million voters.