By Pin Sisovann and James Welsh
THE CAMBODIA DAILY
Hun Sen said that he would work with Funcinpec
Secretary-General Nhiek Bun Chhay instead of the prince.
Secretary-General Nhiek Bun Chhay instead of the prince.
Prime Minister Hun Sen said Sunday that Prince Norodom Ranariddh should be removed from the presidency of Funcinpec, and accused the prince of forming a political alliance to compete with the current government.
Hun Sen also announced that he would be firing four Funcinpec government officials: Senior Minister Serei Kosal, Justice Ministry Secretaries of State Tuot Lux and Kassie Neou, and Information Ministry Undersecretary of State Chea Chanboribo.
Either Tuot Lux or Kassie Neou will be fired for helping Prince Ranariddh seek a divorce, while the others are to be sacked for "disrupting the government," Hun Sen said, without elaborating.
"It's time to look for a new president. It cannot continue this way," Hun Sen said of Prince Ranariddh in a blistering speech broadcast on radio and television.
Hun Sen accused the prince of disloyalty to the CPP/Funcinpec coalition government when he urged nationalists, democrats and royalists to unite Thursday in Kompong Chhnang.
"He could not unite his family, how can he unite the nation?" Hun Sen asked.
Hun Sen said that he would work with Funcinpec Secretary-General Nhiek Bun Chhay instead of the prince.
He also warned that appeals by Prince Ranariddh and Prince Sisowath Thomico last week for retired King Norodom Sihanouk to lead Cambodia again were tantamount to plotting a coup.
"Recently, they demanded the government to be dissolved and offered power to the [retired] heroic King," Hun Sen said. "You are preparing a coup against the Constitution. Be careful or Hun Sen will take measures against you," he warned.
He also said that anyone who wants to dissolve the National Assembly should "prepare their coffins."
If Norodom Sihanouk was to take power again, he would not be allowed to live in the Royal Palace and his government stipend would be abolished, Hun Sen said.
"The heroic King does not need this power. If he accepted it, CPP and I wouldn't agree anyway because it would be a betrayal of the people's will," Hun Sen said.
Norodom Sihanouk issued a faxed statement on Sunday evening reiterating his loyalty to Hun Sen and adding that he had no desire to return to power.
"I know very well that even if, crazily and stupidly, I was following Thomico in his horrible project to 'make me the new prime minister of the current Cambodia' neither Samdech Hun Sen nor the CPP would allow me to take power," he wrote.
"I have already, on numerous occasions, solemnly declared that I would support, strongly, Samdech Hun Sen as leader of the [government]...and the CPP, the best of our political parties," he wrote.
Prince Ranariddh's public affairs adviser Ok Sochcat said the international community would be concerned by Hun Sen's treatment of Funcinpec.
"The international community spent a lot of money in Cambodia," he said. "I think the international community will think about the result of what is happening to Funcinpec," and Cambodia."
Ok Socheat added that support for Prince Ranariddh remains strong. "I think Funcinpec members will join the Prince again," he said. "Our members still continue to support."
Hun Sen said that the annual expenses of the Royal Palace are approximately $600,000 per year and warned that the salary for "a secretary of the King father who runs a political party" must be cut.
Prince Thomico, a former special secretary to Norodom Sihanouk who now heads the Sangkum Jatiniyum Front Party, said he found Hun Sen's comments peculiar.
"It's strange to me. Just because I'm a party leader doesn't mean that I can’t get a salary from the retired King," he said. "It's very strange that a few hundred dollars are so important to the prime minister."
He declined to discuss Hun Sen's remarks about Norodom Sihanouk, saying he had not been informed of them.
Norodom Sihanouk also wrote in his statement Sunday that he would cut Prince Thomico's salary of $600 per month and would not allow him to reside within the Royal Palace compound.
Hun Sen said the sacking of the four Funcinpec officials would first have to be approved by the National Assembly, but instructed ministers not to give work to those officials while awaiting the vote.
Tuot Lux said that whether he is fired will be up to the National Assembly. But he added that given the large number of CPP lawmakers, it seems certain this will happen.
Kassie Neou said he was not aware of Hun Sen's comments. "I don't know about that," he said. "All I can do is concentrate on my work."
