Samdech Techo Hun Sen, President of the Senate of Cambodia, has publicly declared that he long ago discarded all three honorary diplomas granted to him by Thai institutions. His statement, made on social media on Friday, August 22, 2025, came in response to the latest Thai institution’s announcement of a diploma revocation.
In his post, he firmly stated, “I discarded them a long time ago. They hold no value worth keeping!” He emphasized that the three diplomas, received in 2001, 2006, and 2019, were “utterly worthless” to him and not worth preserving.
Hun Sen stressed that his intellect and knowledge were not a product of Thai schools or their diplomas, but were a result of his education in Cambodian schools and his service to the Cambodian people. He highlighted his significant national achievements, all of which were accomplished long before the diplomas were awarded. He noted his appointment as Minister of Foreign Affairs in 1979 at age 27, his promotion to Deputy Prime Minister in 1981 at age 29, and his ascent to Prime Minister in 1985 at age 32.
He concluded by pointing out that the Thai institutions had sought him out to present the diplomas, not the other way around. He also noted that he would instruct his office to publicize the original commendations from the Thai institutions as a reminder of their past evaluations of his merits.
