AKP Phnom Penh, January 05, 2026 --

Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen, President of the Senate of the Kingdom of Cambodia, marked the 50th anniversary of his marriage to Samdech Kittiprittpundit Bun Rany on Monday, reflecting on a union forged under the shadows of the Khmer Rouge regime.

Writing on social media on the morning of Jan. 5, 2026, the former Prime Minister recalled the somber circumstances of their wedding day in 1976. Unlike traditional Cambodian celebrations, their union was part of a mass ceremony conducted during one of the darkest periods in the nation’s history.

"This Jan. 5, 2026, marks the 50th anniversary of my marriage to my wife," Samdech Techo Hun Sen wrote, describing the atmosphere of the event. "The ceremony involved 13 couples. 

After 7:00 a.m., we were ordered to stand in two lines—men in one, women in the other—organised by numerical order. I was number 13 for the men, and my wife was number 13 for the women."

He noted that the setting, a simple hall built for political meetings, felt less like a wedding and "more like a military briefing before going into battle."

The couple’s early years were defined by the hardships of the Pol Pot era, a time when the general population faced immense suffering. Samdech Techo Hun Sen highlighted that their survival and enduring partnership were products of shared struggle, noting that despite the lack of peace or comfort during the regime, they never abandoned one another.

To mark the milestone, Samdech Techo Hun Sen shared a video excerpt from his memoir, The Soulmates destined to be together. The book details their relationship from their first meeting in March 1974 through their painful separation and eventual reunion in 1979 following the fall of the Khmer Rouge regime.

By K. Rithy Reak