Sopheak SREY

An Open Letter to Cambodia’s Hun Manet About His PhD Thesis

Despite repeated requests, Bristol University has refused to release the Cambodian leader’s doctoral thesis in economics.

By David Whitehouse

November 08, 2023

Prime Minister Dr. Hun Manet,

At present, your PhD thesis, completed at Bristol University in 2009, sits gathering dust on a shelf in a library building in southwest Britain.

No one reads it and no one is allowed to photocopy it. Neither is it possible to transfer it to any other academic library. The thesis is literally kept under lock and key.

Most theses are readily available to be read by interested researchers everywhere. You will have needed to read many completed theses yourself in the course of your studies.

In early August, I made a request to the university under British freedom of information legislation to be allowed to make a copy of your thesis. Unpublished academic theses can be released under British law if this is deemed to be in the public interest. Given your position as prime minister of a least developed country, the public interest grounds for releasing your research, which I understand concerns small and medium-sized businesses, is clear. For many poor countries, as you know, small business growth is the most realistic engine of mass job creation.

My request was refused by the university. You said in a public speech on November 2 that you are willing to provide your thesis on request. The following day, I received notification from the university that my appeal of their original decision had also been refused.

I have contacted your press office to request a copy of the thesis but have not yet received a reply. Bristol University has contacted you to ask for permission to digitize your thesis, but as yet they don’t have an answer either.

I have relayed the latest decision from the university to your press office, again without reply. With the process of trying to obtain the thesis from the university now exhausted, the only possible further avenue is an appeal to the British government’s Information Commissioner.

There is everything to be gained by making the fruits of your years of research publicly available. This would allow expert public discussion which, in the case of most academic theses, allows knowledge in the subject area to move forward.

The implications of your research for the Cambodian economy could be evaluated and very possibly improved by specialists, including Cambodians, who have devoted their whole working lives to the subject. I hope that you will make it available by any convenient method as soon as possible.

អត្ថបទដើម ដកស្រង់ចេញពី អត្ថបទទស្សនៈមួយចេញផ្សាយដោយ The Diplomat ថ្ងៃទី០៨ ខែវិច្ឆិកា ឆ្នាំ២០២៣

ឆ្លើយតបចំពោះលិខិតចំហរបស់លោក David Whitehouse ពាក់ព័ន្ធនឹង និក្ខេបបទថ្នាក់បណ្ឌិតរបស់ខ្ញុំ (ចេញផ្សាយនៅក្នុងទស្សនាវដ្តី the Diplomat ចុះថ្ងៃទី៨ ខែវិច្ឆិកា ឆ្នាំ២០២៣)

ជូនលោក David Whitehouse ÷

១. ខ្ញុំសូមអរគុណ ចំពោះបំណងរបស់លោក ក្នុងការស្វែងរក និក្ខេបបទថ្នាក់បណ្ឌិតរបស់ខ្ញុំ, បើទោះបីជាខ្ញុំនៅតែមិនយល់ច្បាស់អំពីបំណងពិតប្រាកដរបស់លោកក្នុងការស្នើសុំនោះ ក៏ដោយ។

២. ខ្ញុំពិតជាសោកស្តាយ នៅពេលដែលបានដឹងថាលោកមានការលំបាក ក្នុងការស្នើសុំសេចក្តីចម្លងនិក្ខេបបទថ្នាក់បណ្ឌិតនេះ ពីសាកលវិទ្យាល័យ Bristol ។ ខ្ញុំមិនបានដឹងអំពីគោលការណ៍ ឬបទប្បញ្ញត្តិរបស់សាកលវិទ្យាល័យ ពាក់ព័ន្ធនឹងការគ្រប់គ្រងឬចែកចាយឯកសារស្រាវជ្រាវរបស់និស្សិត ដូចជានិក្ខេបបទរបស់ខ្ញុំនេះទេ។ តាមការចងចាំរបស់ខ្ញុំ គឺខ្ញុំមិនដែលបានស្នើសុំឱ្យសាកលវិទ្យាល័យ Bristol រក្សានិក្ខេបបទនេះជាការសម្ងាត់នោះឡើយ។

៣. ខ្ញុំក៏គ្មានហេតុផលណាមួយ ក្នុងការរក្សានិក្ខេបបទរបស់ខ្ញុំជាការសម្ងាត់ដែរ ។ និក្ខេបបទនេះ ជាលទ្ធផលដែលកើតចេញពីការសិក្សាស្រាវជ្រាវ និងការវិភាគជាច្រើនឆ្នាំ រួមទាំងការពិគ្រោះយោបល់ជាប្រចាំ ជាមួយលោកទីប្រឹក្សារបស់ខ្ញុំ (គឺ លោកសាស្រ្តាចារ្យ Jonathan Temple)។ សមិទ្ធផលនេះក៏បានឆ្លងការការពារ នៅចំពោះមុខគណៈកម្មការសាស្ត្រាចារ្យ ដើម្បីទទួលបានការឯកភាពចុងក្រោយ ។

