By Naewna and Reuters – published by CNA
A THAI army’s deputy spokesperson compared the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to Cambodia’s senior leader Hun Sen in a post shared on his personal Facebook page pointing out that regimes focused solely on exploiting resources for a “single group” are more fragile than generally realised, Naewna newspaper said this morning (Jan. 6).
Lt. Gen. Wanchana Sawasdee said in the post entitled “Parallel Worlds: From Venezuela’s Oil to Cambodia’s Concessions – When Nations Become Family Businesses” that Maduro’s fall is not just the end of a dictator in Latin America but is also a “case study” that has shaken Southeast Asia, especially looking across the border at Cambodia.
“Although geographically distant, in terms of political science, Maduro’s regime and Hun Sen’s regime share a surprisingly similar “DNA”: the transformation of countries into… “private property” (state capture) under the model known as “Kleptocracy” (a state ruled by a group of people focused on exploiting resources).
“National Resources for the Inner Circle: The heart of both regimes is not nation-building, but the “extraction of resources” to nourish one’s own power base.
“Venezuela: Maduro used the national oil company, PDVSA, as his personal savings bank. The enormous revenue was not used to develop infrastructure, but is diverted into the pockets of generals and close associates to buy loyalty. Ultimately, the once-thriving oil industry collapsed due to neglect.
“Hun Sen attempted to transfer power to his son, Hun Manet, laying the groundwork for over a decade to guarantee the family’s assets and security.
“Maduro (even after succeeding Chavez) tried to pave the way for his son Nicolas Maduro Guerra (aka Nicolasito) and wife Cilia Flores to have significant roles in parliament and the military. He was also preparing for a succession to power, but his ‘game’ ended prematurely,” he wrote.
Lt. Gen. Wanchana concluded by saying that the lessons from Venezuela show that regimes focused solely on exploiting resources for a “single group” (elite capture) are more fragile realised because when resources run out, or the supreme leader falters, the seemingly strong patronage system collapses like dominoes because it is not built on trust, but on “self-interest.”
This is not a distant issue for Thailand because when instability occurs in the neighbouring country Thailand would inevitably be affected along the border and in terms of overall security.
He urged Cambodians to learn a lesson from what occurred in Venezuela about the ultimate fate of a single group of leaders.
Meanwhile Maduro pleaded not guilty on Monday (Jan. 5) to narcotics charges after US President Donald Trump’s stunning capture of him rattled world leaders and left officials in Caracas scrambling to regroup.
“I’m president of the Republic of Venezuela and I’m here kidnapped since Jan. 3, Saturday,” Maduro told the court, speaking in Spanish through an interpreter. “I was captured at my home in Caracas, Venezuela.”
“I am innocent. I am not guilty. I am a decent man. I am still president of my country,” Maduro, 63, said, before being cut off by United States District Judge Alvin Hellerstein in Manhattan federal court.
Maduro’s wife Cilia Flores also pleaded not guilty. The next court date was set for Mar. 17.
Dozens of protesters, both pro- and anti-Maduro, gathered outside the courthouse before the half-hour hearing.
Hours later in Caracas, Maduro’s vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, was sworn in as Venezuela’s interim president with words of support for Maduro but no indication she would fight the US move.
A recent US intelligence assessment determined Rodriguez would be best positioned to lead a temporary government in Maduro’s absence, finding that opposition figures such as Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado or onetime presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez would struggle to gain legitimacy, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the classified report.
While many anti-Maduro activists had assumed this would be their moment, Trump appeared to sideline the Venezuelan opposition for now.
Instead, he has suggested that Rodriguez was willing to work with Washington.
In Caracas, senior officials from Maduro’s 13-year-old government remain in charge of the South American oil producer of 30 million people, alternating between spitting defiance and possible cooperation with the Trump administration.
CAPTIONS:
Top – Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro (left) and his wife, Cilia Flores (second from right) appear in Manhattan federal court with their defence attorneys Mark Donnelly (second from left) and Andres Sanchez on Jan. 5, 2026, in New York. Image: AP/Elizabeth Williams and published by CNA
First insert – Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen delivers a speech during his visit to Oddar Meanchey province, near the Cambodia-Thailand border, on June 26, 2025. Photo – Agence Kampuchea Press via AP and published by CNA
Front Page – Venezuela’s captured President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores attend their arraignment with defence lawyers Barry Pollack and Mark Donnelly to face US federal charges including narco-terrorism, conspiracy, drug trafficking, money laundering and others, at the Daniel Patrick Moynihan United States Courthouse in Manhattan on Jan. 5, 2026 in this courtroom sketch. Image: Reuters/Jane Rosenberg and published by CNA
Also read:
Ex-Thammasat law dean introduced as People’s-chosen justice minister
Yodchanan rules out possibility of anyone predestined for PM
Thailand monitoring Venezuela situation while Sam Rainsy says Hun Sen is next in line
3,731 drink-driving cases in six days of New Year holidays
