Cambodian PM dedicates monument to his defeat of Khmer Rouge

Long-serving Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Saturday inaugurated a monument marking the 1998 end of the threat from the communist Khmer Rouge movement, which ruinously ruled the country in the late 1970s and then carried on a guerrilla war.

The monument just north of Phnom Penh, the capital, is dedicated to what Hun Sen called his "Win-Win Policy," which saw the last two top Khmer Rouge leaders surrender in December 1998, eliminating the group as a political force and security threat.

Hun Sen, in his supreme military commander's uniform of a five-star general, said in a two-hour speech that he had "joined with other leaders and the people to turn our pitiful soil that used to be a killing zone into a safe land."

Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen gestures towards the Win-Win Memorial during its opening ceremony in Prek Ta Sek village on the outskirt of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Saturday, Dec. 29, 2018. Cambodia's long-serving Prime Minister Hun Sen has inaugurated a monument marking the 1998 end of the threat from the communist Khmer Rouge movement, which ruinously ruled the country in the late 1970s and then carried on a guerrilla war. (AP PhotoHeng Sinith)

But the monument's highlighting the activities of Hun Sen makes clear that it is also a celebration of his legacy. The base of the 54-meter (177-foot) -tall structure has sculpted panels depicting various scenes in his life, including him sitting in a circle of villagers eating rice, leading a group of soldiers out of a forest and lecturing in front of a blackboard.

In the nationally televised speech to a crowd that officials claimed numbered 40,000, Hun Sen said the peace he helped achieve in 1998 helped unite the country "for the first time ever in its history," and brought peace and economic prosperity.

"Before, mothers often worried about their sons going to war, wives often worried about their husbands going to war and children often worried about their fathers going to war, but in the last 20 years there is no fear about war and people who used to have to evacuate themselves from fighting now don't need to move anywhere, and need not have a bunker under their homes to shelter in, either," he said.

Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen, center, arrives at the Win-Win Memorial during its opening ceremony in Prek Ta Sek village on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Saturday, Dec. 29, 2018. Cambodia's long-serving Prime Minister Hun Sen has inaugurated a monument marking the 1998 end of the threat from the communist Khmer Rouge movement, which ruinously ruled the country in the late 1970s and then carried on a guerrilla war. (AP PhotoHeng Sinith)

Hun Sen's "Win-Win Policy" allowed most members of the Khmer Rouge to be incorporated into the government's military and bureaucracy in exchange for giving up the fight and defecting.

Hun Sen himself had once served with the Khmer Rouge, which seized power after a bloody 1970-75 civil war.

As the Khmer Rouge carried out brutal policies that led to the deaths of an estimated 1.7 million Cambodians, he defected in 1977 to Vietnam, whose invasion ousted the Khmer Rouge from power in 1979. In 1985, he became prime minister, and this year vowed to serve 10 more years in office.

Cambodia soldiers participate in an opening ceremony in Prek Ta Sek village on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Saturday, Dec. 29, 2018. Cambodia's long-serving Prime Minister Hun Sen has inaugurated a monument marking the 1998 end of the threat from the communist Khmer Rouge movement, which ruinously ruled the country in the late 1970s and then carried on a guerrilla war. (AP PhotoHeng Sinith)

Hun Sen has kept himself in power largely through clever political maneuvering and often authoritarian actions, but recent years have seen his party's electoral popularity slip badly.

His ruling Cambodian People's Party won this year's general election, but only after the government-influenced courts dissolved the sole credible opposition party. That led in turn to a revival of criticism of Hun Sen's antidemocratic tendencies by Western nations, which also started to apply sanctions against his government.

Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen delivers a speech during an opening ceremony in Prek Ta Sek village on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Saturday, Dec. 29, 2018. Hun Sen has inaugurated a monument marking the 1998 end of the threat from the communist Khmer Rouge movement, which ruinously ruled the country in the late 1970s and then carried on a guerrilla war. (AP PhotoHeng Sinith)

Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen, center, views a relief of himself on the wall of the Win-Win Memorial during its opening ceremony in Prek Ta Sek village on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Saturday, Dec. 29, 2018. Cambodia's long-serving Prime Minister Hun Sen has inaugurated a monument marking the 1998 end of the threat from the communist Khmer Rouge movement, which ruinously ruled the country in the late 1970s and then carried on a guerrilla war. (AP PhotoHeng Sinith)

Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen, center, and his wife Bunrany, center left, walk to the opening ceremony of the Win-Win Memorial in Prek Ta Sek village outside of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Saturday, Dec. 29, 2018. Cambodia's long-serving Prime Minister Hun Sen has inaugurated a monument marking the 1998 end of the threat from the communist Khmer Rouge movement, which ruinously ruled the country in the late 1970s and then carried on a guerrilla war. (AP PhotoHeng Sinith)

Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen, left, walks together with his Defense Minister Tea Banh, foreground right, during an opening ceremony of Win-Win Memorial in Prek Ta Sek village on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Saturday, Dec. 29, 2018. Cambodia's long-serving Prime Minister Hun Sen has inaugurated a monument marking the 1998 end of the threat from the communist Khmer Rouge movement, which ruinously ruled the country in the late 1970s and then carried on a guerrilla war. (AP PhotoHeng Sinith)

NEW YORK (AP) — Brent Rooker was placed on the 10-day injured list by the Athletics on Friday because of an oblique strain, ending a streak of 213 consecutive games played for the outfielder and designated hitter.

Zack Gelof was recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas to fill the roster spot prior to the Athletics’ series opener at the New York Mets.

Manager Mark Kotsay didn’t provide a timeline for the All-Star slugger, who will miss his first game Friday since Aug. 15, 2024, the last time the Athletics were at Citi Field.

“We’re hopeful that Rook can get back as soon as possible,” Kotsay said.

Rooker was injured while fouling off a changeup in the first inning of Thursday’s 1-0 victory at the New York Yankees.

“I’m a little tight and a little sore, but we’ll get imaging done and see what that says,” Rooker said after the game.

Rooker is hitting .146 with two home runs and seven of his eight RBIs in his three games before Thursday.

His playing streak is the club’s fourth longest since 2000. It's also the longest streak for an A's player since Marcus Semien appeared in 276 straight games from June 28, 2018-Aug. 29, 2020.

“It was the first thing I thought about — I know Rook prides himself on playing every day,” Kotsay said.

Last season, Rooker hit .262 with 30 homers and 89 RBIs when he appeared in every game and earned All-Star selection. He also took part in the Home Run Derby, hitting 17 but failing to move on to the semifinals after losing the tiebreaker by less than an inch in total distance.

Rooker signed a $60 million, five-year contract in January 2025, a deal that could be worth up to $92 million over six seasons. That would take him through the 2029 season, the year after the A’s are scheduled to move to Las Vegas.

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Athletics' Brent Rooker swings at a strike, and then left the game following the at bat, during the first inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Thursday, April 9, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)