៤. ផ្ទុយទៅវិញ ខ្ញុំក៏ដូចអ្នកសិក្សាស្រាវជ្រាវដទៃទៀតដែរ តែងពេញចិត្តនូវការផ្តល់វាយតម្លៃ ផ្តល់មតិ ចំពោះសមិទ្ធផលការងាររបស់យើង, ជាពិសេស ពីសំណាក់អ្នកដែលមានសមត្ថភាពជំនាញ រួមទាំងអ្នកសិក្សាអ្នកស្រាវជ្រាវដទៃទៀតផងដែរ ។ តាមពិតទៅ, ខ្ញុំធ្លាប់បានចែករំលែកសេចក្តីចម្លងនិក្ខេបបទរបស់ខ្ញុំ ជូនទៅបុគ្គលមួយចំនួនរួចមកហើយនាពេលកន្លងមក ដែលមានការចាប់អារម្មណ៍និងបានស្នើសុំមកខ្ញុំ ដែលក្នុងនោះ រួមមានទាំងអ្នកសិក្សាស្រាវជ្រាវផងដែរ ។

លោកក៏នឹងទទួលបានសេចក្តីចម្លងនិក្ខេបបទនេះដូចគ្នាដែរ ប្រសិនបើលោកបានស្នើមកខ្ញុំដោយផ្ទាល់តាំងតែពីមុនមក។

៥. ដូច្នេះ, ខ្ញុំសូមឆ្លៀតឱកាសនេះ ចែករំលែកនូវសេចក្តីចម្លងនិក្ខេបបទរបស់ខ្ញុំ ទាំងថ្នាក់បរិញ្ញាបត្រជាន់ខ្ពស់ និងថ្នាក់បណ្ឌិត ជាសាធារណៈ នាពេលនេះ ដើម្បីឱ្យលោក និងអ្នកដែលមានចំណាប់អារម្មណ៍ដទៃទៀត អានស្នាដៃសិក្សាទាំងនេះ ដែលខ្ញុំបានសរសេរ និងបញ្ចប់កាលពីជាង ២២ឆ្នាំ (ថ្នាក់បរិញ្ញាបត្រជាន់ខ្ពស់) និង ១៥ ឆ្នាំមុន (ថ្នាក់បណ្ឌិត) មកម៉្លេះ ។

៦. សូមជូនពរលោក និងរីករាយអាននិក្ខេបបទរបស់ខ្ញុំ។

Response to Mr. David Whitehouse’s open letter to me regarding his request for my PhD Thesis

(Published in the Diplomat magazine, dated November 08, 2023) :

Dear Mr. David Whitehouse,

1. I appreciate your interest in obtaining a copy of my PhD thesis, though I am not sure about your motive for seeking this academic work.

2. I am sorry to hear that you have had difficulty in obtaining a copy from the University of Bristol. I do not know what is the rule of the University regarding giving out students’ works, such as my thesis. To the best of my memory, I have never requested Bristol University to keep my thesis confidential.

3. There is no reason for me to keep my thesis strictly confidential. It is after all an academic work, which has resulted from many years of research and analysis works, regular consultations with my supervisor, Professor Jonathan Temple; as well as thesis defense in front of a panel of professors to get the final approval.

4. On the contrary, I​, just like any academic researcher, would very much welcome any feedback given to my works especially from qualified persons, including other academics and researchers. In fact, I have given out my thesis to a number of people in the past, including academics and researchers, who requested it.

It would be the same for you, if you had requested directly to me earlier.

5. I would like to take this opportunity to share my theses, both Master’s and PhD’s, publicly, so that you and also anyone else who may be interested to read these works, which I wrote 22 years and 15years ago, respectively, can do so easily.

6. I wish you all the best and Happy Reading.

សូមជូនតំណភ្ជាប់ដើម្បីដោនឡូតឯកសារនិក្ខេបបទ៖

Kindly find the link below to download the thesis:

https://t.me/Dr_Hunmanetofcambodia/5632

ដកស្រង់ទាំងស្រុងចេញពី អត្ថបទលើហ្វេសប៊ុកផ្លូវការ លោកនាយករដ្ឋមន្រ្តីកម្ពុជា ហ៊ុន ម៉ាណែត ចេញផ្សាយថ្ងៃពុធ ទី០៨ ខែវិច្ឆិកា ឆ្នាំ២០២៣ វេលាម៉ោង ១០និង៣៥នាទីយប់