Sam Rainsy rejects the clarification issued by the Council of Ministers regarding his press conference in Bangkok

25 September 2009
The Phnom Penh Post
Translated from Khmer by Socheata
(Comments by Angkor Borey, the Voice of Cambodians Overseas)
Click here to read the article and comments by Angkor Borey in Khmer

The opposition leader rejected the clarification issued by the Press and Quick Reaction Unit (PQRU) of the Council of Ministers which was distributed on Wednesday. The PQRU clarification indicated that he used the forum organized by the Club of Thai Journalists in Bangkok to indicate that the Cambodian government leader, Mr. Hun Xen, was a former Khmer Rouge leader.

SRP leader Sam Rainsy, who returned from overseas in the evening of Tuesday, told The Phnom Penh Post on Thursday that he recognized that he held a press conference in Bangkok, and that he also raised the issue of a number of Cambodian government leaders who were former Khmer Rouge cadres who still maintain their old mentality. However, Sam Rainsy said that he did not name PM Hun Xen as it was indicated in the clarification issued by the Council of Ministers’ PQRU (Angkor Borey Note: This is a lesson for Hun Xen, or [it can be considered as] stuffing Hun Xen’s words back into his mouth for his rude and mocking speech against Mrs. Mu Sochua without pointing out her name in Kampot. Hun Xen’s tactics led to a dispute that reached the court recently).

Sam Rainsy said: “I said that a number of leaders in the current government were former Khmer Rouge, they were at least regional cadre leaders, and they still maintain their old mentality and they still use violence, repression to shut down all types of freedom. I was speaking in general terms, I did not name any individual at all.”

Sam Rainsy added that he is not concerned about any lawsuit due to the issues he raised, but he asked that the information should not inflated, nor should it be added to other issues that could lead to lawsuits.

Nevertheless, the PQRU clarification indicated that, under the Pol Pot regime, PM Hun Xen was a victim who fled the Khmer Rouge killing pursuit, and he joined other Khmer VIPs to form the 02 December front to help liberate the people from the killing field, this is contrary to the accusations made by opposition leader. (Angkor Borey Note: In order to clearly learn whether Hun Xen and a number of other leaders in the current regime were former savage and cruel Khmer Rouge who committed the killing of Cambodians or not, please read our article titled: “Mystery of the Khmer Rouge leaders who now hold the Samdach titles” published in Article No. 760, dated 20 May 2009 and authored by Mr. Cheat Hungsa. In addition to the translation of Mr. Thach Saren’s letter sent the Washington Post newspaper recounting the cruelty of the current CPP leaders (Hun Xen is included among them also) and how his family was subjected to this cruelty, Mr. Cheat Hungsa also quoted Hun Xen criticizing former PM Pen Sovann. This quote was excerpted from a RFA broadcast on 23 December 2008, the essence of Hun Xen’s speech is as follows: “There was a guy who claims to be the father of 02 December, the father of 07 January, he said that I was his foot soldier. This guy strutted around in Phnom Penh the other day, I looked at him saying that he was the father of 07 January, the father of 02 December. Since mid-1977, I was the biggest leader along the eastern shore of the Mekong River. I built up a lot of troops already. Therefore, there was nobody else bigger than me. This guy, from what I know, he was only a lieutenant in the Vietnamese army, and he considered himself as my chief, then he went on to shout on the fly hive or beehive radio station and such. So, I want to tell this fellow, please be considerate … if you lie, lie with modesty … give a decent lie … I don’t need to reveal his name … in Khmer, he is called the liar-in-chief” (sic). In this regard, we believe that Hun Xen forgot that he was a “former Khmer Rouge leader” also and he even forgot that he was a “Yuon puppet” as well. If Pen Sovann was “Yuon”, doesn’t that makes Hun Xen an “absolute Yuon lackey”?).

It should be noted that the publication of the PQRU clarification was made following the declaration made by Mr. Sam Rainsy at a forum organized by the Thai Club of Journalists (FCCT) in Bangkok last Tuesday. Sam Rainsy indicated that political activists and village chiefs were killed or jailed, and they were forced to hide themselves because they do not support the ruling party. He indicated also that these various problems take place because a large number of Cambodian leaders were former Khmer Rouge leaders. He told the Thai media network that: “They still adhere to the Khmer Rouge ideals, they do not tolerate critics, and they do whatever it take to destroy their enemies, either by killing them or silencing the critics.”

Phay Siphan, spokesman for the Council of the Ministers, immediately rejected the issues raised by Sam Rainsy and he claimed that Sam Rainsy’s accusations were baseless. (Angkor Borey Note: Prior to joining the CPP, Phay Siphan was a renown anti-communist. Following his expulsion from his senate seat by the CPP, this same Phay Siphan went around criticizing the CPP all over Long Beach. But now, when he is turning into the “handyman” spokesman for Sok An, even for the dirty laundry affairs of Svay Sitha, Phay Siphan would come out to act as the latter’s spokesman. This is how an opportunist behaves, he is very flexible and he willingly bends to the wind, he would bark against anyone so long as he has a chair to cling on to!).

Phay Siphan told The Phnom Penh Post: “Mr. Sam Rainsy fights the government, but he can walk freely in the country. However, the government never discriminates against him.” Phay Siphan indicated that, currently, in Cambodia, there is no repression on the freedom of expression as the opposition, such as Sam Rainsy, claimed.

Nevertheless, reports issued by national and international organizations showed that human rights violations in Cambodia perpetrated by powerful officials and rich businessmen still victimized a large number of weak people. (Angkor Borey Note: If Phay Siphan actually made this claim, it can only mean that all the NGOS, as well as the UN Human Rights officials, are all crazy … is it not?).