Hun Xen worried about Sam Rainsy's lawsuit for his involvement in the K5 plan?

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2010
By Cheang Sokha
The Phnom Penh Post

In yesterday's speech, the premier also criticised opposition leader Sam Rainsy for filing an international complaint against him in connection with the so-called "K5 plan".

PRIME Minister Hun Sen has lashed out at his royalist opponent Prince Norodom Ranariddh, warning that his recent return to politics could drag the monarchy back into politics.

Speaking at the inauguration of a new university building in Battambang province yesterday, Hun Sen warned Ranariddh - who announced his return to political life this week - against doing politics as a representative of the Royal Palace.

"You can do whatever you want, but there is one thing: If you do politics it will be linked to the monarchy, you have to be clear on this point," he said in reference to Ranariddh, who is a senior adviser to King Norodom Sihamoni.

"If you want to do politics, you have to quit the Supreme Council as adviser to the King, otherwise the King will lose neutrality on the matter of politics. The name of the King will be used for propaganda, saying I am a brother of the King, I am the son of former King, and it will link the King with politics."

Last weekend, Ranariddh said he would return to head the Norodom Ranariddh Party more than two years after he walked away from politics.

Speaking to supporters in Kampong Cham, he issued a stinging denunciation of his former colleagues in Funcinpec, the royalist party he led to victory in the 1993 elections, saying its current leadership had sold itself out to the ruling Cambodian People's Party in exchange for minor government posts.

He also issued a call for Funcinpec members to defect to his camp.

Hun Sen yesterday reiterated earlier warnings that Funcinpec government officials attempting to defect to Ranariddh would be fired from their government posts.

"I would like to say clearly that with Funcinpec, whether they receive less or more [National Assembly] seats, we will still work together because we have worked together for years, and there is no need for others," Hun Sen said. "Please don't confuse and do anything disorderly to lie to others."

Noranarith Anandayath, chief of Prince Ranariddh's cabinet, declined to comment on Hun Sen's comments, except to say that there were many other royal advisers involved with politics.

In yesterday's speech, the premier also criticised opposition leader Sam Rainsy for filing an international complaint against him in connection with the so-called "K5 plan".

Hun Sen said the plan - devised in 1984-85 as a response to the continuing threat from Khmer Rouge insurgents - would not have been implemented were it not for the United Nations and Western governments supporting resistance factions including the KR.

"At that time, if there was a trial, the UN should be on trial first as it recognised the Khmer Rouge and allowed the Khmer Rouge to sit in the UN," he said.

Prince Ranariddh wrote a letter to inform Hun Sen of the truth

Prince Ranariddh talking to the press.

Kampuchea Thmey newspaper
9th January, 2009
Translated from Khmer by Khmerization

Prince Ranariddh wrote a letter to PM Hun Sen to clarify all the suspicions by saying that he was unaware of all the issues raised by PM Hun Sen.

In a reply to Prince Ranariddh, Mr. Khieu Kanharith, the government spokesman, said that what PM Hun Sen has said was not because he was angry with the prince, but that he felt sorry for the prince that a group of people had been secretly working behind the scene without his knowledge.

(A few days ago, Mr. Hun Sen had publicly berated the prince for intending to form a council of ministers by accusing him of seeking to appoint 200 of his loyalists to work in the council by using his position as the supreme advisor of the king which has the rank equivalent to the rank of a prime minister).

Prince Ranaridhh had asked Mr. Hun Sen to provide the names of those who were working behind the scene to secure an appointment to the position in the royal palace. Mr. Kanharith said that what Mr. Hun Sen said had been backed up by sufficient evidence and that the names of those involved cannot be provided to the prince as requested.

Mr. Hun Sen said publicly during an inauguration ceremony of the Stung Meanchey Bridge that, currently, there is only one prime minister in the country. He said the Prince Ranariddh’s newly-appointed position as the supreme advisor of the king is only equivalent to the rank of the prime minister in salary only. In term of power, the position does not have the same power as the prime minister, so people must not be confused.

Mr. Hun Sen’s public attacks happened at the same when there are reports that some of Prince Ranariddh’s loyalists are working secretly to secure appointments to work in the royal palace with the prince.

In a letter to Mr. Hun Sen dated 9th of January Prince Ranariddh wrote: “I wish to thank Samdech (Hun Sen) who had always had a very good relationship with me in our capacity as brothers. Taking this opportunity, I wish to inform Samdech that I have attentively listened to Samdech’s speech, made during the inauguration of the Stung Meanchey Bridge on the morning of the 6th January 2009, which Samdech had raised a few issues related to me personally.”

“Please Samdech Dejo be informed that after I was appointed by the king to be his supreme advisor, which has a rank equivalent to the prime minister, I have never requested to appoint anyone to be my advisors, assistants, cabinet directors or spokesmen under the umbrella of the king. I only have 3-4 personal assistants who are not political appointees.”

“I wish to thank Samdech for raising the issues of someone working behind the scene to recruit people to work with me. In the past, a newspaper called “Moneaksekar Khmer” has written an article accusing me of appointing 200 of my loyalists to work in the royal palace. But later, that newspaper has written a letter of apology to me for the publication of untrue information.”

“I did not know about anyone who are working behind the scene to recruit people to work with me. What I said is the truth. In this context, I wish to ask Samdech to provide the names of those who are working behind the scene to recruit people to work with me. I reserve the rights to take legal actions against those people in the aim of protecting my honour as well as to stop the culprits‘ actions.”

At the end of the letter, Prince Ranariddh sent his best wishes to Samdech Hun Sen. Mr. Khieu Kanharith has said that Mr. Hun Sen had received the prince’s letter but added that PM Hun Sen cannot provide the names of people who had allegedly been working behind the scene to recruit people as requested by Prince Ranariddh. However, what PM Hun Sen had raised have been backed up by sufficient evidence, he said.//