Saturday, October 21, 2006

Cambodia's royalist party rejects claim by ousted leader

Members of royalist Funcinpec party take down a portrait of former party president Prince Norodom Ranariddh at the party's headquarters in the capital Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Saturday, Oct. 21, 2006. As Cambodia's embattled royalist party is locked in bickering dispute between its ousted leader Prince Norodom Ranariddh and those who sacked him, the real winner is unlikely to be anyone from the two sides of the war. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

Funcipec's president Keo Puth Rasmey, right, and the party's first vice president Lu Lay Sreng, center, listen to party's secretary general Nhek Bun Chhay during a press conference at the party's headquarters in the capital Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Saturday, Oct. 21, 2006. As Cambodia's embattled royalist party is locked in bickering dispute between its ousted leader Prince Norodom Ranariddh and those who sacked him, the real winner is unlikely to be anyone from the two sides of the war. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

PHNOM PENH (AFP) - Cambodia's royalist FUNCINPEC party has rejected a claim by Prince Norodom Ranariddh that he was illegally removed from the party's top leadership post.

Ranariddh was ousted as president of FUNCINPEC on Wednesday after the party voted unanimously to replace him with Keo Puth Rasmey, Cambodia's current ambassador to Germany and the son-in-law of former king Norodom Sihanouk.

The prince, a former prime minister and son of Sihanouk, was given the honorary title of "historic leader" at an extraordinary congress.

Ranariddh refused to accept the decision and claimed that he was wrongly stripped of the post he had held since 1993, adding that his ouster was a "complete violation of FUNCINPEC party bylaws."

But FUNCINPEC's secretary-general Nhiek Bun Chhay rejected Ranariddh's claim, saying the prince must have misunderstood the party's rules.

"Some 80 percent of the party's national council members requested to convene the congress. So we did not organize it illegally," Nhiek Bun Chhay told reporters.

Nhiek Bun Chhay has accused Ranariddh of creating frictions in the kingdom's coalition government with Prime Minister Hun Sen's ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP), and of being absent from the country for too long to lead the party.

Nhiek Bun Chhay said Wednesday's reshuffle was made "for the development of the party."

Ranariddh, 62, has led the FUNCINPEC party since 1993, but his leadership has been in question ever since he was ousted as prime minister by arch-rival Hun Sen in a coup in 1997.

The party has steadily lost support since the putsch, with Hun Sen's CPP winning the past two general elections.

The prince left his party in turmoil in March this year when he abruptly quit as head of parliament and went to France.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hello,

In the untrained eye, it appears that this is a political melodrama. But as a matter-of-factly, it is an ILLUSION.

I entitled it the "Trail of Fools". If it does not sink into your head now, you will never understand it!

Have a good weekend,

Samlor Ma-Chou Yuon Leay . . .

Anonymous said...

Your are to look closely who win this disput. Guys act like a realy politician. CCp and SRP are the scoopers of the this fall out.
May be it is time gor like Son San party

Anonymous said...

It is sad day for Foncinpec, no one will get benifit from this situation. The new Foncinpec determine to coorperate more closely with the CPP, and Prince Ranariddh struggles to regain his title back. None of them has new vision for our country. Put Rasmey ousted Ranariddh because Ranariddh did not well cooperate with the CCP. Finally, Neither Put Rasmey nor Ranariddh has new solution for the country but to struggle for power.

Anonymous said...

All these three monkeys are trying to look important in front of camera! ahahahahahhahahah!

Go ahead and speak your mind!

Anonymous said...

Puok ah chhker kith ter pi amnach khmean kumnitt chuoy reass te.
Puok eng kroan ter chea ayorng ker ter ponnoss. Puok eng mean okass promol luy m'neak tiet hoeuy.
veasna puok eng ning doch ah Ieng Mouly del k'bott ta Soeun San.
Ah Putt khmean reass na del skoal eng ter kroy 2008 eng ning toeuv rott tok kuy teav noeuv srok Baraing vinh min khan loeuy

Anonymous said...

Ah Ah ...We know Nhek Bun Chhay is Hun Sen man, everybody know....