PHNOM PENH (Cambodia Herald) – Funcinpec is not
commemorating the July 5-6 incident in 1997 after the royalist party
decided that the factional fighting with the Cambodian People's Party
was not a coup d'etat.
Speaking at a news conference Thursday, Funcinpec executive director Nhiek Bun Chhay said commemorations for those who died would be held on the first day of Pchum Ben in October.
"We will hold the commemoration ceremony for them on the first day of Pchum Ben to avoid having too many ceremonies each year," he said. The former general said such a ceremony would be more in accordance with Khmer customs.
Nhiek Bun Chhay said thousands of people made sacrifices for Funcinpec during the UN-supervised elections in 1993 and the fighting on 5-6 July in 1997.
MUTUAL DISTRUST
The incident reflected mutual distrust in the coalition government headed by Prince Norodom Ranariddh as first prime minister and Hun Sen as second prime minister. At the time, the prince was the head of the royalist party.
Reflecting on the events, Nhiek Bun Chhay outlined five incidents that gave rise to the fighting, starting with a Funcinpec meeting in Sihanoukville on 21-22 January, 1996 to discuss a strategy to balance CPP and Funcinpec forces.
"The Cambodian People’s Party had 110,000 troops in the Royal Armed Forces while Funcinpec had 21,000," he said. "At a dinner after the meeting, which I didn’t attend, I rejected the strategy because I thought it was not possible to balance the forces."
Nhiek Bun Chhay said Funcinpec held a congress on 21-22 March 1996 which was also attended by Hun Sen. "Reporters told Prince Norodom Ranariddh that the Cambodia People’s Party was not sharing 50 percent of district governor and deputy governor positions with Funcinpec," he recalled. "However, the fact was that the position-sharing agreement was between Co-Interior Ministers Sar Kheng and You Hockry."
A third factor contributing to political instability was the announcement of a National United Front by leaders of four parties in late February, 1997. Comprising Funcinpec, the National Khmer Party (today's Sam Rainsy Party), the Khmer Neutral Party and a fourth group, the front "created distrust within the coalition government," Nhiek Bun Chhay said.
SPARE PARTS
He said the fourth factor was a move by Krouch Yoeum and Ek Serey Wat, secretaries of state at the Ministry of National Defense, to import weapons. "Norodom Ranariddh didn’t know about the imports," he recalled. "In addition, Ranariddh didn’t tell the truth when he wrote a letter asking for tax-free treatment of what he said were helicopter spare parts."
Nhiek Bun Chhay said the the fifth factor was Ranariddh ordering him to negotiate with Khmer Rouge forces in Anlong Veng to get them to join the government. He said he reported the outcome of the negotiations to the prince "but Ranariddh didn’t tell Hun Sen about the talks with the Khmer Rouge."
The Funcinpec executive director concluded that the fighting 15 years ago was therefore not a coup" and also accused some politicians of exploiting the event for political opportunism.
Speaking at a news conference Thursday, Funcinpec executive director Nhiek Bun Chhay said commemorations for those who died would be held on the first day of Pchum Ben in October.
"We will hold the commemoration ceremony for them on the first day of Pchum Ben to avoid having too many ceremonies each year," he said. The former general said such a ceremony would be more in accordance with Khmer customs.
Nhiek Bun Chhay said thousands of people made sacrifices for Funcinpec during the UN-supervised elections in 1993 and the fighting on 5-6 July in 1997.
MUTUAL DISTRUST
The incident reflected mutual distrust in the coalition government headed by Prince Norodom Ranariddh as first prime minister and Hun Sen as second prime minister. At the time, the prince was the head of the royalist party.
Reflecting on the events, Nhiek Bun Chhay outlined five incidents that gave rise to the fighting, starting with a Funcinpec meeting in Sihanoukville on 21-22 January, 1996 to discuss a strategy to balance CPP and Funcinpec forces.
"The Cambodian People’s Party had 110,000 troops in the Royal Armed Forces while Funcinpec had 21,000," he said. "At a dinner after the meeting, which I didn’t attend, I rejected the strategy because I thought it was not possible to balance the forces."
Nhiek Bun Chhay said Funcinpec held a congress on 21-22 March 1996 which was also attended by Hun Sen. "Reporters told Prince Norodom Ranariddh that the Cambodia People’s Party was not sharing 50 percent of district governor and deputy governor positions with Funcinpec," he recalled. "However, the fact was that the position-sharing agreement was between Co-Interior Ministers Sar Kheng and You Hockry."
A third factor contributing to political instability was the announcement of a National United Front by leaders of four parties in late February, 1997. Comprising Funcinpec, the National Khmer Party (today's Sam Rainsy Party), the Khmer Neutral Party and a fourth group, the front "created distrust within the coalition government," Nhiek Bun Chhay said.
SPARE PARTS
He said the fourth factor was a move by Krouch Yoeum and Ek Serey Wat, secretaries of state at the Ministry of National Defense, to import weapons. "Norodom Ranariddh didn’t know about the imports," he recalled. "In addition, Ranariddh didn’t tell the truth when he wrote a letter asking for tax-free treatment of what he said were helicopter spare parts."
Nhiek Bun Chhay said the the fifth factor was Ranariddh ordering him to negotiate with Khmer Rouge forces in Anlong Veng to get them to join the government. He said he reported the outcome of the negotiations to the prince "but Ranariddh didn’t tell Hun Sen about the talks with the Khmer Rouge."
The Funcinpec executive director concluded that the fighting 15 years ago was therefore not a coup" and also accused some politicians of exploiting the event for political opportunism.
1 comment:
Ah nis muok vea doch Tor(lion) Nov nerng kbal spean....
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