SRP Marks Anniversary of 1997 F’pec-CPP Clash
By Yun Samean
THE CAMBODIA DAILY
The party was not involved in the upheaval, nor were party supporters a focus of the violence, but the Sam Rainsy Party on Thursday commemorated the ninth anniversary of the outbreak of the 1997 factional fighting between Funcinpec and the ruling CPP.
SRP Acting President Kong Korm, who was one of 20 SRP members attending the occasion at party headquarters in Phnom Penh, accused Funcinpec of lacking the courage to mourn their comrades who fell during the violence.
"A lot of people were killed. It was an illegal coup. The coup destroyed the country's structure and peace," he said.
"Funcinpec has tried to avoid commemorating the anniversary in July. It is cowardly. They cannot confront the truth," he added.
During two days of bloody street battles in Phnom Penh on July 5 and 6, 1997, forces loyal to then-Second Prime Minister Hun Sen decimated troops loyal to then-First Prime Minister Prince Norodom Ranariddh, ousting the prince from his premiership.
Ok Socheat, a Funcinpec member and former ambassador, accused the SRP of trying to hire former royalist resistance fighters into the SRP fold, adding that the occasion has nothing to do with Sam Rainsy's party.
"The Sam Rainsy Party wants to show that they love the former Funcinpec resistance fighters, but instead the party has cheated them," he said. He also accused the SRP of focusing too much attention on the dead. "Ghosts don’t need to eat," he said. "We are not cowards but we need to think of people who are still alive."
He added that when Funcinpec wins a national election it will commemorate the July 5 and 6 events, which it currently marks in September.
Senior Funcinpec Minister Serei Kosal said the fighting can be commemorated at any time during the year with a Buddhist ceremony.
SRP lawmaker and former Funcinpec soldier Kieng Vang, who was a commander during the 1997 violence, said the royalists are afraid of being booted out of the coalition government if they commemorate their dead fighters.
"Funcinpec is very ungrateful to the former fighters and the victims of the coup," he said.
He added that Funcinpec has betrayed those who fought for the party by failing to provide them with positions in government.
"The party gives positions to those who know how to bribe the party's leader," he claimed.
Om Yentieng, an adviser to Prime Minister Hun Sen, said commemorating the July fighting will alienate SRP supporters. Asked about Funcinpec's decision not to mark the date, he replied. "They know what is right and wrong."
Hang Puthea, director of the Neutral and Impartial Committee for Free Elections in Cambodia, said the SRP can likely benefit from marking the occasion.
"Funcinpec has lost its head because they don’t have internal unity," he said, adding that Funcinpec's coalition with the CPP is preventing it from marking the July anniversary.
SRP Acting President Kong Korm, who was one of 20 SRP members attending the occasion at party headquarters in Phnom Penh, accused Funcinpec of lacking the courage to mourn their comrades who fell during the violence.
"A lot of people were killed. It was an illegal coup. The coup destroyed the country's structure and peace," he said.
"Funcinpec has tried to avoid commemorating the anniversary in July. It is cowardly. They cannot confront the truth," he added.
During two days of bloody street battles in Phnom Penh on July 5 and 6, 1997, forces loyal to then-Second Prime Minister Hun Sen decimated troops loyal to then-First Prime Minister Prince Norodom Ranariddh, ousting the prince from his premiership.
Ok Socheat, a Funcinpec member and former ambassador, accused the SRP of trying to hire former royalist resistance fighters into the SRP fold, adding that the occasion has nothing to do with Sam Rainsy's party.
"The Sam Rainsy Party wants to show that they love the former Funcinpec resistance fighters, but instead the party has cheated them," he said. He also accused the SRP of focusing too much attention on the dead. "Ghosts don’t need to eat," he said. "We are not cowards but we need to think of people who are still alive."
He added that when Funcinpec wins a national election it will commemorate the July 5 and 6 events, which it currently marks in September.
Senior Funcinpec Minister Serei Kosal said the fighting can be commemorated at any time during the year with a Buddhist ceremony.
SRP lawmaker and former Funcinpec soldier Kieng Vang, who was a commander during the 1997 violence, said the royalists are afraid of being booted out of the coalition government if they commemorate their dead fighters.
"Funcinpec is very ungrateful to the former fighters and the victims of the coup," he said.
He added that Funcinpec has betrayed those who fought for the party by failing to provide them with positions in government.
"The party gives positions to those who know how to bribe the party's leader," he claimed.
Om Yentieng, an adviser to Prime Minister Hun Sen, said commemorating the July fighting will alienate SRP supporters. Asked about Funcinpec's decision not to mark the date, he replied. "They know what is right and wrong."
Hang Puthea, director of the Neutral and Impartial Committee for Free Elections in Cambodia, said the SRP can likely benefit from marking the occasion.
"Funcinpec has lost its head because they don’t have internal unity," he said, adding that Funcinpec's coalition with the CPP is preventing it from marking the July anniversary.
4 comments:
Ah Ox Socheat
"Ghosts don’t need to eat", your ancestors, too, don't need to eat at the commemoration day you burn incense for them?
If so, you have no brain, you have no conscience. You are ungrateful for your ancestors.
On the contrary, we burn incense at every 6 july of the year at home (in the usa) to commemorate my father and all of Cambodia people who were dead in the coup of July. We always invite some friends to attend the commemoration.
5-6 July is the very important day for commemorating because they were dead for the nation, for the democracy in Cambodia in the coup organized by Hun Sen.
Mr Ok socheat
If you don't think of the deads, it means you are ungrateful.
So the alive people will think nothing of you.
What Ok Socheat knowns in his life is to serve his master, the Prince, and financially sucking indiscriminately from any one for his own benefit. That the type of most of FUNCINPEC top members consist.
Cambodian people are so tired of becoming a foot soldier for the FUNSINPECK party!
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