Arrest Warrant For CNRP Leader

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Virtually everyone I've spoken to in Phnom Penh supports Sam Rainsy's Cambodian National Rescure Party.

 

 

A Cambodian court has issued an arrest warrant for opposition leader Sam Rainsy over a conviction for defamation in 2011.

 

It was issued after Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen threatened Mr Rainsy with legal action for saying the ruling party would "derail" elections in 2018.

 

Hun Sen has ruled for more than 30 years and is known for tough tactics.

 

Political tensions have been rising in Cambodia despite a truce between the two politicians last year.

Mr Rainsy said during a visit to Japan earlier this week that, in the wake of the historic Myanmar election, it was imperative the international community did not allow Hun Sen's Cambodian People's Party (CPP) to delay elections. Mr Rainsy is now in South Korea.

 

In a response posted to his Facebook page, Hun Sen said: "I cannot keep calm because of this insult by the son of a traitor."

 

Friday's warrant relates to a 2011 conviction against Mr Rainsy, then in self-exile in France, for comments he made about the Cambodian foreign minister.

 

Opposition MP Mu Sochua told the BBC the warrant was a "very serious blow to even the facade of democracy in Cambodia".

 

"While the world and in particular the Asian region is inspired by the determination of the people of Myanmar, Cambodia sadly is seeing a deteriorating pre-election political environment," she said.

 

Mr Rainsy returned to Cambodia ahead of the July 2013 national election after receiving a royal pardon, though it was not immediately clear if the defamation conviction was part of the deal as he had been convicted of a string of offences.

 

His Cambodia National Rescue Party won 55 of 123 seats in the 2013 polls but led months of street protests after accusing the ruling CPP of rigging the vote.

 

A year-long parliamentary boycott ended in August last year after a deal was struck on election reform.

But simmering tensions have erupted in recent weeks, with two opposition MPs beaten up outside parliament last month following a demonstration by CPP supporters.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-34813566

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Got this email from the US Embassy Phnom Penh today:

 

U.S. Embassy Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Security Message for U.S. Citizens: Possible Demonstrations in Major Cambodian Cities

November 16, 2015

 

The U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh alerts U.S. citizens residing in or traveling to Cambodia of the heightened possibility of political demonstrations near Cambodia’s international airports in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap on the evening of Monday, November 16, and possibly into the following day.  Additional caution should be taken throughout Phnom Penh and other Cambodian cities.  Press reports indicate the main opposition leader, for whom an arrest warrant has been issued, is scheduled to return to Cambodia late on Monday, November 16. 

 

Although recent opposition demonstrations in Cambodia have been largely nonviolent, U.S. citizens are reminded that even demonstrations intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational and have the potential to escalate into violence without warning.  The U.S. Embassy recommends you avoid areas where demonstrations are taking place and exercise caution when in the vicinity of any large gatherings, protests, or demonstrations and immediately leave any area where there are large gatherings. You should  remain alert of local security developments by monitoring local news reports, exercising vigilance regarding your preparedness and personal security, remaining aware of your surroundings, and planning your activities accordingly.  Please follow the guidance below to receive the most updated security information from the U.S. Embassy. 

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Sixteen members of the United States Congress have called on Prime Minister Hun Sen to stop what they call “efforts to disrupt the development of [Cambodia’s] democracy,” in a letter addressed personally to him. 

 

“We write to you as friends of Cambodia,” the December 3 letter begins, before raising concerns about the expulsion of opposition leader Sam Rainsy from the National Assembly and the revoking of his parliamentary immunity, which they call their “gravest concern.”

 

The 16 members of Congress – including Edward R. Royce, chair of the House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs – also urge Mr. Hun Sen to allow all opposition lawmakers to “return to Cambodia without fear of arrest and persecution.” 

 

In response, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Hor Namhong told reporters yesterday that the US lawmakers’ have a right to make such requests, but he repeated that the Cambodian government has been acting within the law. 

 

“What they did is their right, and what we did is ours. We acted in accordance with the Constitution approved and signed by the King,” he said. 

 

The December 3 letter echoed a statement issued by the United States Embassy on November 16 following the National Assembly’s removal of Mr. Rainsy. The embassy called for his reinstatement in parliament and for the return of his parliamentary immunity. 

 

The letter from the members of Congress is more urgent. “We call on you to immediately cease the harassment and persecution of Cambodia’s opposition, revoke Mr. Rainsy’s arrest warrant and reinstate him to the National Assembly, renounce all forms of political violence, and foster an environment where democracy can thrive and flourish,” the lawmakers wrote to Mr. Hun Sen. 

 

They also expressed concern about “irregularities and fraud reported by national and international observers” in the 2013 elections but say they were “encouraged” by subsequent negotiations between the ruling Cambodian People’s Party and Cambodia National Rescue Party that resulted in the latter ending its boycott of the National Assembly. 

 

Sam Rainsy, who remains abroad in the face of three charges against him, wrote on his Facebook page on Saturday that the courts were being used as a political tool against him.  

 

In a post titled “Cambodia: Elimination of the Opposition Leader and Return to a One-party Rule” he wrote that “to justify such an undemocratic measure, the Cambodian authorities use a well-oiled justice machinery serving political purposes.”

 

The government’s recent actions were “timely political acts... trying to break the opposition,” he wrote. “It seems that my views and my actions for the defense of human rights and good governance in Cambodia embarrass to the utmost the authorities in place, as far too often they resort to this practice of arbitrary removal of the mandate of an elected MP,” he wrote. 

 

“My expulsion from parliament by my parliamentary colleagues from the ruling party is a most anti-democratic act in total violation of all laws applicable in this country, including the Constitution,” said Mr. Rainsy. 

 

This week’s letter from the US lawmakers is one of a handful of statements from the international community denouncing perceived attempts to harass the opposition. On November 17, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon called the arrest warrant against Mr. Rainsy “worrisome.”

 

Only 16 of the 535 member of the US Congress signed the letter, however. Yesterday, Mr. Hun Sen posted photos of himself playing football on his increasingly popular Facebook page. 

 

http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/18409/us-congress-members-express----grave-concerns----to-pm/

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Big Brother is watching you.

 

 

Facebook users who insult Prime Minister Hun Sen or criticise government policy on sensitive issues could be traced in a matter of hours, the premier said yesterday.

 

“My opponents should not make insults, because we can identify you,” Hun Sen said during a speech at a Phnom Penh graduation ceremony.

 

“I’m not exactly sure how the technology works . . . But we can find those people; it’s not very difficult.

 

“We arrested the colour revolutionaries immediately,” he added, in an apparent reference to a first-year university student arrested in August after advocating nonviolent regime change on Facebook.

 

On December 22, Hun Sen took a softer approach, saying that officials in his office would take a note of all insulting comments posted to his Facebook page, but only so that they could comment in response, rather than blocking users or taking legal action.

 

But in yesterday’s speech, he went on to warn social media users that they would not be able to hide their identities from the authorities.

 

“If I want to get you, I need less than seven hours,” he said. “I won’t need to send forces from Phnom Penh; I can also order local forces. You should not use bad words to insult me, because I can get you if I want to.”

 

“I want you to know that . . . I see what you write and just want to educate you.”

 

http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/hun-sen-warns-facebook-users-hes-watching