Cambodia's Government threatens to crush protests as acting Opposition leader Kem Sokha vows to stay
For almost four months, Cambodia's acting Opposition leader has chosen to stay within the relative safety of his party's headquarters in Phnom Penh, rather than risk arrest outside on charges many consider politically-motivated.
Key points:
- Cambodia's acting Opposition leader has been stuck living in a four-storey building in Phnom Penh since May
- Kem Sokha was convicted in absentia and sentenced to five months in jail for not attending court
- A spokesman for the ruling party says Mr Kem "refuses to accept his own mistakes"
Only a few unusual items have been added to Kem Sokha's room since May — a mattress instead of a desk and a treadmill for exercise.
"This used to be my office, now it's my bedroom," he says, forcing a smile.
Mr Kem is surrounded by a few private security staff and dozens of supporters, with many thousand more likely to turn up at the four-storey building if police try to arrest the human rights activist-turned-politician.
On September 5, Mr Kem was convicted in absentia and sentenced to five months in jail for not attending court as a witness in a case against two fellow Opposition MPs.
Their case relates to charges of prostitution against a hairdresser with whom Mr Kem's had an alleged affair, in what one observer called "a legal fiction that legitimises [the ruling party's] heavy-handed actions".
The sentence is the latest in a long string of legal and physical attacks against the Opposition — the Cambodian National Rescue Party (CNRP).
CNRP president Sam Rainsy has fled the country on several occasions and currently lives in self-imposed exile.
But Mr Kem said he will not be running away.
When asked about the similarities between his case and that of Julian Assange, Mr Kem pointed instead to other notable agitators — presumably thinking of Aung San Suu Kyi and Nelson Mandala.
"Yes, I've thought about that [Assange], however some are not just under house arrest but spend 20 or 30 years struggling in jail to achieve democracy and freedom," Mr Kem said.
The Opposition made significant gains in the 2013 election and stands a real chance of winning the vote in 2018, but few observers believe Cambodia's ruler of 31 years, Hun Sen, will yield power.
'To kill a snake, hit the head'
Mr Kem is in a tough place politically — trapped between Cambodia's notoriously pliant courts and the accusation he is acting above the law.
He plans to appeal against the charges but that could tie him up in the courts for months, or even years, effectively neutralising him as a political leader.
One option Mr Kem has floated is mass protests but this was immediately criticised by the ruling party.
"I think his announcement of a mass demonstration is a very poisonous tactic," spokesman for the Cambodian People's Party (CPP) Sok Ey San said.
The prospect of protests appeared to hit a nerve with Prime Minister Hun Sen, who used his newfound love of social media to issue dark warnings.
"I order all competent forces to be ready to get rid of all illegal activities in order to protect the happiness of the people, no matter the cost," Mr Hun wrote on Facebook, according to The Cambodia Daily.
"Hit the snake, hit it right on the head first."
About two hours later, troops mobilised with an estimated 30-40 trucks filled with heavily armed soldiers — including the Prime Minister's feared bodyguard unit — driving slowly past CNRP headquarters.
Some soldiers reportedly stopped to urinate outside the Opposition Party building.
In a similar "exercise" two weeks earlier, several military helicopters circled low over the building, while navy speedboats with mounted machine guns patrolled the Bassac River, which backs on to the property.
The Government denied it was trying to intimidate the Opposition.
"It's not necessary for those of us in power to threaten him, if any problem arises with Kem Sokha, we can simply arrest him," Mr Sok said.
Mr Ken told the ABC the best way out of this impasse is a "political settlement … between the leaders".
Mr Hun has made similar deals before with Sam Rainsy and former opposition leader Prince Norodom Ranariddh, always at the cost of their political leverage and public esteem.
Concerns raised about escalating 'political tensions' in Cambodia
Australia was once a key player in Cambodia's peace process, as it emerged from the Khmer Rouge and civil war, but now it keeps a lower profile.
While more than a dozen diplomatic leaders have visited Mr Kem at party headquarters, a planned visit from Australia's Ambassador on September 8 was cancelled.
The embassy said there was a scheduling problem, but the Opposition believes Canberra does not want to upset Cambodia, the only country to accept refugees from Nauru.
However, Australia did join 38 nations in a statement on the political situation in Cambodia addressed to the United Nations Human Rights Council this week.
"We are deeply concerned about the current escalation of political tensions in Cambodia, which threatens legitimate activities by opposition parties and human rights NGOs," the statement said.
The statement also noted the assassination of political analyst and rights activist Kem Lay, who was shot dead in July by a man who appeared to get on and then off an undercover policeman's motorcycle, before he was arrested further along the street.
"We note the chilling effect this crime has had upon civil society and independent voices in Cambodia," the UN statement said.
In response, Cambodia's representative suggested it might sever ties with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner of Human Rights (OHCHR).
"We are negotiating to continue the [memorandum of understanding] with the OHCHR, but we do not welcome interference in our political situation," permanent representative of Cambodia to the UN Ney Sam Ol wrote.
Last month, Hong Lim, a Cambodian refugee who is now a Victorian MP, was blacklisted from entering his birth country after he made critical remarks about the Government.
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