A heated debate is unfolding over academic honors and national pride. Hun Sen, the Cambodian Senate President, recently fired back at news from a neighboring country. Certain universities there announced they would take back honorary degrees they had given him. He used social media to make his feelings very clear.
Hun Sen stated he never thought much of these degrees from the start. In fact, he claimed to have tossed them all away. This strong reaction was reported by Fresh News, a Cambodian news agency, on August 22, 2025. It marked a fresh twist in what has become a public spat.
He explained that he received three of these honorary degrees over the years. These were given in 2001, 2006, and 2019. But, Hun Sen stressed that none of them helped his political success in any way. He declared that his skills and achievements came entirely from the Cambodian people. They also came from his own country’s learning institutions, not from any foreign source. He went further, suggesting these foreign schools should feel ashamed. They were the ones who sought him out, judging him worthy of the honors. He insisted he never asked for them.
To drive his point home, Hun Sen issued a challenge. He said his office would release the original assessment documents. These were the papers the schools used to decide he deserved the degrees. This, he noted, would remind everyone that the schools freely offered him the honor. It was not something he actively sought. He firmly stated that his true pride comes from serving his nation. It does not come from a piece of paper.
This latest outburst from the former Cambodian leader came after recent decisions by two academic bodies. The council of Bansomdejchaopraya Rajabhat University voted unanimously to revoke an honorary Doctor of Philosophy. This degree was in Local Development Education. Earlier, on August 8, 2025, Ramkhamhaeng University’s council also voted unanimously. They decided to take back Hun Sen’s honorary Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science. Both universities cited his actions as “hostile” towards their nation. They said his behavior went against the reasons he was honored in the first place.