Cambodia's exiled ex-opposition leader announces return to politics

Xinhua | 15 November 2017

PHNOM PENH, Nov. 15 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia's exiled ex-opposition leader Sam Rainsy announced his return to politics on Wednesday, nine months after resigning as president of the country's biggest opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP).

"Today is Nov. 15, 2017. From Washington, the United States, I'd like to announce that I, Sam Rainsy, became a member of the Cambodia National Rescue Party again from now onwards, whether it is dissolved or not," he wrote on his official Facebook page.

The 68-year-old former opposition leader said he resigned as the CNRP's president in February because he wanted to save the party from dissolution after the country amended the law on political parties to bar a convict from leading a political party.

"But now, they still dissolve the CNRP... so I have to rejoin as a member of the CNRP," he said.

Rainsy has been living in self-exile, mostly in France since November 2015 to avoid at least eight-year prison sentence for defamation and incitement cases.

His announcement comes a day before the country's Supreme Court hears the case of CNRP dissolution after its current leader Kem Sokha was charged with treason.