PHNOM PENH – Cambodia’s next election will be in July 2018, Prime Minister Hun Sen announced on Wednesday, as leaders of the opposition face legal charges they say are politically motivated to stop them challenging the veteran premier in the vote.

Long before the Southeast Asian nation goes to the ballot box, political tension has risen. The last election in 2013 marked self-styled strongman Hun Sen’s toughest challenge in three decades of rule.

The opposition, led by Hun Sen’s longtime foe Sam Rainsy, accused the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) of cheating its way to victory and boycotted parliament for a year.

Hun Sen said in a televised speech on Wednesday the next election would be held on July 22, 2018. “I hope there won’t be any reason to reject the election results then and make allegations that 1.2 million or 1.5 million votes are missing,” said Hun Sen, referring to accusations by Sam Rainsy’s Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) in 2013 that millions were missing from voter lists.

The CPP won the election with a greatly reduced majority and Hun Sen has since reshuffled his ageing cabinet.

Critics say Hun Sen is following a two-track strategy: trying to woo back CPP voters while using the judiciary to weaken the opposition.

Sam Rainsy has been in exile since November to avoid jail on charges for which he had previously received a royal pardon.

Kem Sokha, Rainsy’s deputy, faces charges for defamation and procurement of prostitution after recordings of a telephone conversation purportedly between him and a woman were leaked.

Legal cases have also been filed against prominent CNRP members and rights workers related to the Kem Sokha case.

Last year, two CNRP lawmakers were beaten outside parliament during a pro-CPP demonstration. Hun Sen’s bodyguards were tried for the attacks.

After the shock of the 2013 vote, Hun Sen had reverted to the legal and physical intimidation tactics used in the 2008 and 2003 elections, said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director for Human Rights Watch.

Authorities have also cracked down on civil society groups.

Rights group LICAHDO says there are 29 political prisoners in Cambodian jails, up from none a year ago. “This is all a variation on how Hun Sen has run Cambodia since the early 1990s,” said Sebastian Strangio, author of the book, “Hun Sen’s Cambodia”. “A mix of populist appeal and strongman threats, sweetened with a dollop of political patronage,” Strangio said.

The phrase “a down-to-earth king” or “a people-friendly ruler” is used to describe many a monarch around the world.

But it seems a particularly apt description for the King of Bhutan, after a picture of him preparing a meal for a school in the country went viral on social media.

In the picture, King Jigme Khesa Namgyel Wangchuck is seen dressed simply and chopping onions and chillies to prepare a meal for students of a community school in the town of Mongar.

The photograph first appeared in a tweet by Harsh Goenka, chairman of industrial conglomerate RPG Enterprises, on May 19, and quickly spread online.

India-based Hindustan Times said that the picture was the most trending topic on Facebook on May 24.

The Huffington Post said that the photo “shows that The Dragon King, as he is often called, is equal parts powerful and humble”.

King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, an Oxford graduate, was officially crowned the fifth king of the tiny Himalayan country in 2008. In 2011, he married Queen Jetsun Pema, who had been born a commoner.

@hvgoenka he is the most beloved King in Bhutan. So much so that people don’t want democracy and want Royalty

— (@swatrisha) May 19, 2016

The popular royal couple are no strangers to social media fame. They also made news in February this year after announcing the birth of their first child, a son. In April, a high profile meeting with Britain’s Prince William and his wife Kate also made headlines.

Meanwhile, Thailand’s Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn is also in Bhutan, arriving on Monday (May 23) for a four day visit.

According to Kuensel, the Thai royal met with the King and Queen, and visited a monestary and also a school to check on the progress of projects she funded in 2012.

Bhutan royal family shares close-up photos of newborn for the first time

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Jetsun Pema Facebook

seanyap@sph.com.sg

To insiders and those who track his restaurant jaunts in America and abroad, Barack Obama is the first foodie president of the United States.

And the fan of cheeseburgers and steaks finally gets a spot on celebrity TV host Anthony Bourdain’s food show just when he is wrapping up years of work in his final months at the White House.

On Monday night (May 23), waiting crowds on the street cheered when the pair showed up at a budget shophouse eatery in Hanoi in a convoy of cars for its famed Bun Cha or grilled pork with noodles.

Thanks to Obama, Bun Cha noodles is now famous

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Facebook screengrabs, Instagram screengrabs

As opposed to the fancy feasts he had been hosted to by world leaders at top fine-dining eateries such as sushi restaurant Sukiyabashi Jiro in Tokyo and L’Ambroisie in Paris, the meal Obama had at Bun Cha Huong Lien is humble everyday fare in Vietnam.

Many Vietnamese were delighted when photos of the president and Bourdain tucking into Bun Cha went viral online and were splashed in newspapers.

Their meal cost a mere US$6 (S$8.20), a teeny weeny fraction of a $400-$500 bill for Michelin-starred eateries.

Bourdain, who posted a photo of their dinner together on Instagram, tweeted: “Total cost of Bun Cha dinner with the President: $6.00. I picked up the check.”

