PHNOM PENH -- A momentous generational shift in power looms in Cambodia, as Prime Minister Hun Sen works out when to hand over the reins to his eldest son after nearly 40 years of iron-fisted rule.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, center, has worked assiduously to maintain his family's grip on power, grooming his eldest son, Manet, left, to succeed him. © Nikkei montage/Source photos by Reuters and Getty Images
Strongman prime minister mulling when to hand over to his eldest child, Hun Manet