Kith Meng funds Cambodia’s ICJ case in support of Hun Sen’s nationalist push

Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen has launched a fresh political manoeuvre by calling on tycoon Kith Meng, president of Cambodia’s Chamber of Commerce, to establish the “CTN Foundation for the Border” — a fund aimed at defending Cambodia’s territorial sovereignty and reigniting nationalist sentiment.

The CTN Foundation refers to the Cambodian Television Network, owned by Kith Meng, a wealthy businessman closely aligned with the Hun family. The move came in response to growing domestic criticism following the Cambodian military’s withdrawal from a disputed area at Chong Bok on the Thai border and the covering of a defensive trench. Detractors accused both Hun Sen and his son, Prime Minister Hun Manet, of being weak and caving in to the Shinawatra family in Thailand.

Criticism intensified after former opposition leader Sam Rainsy posted a video claiming Thai troops had erected barbed wire inside Cambodian territory in Oddar Meanchey province. 

Cambodian soldiers, he alleged, attempted to intervene, but Thai forces refused to stop.

Rainsy went further, accusing Hun Sen of being “tough only on Cambodians” but afraid to confront the Thai military for fear of provoking war — a war, he insinuated, that could jeopardise the premiership of Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Hun Sen’s adopted child.

Although Cambodia’s Ministry of Defence insisted that there had been no withdrawal, only a “tactical repositioning,” anti-government groups continued to stoke speculation and erode public trust in Hun Manet’s leadership.

To counter this narrative and reclaim control of the public discourse, Hun Sen turned to nationalist symbolism — appealing to Kith Meng to set up the CTN Foundation to “defend the homeland from invaders.”

At around midnight on June 11 2025, Hun Sen took to his personal Facebook page to officially announce the launch of the CTN Foundation for Border Defence. He thanked Kith Meng for agreeing to his request, describing the fund as a vital mechanism to strengthen national defence.

Hun Sen stressed that Cambodia’s fight against Thai aggression must be waged not only through military means but also via political, diplomatic, and legal channels — and that such a struggle would require a long-term strategy.

He said the CTN fund would be used to support border troops, ensuring their readiness, and to cover expenses related to Cambodia’s potential legal action against Thailand at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Such proceedings, he warned, could take considerable time and resources.

As a symbolic gesture, Hun Sen and his wife Bun Rany made an initial donation of 300 million riels (under 3 million baht). While modest in financial terms, the contribution was seen as a calculated political move — a signal to rally national pride and sustain the nationalist wave in Cambodia.

Kith Meng, chairman of Royal Group and owner of CTN television, is one of Cambodia’s most influential business figures. 

Kith Meng was born into a Cambodian refugee family that fled the Khmer Rouge regime and resettled in Australia.

After returning to his ancestral homeland, he went on to build a vast business empire and earned the royal honorific title “Oknha” — the Cambodian equivalent of a noble rank bestowed for significant contributions to the nation.

Today, Kith Meng serves as president of the Cambodian Chamber of Commerce and controls the Royal Group, one of the kingdom’s most diversified and powerful conglomerates.

Royal Group’s portfolio spans multiple sectors: MobiTel, Cambodia’s largest mobile phone operator; TeleSURF, a major broadband internet provider; and CTN (Cambodian Television Network), the nation’s leading television station. 

The group also holds concessions for two strategic railway lines — Phnom Penh to Poipet and Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville Port.

Beyond telecom and media, the conglomerate has stakes in ANZ Royal Bank Cambodia, insurance companies, the Royal Park Resort in Siem Reap, and the five-star Hotel Cambodiana in Phnom Penh.

Among its most ambitious ventures is the large-scale development of Koh Rong, Cambodia’s second-largest island in the Gulf of Thailand. The Royal Group plans to transform the island into a luxury destination featuring hotels, resorts, casinos, and golf courses.

Given the scale of Kith Meng’s business empire and his longstanding ties with the Hun political dynasty, it came as no surprise that Hun Sen entrusted him with the creation of the CTN Foundation for Border Defence. The foundation, launched in June 2025, is part of a broader effort to harness nationalist sentiment and bolster Cambodia’s military preparedness along the Thai border.

For Hun Sen, "Oknha Kith Meng" is more than just a tycoon — he is a strategic partner in shaping Cambodia’s economic narrative and defending its sovereignty.