Prince Ranariddh Thanks Prime Minister Hun Sen

24th March 2008
By San Suwit
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Khmerization

Last week Prince Norodom Ranariddh (pictured), President of the Norodom Ranariddh Party who is still living in exile, have told party officials and party activists that he wish to thank Prime Minister Hun Sen for dismissing that he has a plan to allow foreigners to own lands in Cambodia. The Prince also thanked Minister of Defense Tea Banh for suspending the application of the mandatory Laws on Military Duty (which stated that all men ages between 18-35 must serve in the military).

Prince Ranariddh said: “Because I have consistently raised time and again about the issue of justice, and on the issue of mandatory Laws on Military Duty which was already ratified by a National Assembly under Samdech Heng Samrin that allow the government to force-conscript the people to join the army, but because I have raised that issue again and again, now His Excellency Tea Banh has declared that these laws has been temporarily put on hold. I wish to thank his Excellency Tea Banh for that. On land issues, regarding the laws that allow foreigners to own lands in Cambodia, Norodom Ranariddh had raised these issues again and again and now Prime Minister Hun Sen made a speech in Kampong Speu the other day saying that he never had any thought, not even a dream, but I have proof, that he wanted to make that legislation allowing foreigners to own lands in Cambodia. But I must thank Samdech Decho (Hun Sen) for his back-flip. Now, because I have consistently raised these issues they all have been scrapped.”

Recently Prime Minister Hun Sen has dismissed allegations that he has plans to legislate to allow foreigners to own lands for the long term in Cambodia.

In his speech to party activists in Kandal province, Prince Ranariddh has blasted the Presidents of the Human Right Party and Sam Rainsy Party for rejecting his appeal for the creation of a big broad-based liberal nationalist party to compete against the ruling party of Mr. Hun Sen by considering them as the persons who don’t know how to do addition, but only know how to do subtraction.

Prince Ranariddh said: “I have heard what Samdech Hun Seen had said, even though he didn’t mention Mr. Kem Sokha’s name, I knew he talked about Mr. Kem Sokha. So, now I know the reasons why Mr. Kem Sokha and Sam Rainsy didn’t accept Norodom Ranariddh’s proposal. I didn’t ask them to join my party. I just ask them to join with me to create a big broad-based liberal nationalist party to offer the voters a choice and a hope in order to solve issues relating to the life and death of our nation. But they refused because they don’t know how to do addition, they only know how to do subtraction. They don’t understand about the win-win strategy which Samdech Hun Sen is so excited about. But these two only know about a loss-loss strategy because they don’t know how to do addition, but they only know how to do subtraction and the loss-loss strategy.”

Mr Kem Sokha, president of the Human Right Party said that his party is doing addition (gathering people) everyday, including the addition (gathering) of those people who used to vote for the Norodom Ranariddh Party and other parties as well.

Mr Kem Sokha said: “The Human Right Party is uniting (gathering) grassroots people. And when I went down to 2-3 places I saw that people were doing addition (joining) with the Human Right Party , they didn’t do any subtraction. Like what I saw when I went down this afternoon. Every place I went there were thousands of people who came (to the meeting). In Banteay Meanchey, each place I went there were about 4-5 thousand people, in Battambang there were about 1-2 thousand people, in Pursat there were 2-3 thousand people and in Kampong Cham there were thousands of people (who attended our meetings). So, who were they who came to join with the Human Right Party? They were the people who used to vote for the Norodom Ranariddh Party, the Funcinpec Party, the Sam Rainsy Party and the Cambodian People’s Party. Despite this, if other parties would like to join with us, our door remain open for them. So it is not like what someone said that we only know how to do subtraction. We know what is a win, what is a loss, and this is what we are doing now (addition).”

Radio Free Asia is unable to obtain any immediate comments from Mr. Sam Rainsy, the president of the Sam Rainsy Party, in relation to Prince Ranariddh’s comments about the Sam Rainsy Party’s rejection of the prince’s proposal to create a big broad-based liberal nationalist party to compete against the Cambodian People’s Party. //