A Change of Guard

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Friday 3 June 2016

Ministry official wary of Sokha arrest strategy


Acting opposition leader Kem Sokha speaks to provincial CNRP members yesterday at the party’s headquarters in Meanchey district. Photo supplied
Acting opposition leader Kem Sokha speaks to provincial CNRP members yesterday at the party’s headquarters in Meanchey district. Photo supplied

An Interior Ministry spokesman has questioned the wisdom of arresting opposition leader Kem Sokha, saying it could result in “bloodshed between Khmer and Khmer”.
Khieu Sopheak, speaking to Radio Free Asia on Wednesday, said Sokha’s arrest in the near term would impact the nation negatively and suggested Sokha could be arrested at some indeterminate point in the future.
“My personal point of view is that if [we] arrest Mr Kem Sokha, it will be a loss to the national interest,” he said. “So what are we arresting him for?”
However, Council of Ministers spokesman Phay Siphan and Cambodian People’s Party spokesman Sok Eysan yesterday both agreed that a failure to arrest Sokha soon would render both the National Assembly and court insignificant, adding that Sopheak’s comments were only his personal opinion.
“The National Assembly allowed the court to proceed, so if we do not enforce this according to the law, [we] must close down the National Assembly and close down the court,” Siphan said.

Siphan added that the threat of demonstrations should not be a deterrent to Sokha’s arrest, calling it a separate problem that the government would deal with using “the rule of law”.
Mirroring Siphan’s comments, Eysan said that if Sokha was given any leeway, then the same should apply to other prisoners as well, saying the court as an institution should be shuttered in that eventuality.
Sopheak could not be reached for comment yesterday, but his remarks came weeks after his boss, Interior Minister Sar Kheng, seemingly departed from the CPP party lineregarding so-called colour revolutions, acknowledging that inactivity by officials could result in increased popular discontent.
A CNRP lawmaker, who requested to remain anonymous, yesterday said the contradictory signals on how to proceed with Sokha’s arrest indicated deeper disagreements within the CPP, most likely between Prime Minister Hun Sen and Kheng, who was close to late CPP president Chea Sim, a factional rival of the premier’s.
“The disagreement is mounting now,” the lawmaker said. “If the arrest is not put in effect, it shows that Sar Kheng’s side may have the upper hand, or at least increasing its influence within the ruling party.”
Sokha, who has been holed up at the CNRP headquarters since last week and evaded an attempted arrest by the police, has received support from international rights organisations and diplomatic missions, many of which have classified the government’s recent actions as politically motivated.
After a European Union statement, released earlier this week, labelled the treatment of Sokha “judicial harassment”, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday issued a statement responding to the “amazement and indignation” expressed by envoys at the Cambodian judicial process.
The ministry then goes on to say the Kingdom’s law enforcement procedures relating to “subordination of a witness” and refusal to appear in court were the same as those followed in other democratic countries, “particularly in those of the European Union”.
“Therefore the allegations of ‘judicial harassment’ against some politicians are absolutely unfounded,” the statement reads.
The Delegation of the European Union to Cambodia did not respond to a request for comment as of press time.
Late yesterday, yet another summons was revealed by the municipal court, this ordering Sokha to appear on June 14 for failure to respond to previous summonses.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Interior yesterday announced that a planned probe into a CNRP petition seeking King Norodom Sihamoni’s intervention in the Sokha case will be led by National Police chief Neth Savoeun.
Savoeun was appointed to head a newly created investigating commission by Kheng, who was tasked with initiating a probe into the veracity of the more than 170,000 thumbprints on the petition.
The commission will “examine the thumbprints” on the petition, “investigate who made the thumbprints”, verify their accuracy and report back to the minister of interior, a statement reads.
Additional reporting by Shaun Turton

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Just like the long running American soap opera
" As the World Turns ", the CNRP and the Khmer people have been subjected to play
Dictator & Traitor Hun Sen games a la Hanoi's rules.
The games will NOT end until and unless the CNRP and the Khmer people, with the help of the Paris Peace Accords, go after the Hanoi rules creator.

Anonymous said...

the council of ministers and the cpp disagree with the most powerful institution of the land, the ministry of interior?Wow.that's good,but how fundamental and how serious is it?. Is it a change within?. Whatever it is it remains to be seen.

Anonymous said...


How low can Ah Kwack Hun Sen stoop ?

Ah Kwack Hun Sen has exerted his cheap efforts to destroy the CNRP so that he could win the election and stay in power.

Thork Cheang Ach Touv Teat Ah Kwack and the Yuon slave party CPP.

And the sex maniac Kama Sokha must stop fucking around like a stray dog. Your short penis has stained the CNRP's reputation.

Kama Sokha must change his behavior if he loves Cambodia and wants the CNTRP to win this next election.

Chhary

Anonymous said...



“However, Council of Ministers spokesman Phay Siphan and Cambodian People’s Party spokesman Sok Eysan yesterday both agreed that a failure to arrest Sokha soon would render both the National Assembly and court insignificant, adding that Sopheak’s comments were only his personal opinion.”

The whole country and the world know that the National Assembly and Khmer court system are insignificant, and only these dumb-asses Phay Siphan and Sok Eysan pretend not to understand.



Anonymous said...

Chhary,you are a prick. No matters what NCRP does
the cpp monkeys will find ways to pick on them.

Anonymous said...

3 June 2016 at 12:28

What can the signatories of the Paris Peace Accords do? Pushing Hanoi to do stuffs? Or military intervention on the behave of CNRP!?

Anonymous said...

5 June 2016 at 01:54

The 1991 Paris Peace Accords, among other things calls for any signatory's foreign troops to leave Cambodia and leave Cambodia alone.

As a signatory (specifically why such an accords was solemnly signed at the first place ), Vietnam systematically and flagrantly has violated the very spirit of the Accords.

The body of the Accords can then take the followings steps including, but not limited to:

1. After citing major material breaches, the Body shall give the signatory Vietnam a specific dateline to rectify and comply.
2. Should Vietnam ignore or do not comply fully, then a sanction will be imposed on Hanoi key leaders.
3. Since Hun Sen is a third hand of Hanoi, the number 2 above can also be
imposed on Hun Sen and his family.
4. If Vietnam fails to comply at all, then sanction (s) will be imposed to the country of Vietnam.
5. If necessary, the Body shall request the UN to place UN Peace Keeping Forces along the borders of the two signatory countries.

A rebuttal is hereby encouraged and warmly welcomed.