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| Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, second from right, shakes hands with the main opposition party leader Sam Rainsy, left, of Cambodia National Rescue Party, as Deputy Prime Minister Sar Kheng, second from left, looks on after a meeting in the Senate headquarter, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, file photo. |
Minister Accuses Opposition of ‘Spoiling Democracy’
VOA | 9 September 2016
The protesters had planned on Monday to deliver a petition claiming
the ruling Cambodian People’s Party had violated the tenets of the 1991
Paris Peace Accords.
PHNOM PENH —
Interior Minister Sar Kheng has penned an open letter to parliament
in which he accuses the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party of
acting unconstitutionally following an attempted march on several
foreign embassies led by CNRP lawmakers was blocked by the authorities.
The protesters had planned on Monday to deliver a petition claiming the ruling Cambodian People’s Party had violated the tenets of the 1991 Paris Peace Accords, which formally ended the Cambodian-Vietnamese war.
Kheng denied the charge, saying the opposition had in fact been the party in the wrong.
“What is the worst thing is that the opposition leaders thought that they are above the law. For instance, Kem Sokha, vice president of the Cambodia National Rescue Party, was summoned by the court several times, but he didn’t appear at the court,” he wrote.
“Similarly, [CNRP president] Sam Rainsy obtained amnesty from the King many times in the past. In the present day, he is requesting the charges be dropped. The attitude of the opposition party leaders shows they don’t take responsibility and this cannot be tolerated at all,” he continued.
Son Chhay, the opposition’s chief whip, said the heavy security presence at Monday’s march was a violation of the law and against the national interest.
Meas Ny, a political analyst, said the back-and-forth between the two parties was a symptom of the deteriorating political climate.
“I think that if you look at the character of the politicians from both sides so far, it seems that they are … taking revenge,” he said.
The protesters had planned on Monday to deliver a petition claiming the ruling Cambodian People’s Party had violated the tenets of the 1991 Paris Peace Accords, which formally ended the Cambodian-Vietnamese war.
Kheng denied the charge, saying the opposition had in fact been the party in the wrong.
“What is the worst thing is that the opposition leaders thought that they are above the law. For instance, Kem Sokha, vice president of the Cambodia National Rescue Party, was summoned by the court several times, but he didn’t appear at the court,” he wrote.
“Similarly, [CNRP president] Sam Rainsy obtained amnesty from the King many times in the past. In the present day, he is requesting the charges be dropped. The attitude of the opposition party leaders shows they don’t take responsibility and this cannot be tolerated at all,” he continued.
Son Chhay, the opposition’s chief whip, said the heavy security presence at Monday’s march was a violation of the law and against the national interest.
Meas Ny, a political analyst, said the back-and-forth between the two parties was a symptom of the deteriorating political climate.
“I think that if you look at the character of the politicians from both sides so far, it seems that they are … taking revenge,” he said.
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