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| Cambodia's Prime Minister and President of the People's Party, Hun Sen, center, arrives at an event marking the 38th anniversary of the 1979 downfall of the Khmer Rouge regime in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Saturday, Jan. 7, 2017. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith) |
Hun Sen Threatens to Expropriate Opposition Leader’s Assets
VOA | 2 February 2017
Sam Rainsy wrote on his Facebook page and on Twitter that Hun Sen’s
comments were a sign of “panic” ahead of elections in June and next
year.
PHNOM PENH —
Prime Minister Hun Sen has said he will seize the opposition party’s
headquarters and the assets of its exiled leader, Sam Rainsy, as
compensation in an ongoing defamation case.
Hun Sen also said on Tuesday that Rainsy could be banned from leading a political party.
The premier on January 18 filed a $1 million compensation claim as part of the defamation suit against Rainsy for allegedly claiming that Hun Sen had paid a popular political and social media activist to attack Rainsy’s party, the Cambodia National Rescue Party.
Hun Sen made the announcement during a parliamentary debate to repeal Article 48 of the National Assembly regulations which would further strip powers from the opposition.
He said, if the court ruled in his favor, “I will freeze the assets and request protection, and then I will sell the entire asset. The opposition party headquarters under the ownership of Mr. Sam Rainsy will be on sale.”
Rainsy, who went into self-imposed exile in France in 2015, wrote on his Facebook page and on Twitter that Hun Sen’s comments were a sign of “panic” ahead of elections in June and next year.
“Hun Sen can no longer appeal to electorate, so personally hounds me, as symbol of resistance to autocratic, corrupt power,” he wrote.
Meas Ny, a social analyst, said the comments indicated that Hun Sen was expecting to win the case against Rainsy; further evidence, he said, of the judiciary being under his control.
“The prime minister knows that he will win since the judicial system is under his control. As what we have witnessed, the court follows what the prime minister says. In this case, he already knows that the court will not let him lose.”
Hun Sen has previously filed several separate lawsuits against opposition members.
Hun Sen also said on Tuesday that Rainsy could be banned from leading a political party.
The premier on January 18 filed a $1 million compensation claim as part of the defamation suit against Rainsy for allegedly claiming that Hun Sen had paid a popular political and social media activist to attack Rainsy’s party, the Cambodia National Rescue Party.
Hun Sen made the announcement during a parliamentary debate to repeal Article 48 of the National Assembly regulations which would further strip powers from the opposition.
He said, if the court ruled in his favor, “I will freeze the assets and request protection, and then I will sell the entire asset. The opposition party headquarters under the ownership of Mr. Sam Rainsy will be on sale.”
Rainsy, who went into self-imposed exile in France in 2015, wrote on his Facebook page and on Twitter that Hun Sen’s comments were a sign of “panic” ahead of elections in June and next year.
“Hun Sen can no longer appeal to electorate, so personally hounds me, as symbol of resistance to autocratic, corrupt power,” he wrote.
Meas Ny, a social analyst, said the comments indicated that Hun Sen was expecting to win the case against Rainsy; further evidence, he said, of the judiciary being under his control.
“The prime minister knows that he will win since the judicial system is under his control. As what we have witnessed, the court follows what the prime minister says. In this case, he already knows that the court will not let him lose.”
Hun Sen has previously filed several separate lawsuits against opposition members.
Mr. Hun Sen does not need to threat, he can do it. The real question is: Will he do it?
ReplyDelete1. If he does it, will it unite CNRP? Will that close rank between Kem Sokha and Sam Rainsy?
2. If he does it, will CNRP devolve into the blame game: You stupid Rainsy, you did it and now we have no headquarter. CNRP will split up.
But the next move is on Mr. Hun Sen. CNRP is like the fish on the table, waiting for the butcher knife coming down. All CNRP can do is to sit at the curb and cry. lol...
You are one of the Vietnamese dog eaters named Drgunzet and you are always in love with Hun Sen (Vietnamese dog eating puppet or Hanoi puppet who obeys what Vietnamese masters (Ho Chi Minh, Pham Van Dong, Le Duc Tho, etc) order Hun Sen to kill his own kinds). You also dream of the failure of Cambodia and Cambodian/Khmer people. You always brag about the evil land thieves (Vietnamese/Yuon) and Vietnam (stolen land from China "Northern Vietnam", Champa "Central Vietnam" and Southern Cambodia/Khmer Krom "Southern Vietnam" so keep going Vietnamese dog eater Drgunzet.
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