Tuesday, May 23, 2006

Pen Sovann Says Party Won't Merge With SRP

Tuesday, May 23, 2006

By Yun Samean
THE CAMBODIA DAILY

Pen Sovann, a former prime minister of Cambodia during the communist People's Republic of Kampuchea, said on Monday that he has scrapped his plan to merge his fringe National Sustaining Party with the Sam Rainsy Party.

Pen Sovann, who claims his party has 200,000 supporters but has no seats in the National Assembly, said he axed the plan because the SRP has abandoned its ideals.

"I have observed that the Sam Rainsy Party has fallen into Funcinpec's failed legacy," Pen Sovann said by telephone.

Sam Rainsy's apology to Prime Minister Hun Sen regarding the 1997 grenade attack and the party's more muted stance on border encroachment by Vietnam prompted the decision, Pen Sovann said.

SRP lawmaker Eng Chhay Eang said that he was not concerned, as Pen Sovann's party did not have any supporters anyway.

"There are no actual supporters," Eng Chhay Eang claimed. "If he had that many supporters, he would get seats at the National Assembly."

Koul Panha, director of the Committee for Free and Fair Elections, said that the merger between the two very different parties could have damaged both and led to a mutual loss of votes.

Pen Sovann was fired as the prime minister of the Hanoi-backed Phnom Penh regime in 1981 and imprisoned in Vietnam for 10 years. Historians maintain he was arrested for criticizing the Vietnamese army's continued presence in Cambodia.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Go on fighting Mr. Pen Sovan show how you make of!
Viva son of Cambodia!!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

All democratic groups, let work together as a unified force to defeat the Vietnamese backed CPP. Please put all the differences a side in order to achieve the common goal.

Anonymous said...

Samrainsy had violently criticized Ranaridh for joining Hun sen governement. Why now he has changed his mind? He is losing his soul so I can say he is still a democrate.

Anonymous said...

May be democratic of Kampuchea!

Anonymous said...

What gives you say he join the CPP? Sam Rainsy still doesn't like the CPP but he had to reconcilate to come back and continue his civil works to the public. I would done the same. What good am I to be exiled forever so people can say i'm tough?

Sam Rainsy is still an Independent party, acting more discretely but still adamantly oppose to CPP policies. Patience is virtue that Cambodians and its leader must learn if it wants to get true Independence and Sovergneity from foregn powers. Loud barks that lead to traps are no good for progress.

Anonymous said...

Pen Sovann won't join Sam Rainsy Party because his Vietnamese wife object to it! His wife think that million and million of illegal Vietnamese have the right to live in Cambodia and Sam Rainsy Party has no right to say anthing about these illegal Viet.ahahha

Who said that Vietamese women can't subdue their men!ahahah
Pen Sovann can wait until the next life to join Sam Rainsy Party!

Anonymous said...

Hey All,

I support you that SRP's stance is still independent. I prefer SRP to use the cold/soft tradegy rather than hot/hard one. As everyone know that mr. Sen's heart is like a flame or a rock.

Cheers,

Anonymous said...

Go Sam Raisy Go!!! Khmers with ou dom makatek kpoise is you!