Supporters of the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party gather Tuesday. © AP

Cambodia eyes opposition deputy's arrest amid crackdown

ATSUSHI TOMIYAMA, Nikkei staff writer | 16 June 2016

PHNOM PENH -- The ruling Cambodian People's Party is intensifying its crackdown on the leading opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party, angling to arrest the group's second-in-command and deal a critical blow ahead of Cambodia's 2018 general election.

Hundreds of CNRP supporters surrounded the party's headquarters in central Phnom Penh on Tuesday, delivering rice, water and other staples. Deputy party chief Kem Sokha has been holed up in the building since May 26, fearing arrest. Police armed with rifles waited on a nearby street, ostensibly to provide traffic control. The CPP is working to weaken and divide the CNRP, making politics as usual impossible, said Yim Sovann, an opposition lawmaker and party spokesman.

CNRP leadership has been under siege for some time. A warrant was issued in November for the arrest of party chief Sam Rainsy in connection with a past defamation case. Rainsy alleged in 2008 that Deputy Prime Minister Hor Namhong had been involved in the operation of a Khmer Rouge prison, a claim that earned Rainsy a conviction in 2011. The opposition leader received a royal pardon in July 2013, yet was stripped of his seat in the legislature when the case suddenly re-emerged.

That warrant was followed by another in January for failure to appear in court. Rainsy remains in self-imposed exile in France, where he holds dual citizenship. He faces immediate arrest upon return to Cambodia.

This time it is Sokha, the de facto CNRP leader in Rainsy's absence, who is under threat. Recordings of 44 phone calls between the deputy chief and a female hairdresser appeared on social media in February. The woman confirmed her identity in April, describing her relationship with Sokha. The de facto party leader failed to appear in court as scheduled, apparently leading to a push by the CPP for his arrest.

Cambodia's next general election is in 2018. The CPP barely locked down a majority of seats in the National Assembly in 2013. But opposition groups nearly doubled their representation, and they are gaining popularity among Cambodia's poor.

Sokha's arrest would deal a major blow to the CNRP, potentially fracturing the party. But heavy-handed crackdowns on opposition leaders could bring international censure, including economic sanctions.