Hun Sen meets football star, asks him to inspire youths
PHNOM PENH: Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen met Japanese soccer star Keisuke Honda yesterday and urged him to inspire youths in the Southeast Asian country to actively engage in sports.
Hun Sen was quoted by his spokesman as telling Honda that he hopes the AC Milan midfielder will also encourage the youths to avoid the use of drugs and abide by traffic rules.
Honda, 30, told Hun Sen, an avid soccer fan, he wants to share with Cambodian youth his experience of fulfilling his childhood dream of becoming a famous soccer player, according to Kao Kimhourn, a minister attached to the prime minister’s office.
Hun Sen welcomed Honda’s initiative and said he wants young people to learn from the footballer’s experience, Kimhourn said.
Honda, who has opened a soccer school for children in Cambodia, said he is happy to contribute to the country’s social development.
He arrived in Cambodia on Saturday for his second trip to the country this year, after visiting in June.
Honda, 30, also plays for the Japan national football team.
He plays as an attacking midfielder, but he can equally play as a winger or as a deeplying playmaker.
Honda has frequently featured as a right winger in the 2014–15 Serie A season.
He is also known for his accuracy from free-kicks, dribbling ability and delivery as a dead ball specialist. He has earned more than 60 international caps since 2008, playing at the 2010 Fifa World Cup, the 2014 Fifa World Cup and winning the 2011 AFC Asian Cup, where he was also voted Player of the Tournament.
Hun Sen and his political party, the CPP, have held near total dominance over the mainstream media for the majority of their rule.
The authoritarian premier who leans heavily on bombast and brash statements, said he “really wanted” Donald Trump to clinch the US presidential poll, extolling the billionaire Republican’s potential as a global peacemaker.
Hun Sen, whose 31-year rule over Cambodia has been marred by accusations of rampant rights abuses, added that a Trump presidency may help heal deeply strained ties between the United States and Russia.
Meanwhile, struggling for nearly 20 years to challenge Cambodia’s ruling party, the main opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party is facing uncertainty over its future because of legal problems being faced by its leaders.
Party leader Sam Rainsy has been in selfimposed exile in France for nearly a year to avoid conviction over a defamation case.
He is also banned from returning home for fear his presence will create chaos. On Oct 19 he vowed to return but his plans are secret because of safety fears.