Here are 5 things you might not know from just looking at the now historic photo:

1) Move over Pho, here comes Bun Cha

It is an everyday North Vietnamese dish but Hanoi people would claim theirs is the best. Just like their Pho or beef noodles.

Bourdain’s photo shows both of them having the grilled pork belly (Cha Tit) served in a bowl, which contained the dip. It is usually made with ingredients like fish sauce, sugar, garlic, and slices of green papaya and carrot.

Cooked rice vermicelli was served at the side. It’s picked with chopsticks and dipped into the sauce before eating. Also served was a platter of herbs such as coriander, mint, basil and perilla, which were meant to be eaten with the meat and noodles.

The two men also had fried seafood spring rolls (Nem Hai San), which could be enjoyed with the noodles and the same sauce too.

Did the President know that he could have a freeflow of the noodles and herbs if he wanted more? That’s how such restaurants in Vietnam treat all guests.

2) Sisters run the restaurant

Helmed by two sisters, Bun Cha Huong Lien is a budget family-style restaurant well known as having one of the best Bun Cha in Hanoi.

Its look is functional compared to the stylish new eateries popping up in Vietnam. But patrons like its hygiene practices, and clean, cool feel.

President Obama and Bourdain sat on their blue plastic stools and shared small wooden tables which are covered with a metal sheet. They dined in a room which had other diners too. It appears they ate on an upper floor.

Obama was there at the right time – the place reopened some months ago after refurbishment. If you’re interested to check it out, the restaurant is located at: 24 Le Van Huu, Hanoi, Vietnam. Local telephone: 0439434106

3) Beer Hanoi or Beer Saigon?

Both Obama and Bourdain drank beer straight from the bottle. Hard to tell from the photo which beer they had. Both Bia Ha Noi and Bia Saigon were available at the restaurant.

We wonder whether the beer was cold enough as beer is usually not chilled at many budget eateries in Vietnam. They serve ice in mugs instead. The photo shows mugs on the tables of other diners.

Anyway, Obama did roll up his sleeves to enjoy his happy hour.

4) Did fellow diners know it’s Obama?

They probably knew who the important guest was but kept to themselves mostly to give respect and privacy to him. There’s a likelihood they were told beforehand who would be sitting next them so as to prepare them for it.

Some diners were seen whispering to one another with covered mouths, as if sharing some classified gossip. After all, officials and security officers were hovering nearby. Besides, Bourdain’s crew were there too.

The owners and the staff certainly knew who the VVIP was – at least one photo shows the President together with and one of the owners.

5) Bun Cha in Singapore

This is a North Vietnam specialty but many Vietnamese restaurants in Singapore focus more on the cuisine of the south while offering their variations of northern cuisine.

Vietnamese grilled meat or chicken served with rice vermicelli is gaining favour here with the opening of more Vietnamese eateries at malls and in the CBD area. Female office workers welcome it as a lighter and healthier alternative, to say, a rich curry lunch.

Many Vietnamese regard the version at Tonkin Vietnamese Restaurant as authentic. Located opposite M Hotel in Anson Road, the restaurant is run by a team from Hanoi. Address: 70 Anson Road #01-03/04 Hub Synergy Point. Phone:6444 4406. It has a branch at the basement food court in Clifford Centre.

chenj@sph.com.sg

BANGKOK- A Thai man who says he found 700,000 methamphetamine pills – with a street value of nearly US$6 million (S$8.28 million) – in a bush, drove the local price of the drug down after handing them out to his friends for free, police said Wednesday.

Prachaub Kanpecth, who normally collects rubbish and forest honey, was charged Tuesday with possession and intent to supply after police caught him with 500,000 meth tablets, known as yaba or “crazy drug”, at his home in central Ayutthaya province.

The 41-year-old told officers he found the tablets after watching a group of men in a pick-up truck leave a large package in some shrubbery along the road, district police said.

Police opened an investigation after a glut of tablets flooded the local market – going for an unusually cheap $3. Yaba pills normally cost around $8 each.

But by the time he was arrested on Tuesday, Prahuab had already given away 200,000 tablets, said police, who are still investigating the case.

“He claimed he has been giving (the pills) to his friends who needed money or who wanted to money to pay back debts,” Suriya Yoopeat, a police commander in Uthai district, told AFP.

“As of now we don’t have any other evidence or witnesses to contradict his testimony,” the officer said.

Seizures of meth have surged across the Asia-Pacific region in recent years.

Much of the regional drug manufacturing takes place in the Golden Triangle, a remote border region where Myanmar, Laos and Thailand meet.

A Singaporean man was arrested with three kilograms gold from Tribhuvan International Airport in Nepal on Tuesday night.

The gold was concealed on a microwave and amplifier carried by Marugain Selbham. He had flown into Kathmandu on a Malindo Air flight and arrived at 8.30 pm.

“Customs officials checked him and found 37 pieces of gold weighing three kilogram hidden on an amplifier and a microwave,” said customs official Tulasi Chaulagain.

Foreigners are allowed to carry 50 grams of gold in Nepal. “It is illegal to carry more than that amount,” said Chaulagain.

The arrested man has been kept in customs custody.