A Change of Guard

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Saturday 13 July 2013

Exiled Cambodian Opposition Head Pardoned, To Return [Mr. Phay Siphan: Mr. Rainsy is now "a free man in Cambodia" who can seek to reinstate his eligibility to contest elections] ផៃ ស៊ីផាន៖ លោក សម រង្ស៊ី គឺជាមនុស្សដែលមានសិទ្ធិសេរីភាព ដែលអាចស្វែងរកសិទ្ធិដើម្បីការច្រកួតប្រជែងក្នុងការបោះឆ្នោត

Sam Rainsy Free to Go Home Ahead of Elections

By CHUN HAN WONG
The Wall Street Journal
Updated July 12, 2013

Cambodian opposition leader Sam Rainsy is free to end his self-imposed exile after receiving a royal pardon Friday, paving the way for his return ahead of the Southeast Asian nation's general elections this month against longtime strongman Hun Sen.
King Norodom Sihamoni signed a royal decree to pardon Mr. Rainsy of his 2010 convictions for offenses including spreading disinformation, after receiving a request from the prime minister, Mr. Hun Sen, government spokesman Phay Siphan said.
The move comes as the ruling Cambodian People's Party seeks a fresh five-year mandate in polls scheduled July 28. Mr. Rainsy is seen as Mr. Hun Sen's main rival but it wasn't immediately clear if he will actually be able to run. According to Mr. Phay Siphan, Mr. Rainsy is now "a free man in Cambodia" who can seek to reinstate his eligibility to contest elections through the appropriate legal processes. The spokesman didn't specify what the processes are.
Western countries—including the U.S.—and human-rights groups have called for Mr. Rainsy to be allowed to contest the elections. Mr. Hun Sen, who took office in 1985 and ranks among the world's longest-serving leaders, is widely expected to extend his term.
Mr. Rainsy, a 64-year-old former finance minister, leads the Cambodia National Rescue Party. He has lived in exile in Paris since 2009 because of what he and rights observers have called politically motivated charges for spreading disinformation and falsifying the Cambodia-Vietnam border on a map. He was sentenced in absentia to 11 years in jail.
In a telephone interview, Mr. Rainsy said that his pardon was "a good move in the right direction toward national reconciliation and unity." He said he plans to return to Cambodia within the "next few days" once he settles "administrative" issues with his French passport.
The former fund manager wrote King Sihamoni last month to seek a pardon and said last week he would return to Cambodia whether or not one was granted. "I was prepared for the worst—being arrested and jailed upon my arrival," Mr. Rainsy said Friday. "I was hopeful [that a pardon might be granted], but not at all certain."
Mr. Hun Sen requested the pardon for Mr. Rainsy "in the spirit of national reconciliation and unity, and to ensure peace for Cambodia," Mr. Phay Siphan said.

Friday's developments mirrored events in early 2006, when Mr. Rainsy was granted a royal pardon for his 2005 convictions and jail sentences for defaming the government. He subsequently contested the 2008 polls and won a parliamentary seat.
Analysts say the pardoning of Mr. Rainsy might help Mr. Hun Sen to head off criticism from foreign governments and donors who have threatened to reduce aid to the impoverished Southeast Asian nation if the government is seen undermining the fairness of the electoral process. Furthermore, "any arrest and imprisonment [of Mr. Rainsy] could provoke protests from [opposition] supporters" and generate social unrest, said Lao Mong Hay, a Cambodian academic and political analyst.
"The question is whether (Mr. Rainsy) would be accorded his full political and civil rights" and allowed to campaign and run for elections, said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director for U.S.-based advocacy group Human Rights Watch. "From the government's perspective, they are going to sell this as an indication of a free and fair election."
"The problems with the elections remain unresolved," Mr. Rainsy said, alleging that Mr. Hun Sen's government would make use of Cambodia's electoral commission to sway the poll results. The government has in the past denied such accusations.
At the last election in 2008, the ruling CPP won 90 seats in Cambodia's 123-member National Assembly. The opposition groups now comprising Mr. Rainsy's party combined for just 29 seats.

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