Chea Chanboiibo said his dismissal was beyond his control.
"Appointing or removing officials is up to Samdech Hun Sen," he said.
Serei Kosal could not be reached for comment.
Chea Vannath, former president of the Center for Social Development, said Hun Sen's comments were insulting to the retired King.
"For me I feel that Cambodian politicians waste too much time battering each other," she said.
"The ruling party should allow competition. They look like dictators," she added.
6 comments:
AH HUN SEN is looking for a slave to follow him! This is too much for me to bear! AH HUN SEN himself is already a slave to the Vietcong and tell me who are the Cambodian people in their right mind would want to be slave and to follow AH HUN SEN?
ahahah! FUNSINPEC had been slaved to AH HUN SEN for the longest time and now AH HUN SEN still look down on them!
It seems that AH HUN SEN feeds,clean, and clothes his slaves very well and the end he let them all die! To those fools who want to be a slave it is because your mother and father fail to tell something about life!
In life being a human is not easy but being a slave is far worst!!!!!
The Cambodian people are being held hostage by the CPP, the leader of which is clearly Hun Sen even though he is the vice-president. If donors cut aid to Cambodia because of the CPP dictatorship it will be the Cambodian people who will suffer. CPP leaders have stolen enough money for themselves, their children, and their grand-children. They will not be affected by any sanction from the international community.
When they don't like something they say it is against the people's will. But, it is not the people's will to amend the constitution to allow the package vote. It is not the people's will to allow their members of paliament to decide on important matters without the secret ballot. It is not the people's will to introduce a legislation to curb the freedom of expression in the National Assembly. It is not the people's will to ban demonstrations against corruption. It is not the people's will to allow their votes to be manipulated. It is not the people's will to let those criminals who committed murder, trafficked drugs, women and children, sold off state properties, destroyed Cambodian forests, allowed a neighbouring country to decide and mark its border, and committed human rights violation to go free.
If Funcinpec officials were incompetent they should be fired. The fact that some of them were not aware that Hun Sen made that speech on the national radios and TVs has just proved that point. They are divided among themselves. Even if some of them work themselves to death for the country, it still will not matter because there is no unified force to make good changes in the country. They are just slaves working to keep their positions and get whatever scraps they are allowed to collect and keep.
Those criminals in power are only good at attacking their own people, because they only work to serve their master. They owe their riches and power to their master, and their people can go to hell. Poverty rate can be reduced by eliminating the poor. Wake up people before coffins are also delivered to your door-step!
Don't you know! this is a new form of Khmer Rouge, KR has always been in Cambodia. They just took on a new look. Pol Pot was a killer, the the real killer is Hun Sen.
Ah Hun Sen is the traitor, he is the criminal
Ah Hun Sen is a treacherous man towards Funcipec
Ah Hun Sen could not be Prime Minister after the 2003's general election if no support from Samdech Krom Preah
Ah Hun Sen psychopath!!!
Beloved Khmere,
We all need to do more action than just talk. Use this oppotunity to talk to your relatives inside Cambodia to vote again CPP. Spread the word one person at a time and keep doing that. If you send money to your relative, told them not to vote for CPP. I am glad that Ah Hun Sen keep barking like this...because sooner Khmere people know how dog shit they hold and smell as their prime minister of their country. Come on, KR still can vanish what does CPP made off? It is not stronger than people's will. but we need to keep working...not just talk.
One day, One day we all can see the clear sky over our Mother Land. But we must doing not just talking.
To brother 11:32PM!
What are you talking about? Majority of the villege chief are CPP clans and the CPP villege chief pass the vote registration card to only those who vote for the CPP!! Anybody who vote for OPPOSITION part won't get a chance and to add more problem to the voting process, CPP villege chief will say the name on the voting registration card is wrong and need to be changed and through the lengthy process of getting all the shit corrected and still can't vote!! ahahaha!
I am not just talking cause I already know that AH HUN SEN will win 2008 election! It had already been decided at the villege level and there is no need to wait until 2008!! ahahah!
This is about power and AH HUN SEN want power! All other issues are irrelevant including pornography, adultery, corruption, and border issues... At the end of the day, AH HUN SEN know only one thing that he is in power!!!
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