When the Thaksin’s storm is over, the public attentions will somewhat be shifted to the Cambodia’s domestic politics. Hun Sen has to deal with a few issues at hand: Ex-King Sihanouk’s letter to have Hun Sen checked Sam Rainsy’ s complains against the encroachment by Vietnam; King Sihamoni’s request to have Hang Chackra released; Vietnam’s demand to have Sam Rainsy punished; Mu SocHua’s challenge at the supreme court. These are some of leading issues that will be dealt with by Hun Sen and his administration.
There is not much that the international community can do or will do to help Sam Rainsy except issuing some statements of concerns. They know that the lifting of Sam Rainsy's immunity is temporarily and that the worst thing that could happen to Sam Rainsy is the fine or some kinds of penalty after being convicted by Cambodian court--the court that Hun Sen has been used effectively to legalize his case. Hun Sen will not put Sam Rainsy in jail but he will use the case as political bargaining chip. He needs to please Vietnam as well as to silence his opponents who in many cases seems to walk into his traps every time they move. I don't believe that Hun Sen or Vietnam will help put Sam Rainsy in a pedestal by sending him to Cambodian Jail. With some forms of apology and or some kinds of fine Sam Rainsy will be free to do what he always does best— opposing every move that Hun Sen makes. That's what Hun Sen wants to legitimize his regime. The US has little interest and lesser power to do much to help Cambodian oppositions now. Hun Sen's newly founded friend-China-has captured Cambodia as its new commercial zone. China, Vietnam, and the US share bigger common commercial interests and will not do anything to jeopardize their relationship. It is important that Sam Rainsy take full responsible of what he had done at the border and that he will not shift the responsibility to those Cambodian farmers who physically pulled the border posts out. It is also quite important that Sam Rainsy returns to Cambodia to face the charge to show that he is not afraid of the Cambodian authority. However, it is well known among many people in Cambodia that Sam Rainsy has been a “Paing Proch” or “hit and run” politician who always runs away to a foreign country and left his people in the cold. While he is safe somewhere in France, those people who are at the borders live in fear. Mu SocHua has done a better job. ============== Rainsy takes gripes to Brussels Wednesday, 18 November 2009 15:03 Meas Sokchea Photo by: AFP Lawmakers from the opposition Sam Rainsy Party march through Phnom Penh on Monday after boycotting a National Assembly vote that suspended the parliamentary immunity of party leader Sam Rainsy. OPPOSITION leader Sam Rainsy attended a meeting of the European Parliament in Brussels on Tuesday to discuss the Cambodian human rights situation, a day after his parliamentary immunity was suspended by the National Assembly. Sam Rainsy told Voice of America prior to the meeting that he would raise a number of issues related to the past year’s crackdown on opposition lawmakers and other government critics. “I will raise the issue of the suspension of my immunity ... and tell the EU parliament about the violation of human rights and parliamentarians’ rights in Cambodia,” he said. On Monday, the National Assembly stripped Sam Rainsy of his immunity to pave the way for his prosecution over an incident in which he removed wooden posts that marked the Vietnamese border. Tith Sothea, a government adviser, said that Sam Rainsy’s allegations in Brussels had often “inflated” information for an international audience in order to gain a political edge on the Cambodian government. “We already know that opposition leader Sam Rainsy is a provoker who seeks political benefits,” he said. “I dismiss this accusation – the Cambodian court system is independent from the legislature and executive bodies.” Sam Rainsy said Monday that in the coming days, he will also meet with the International Parliamentary Union in Geneva and other “friends of Cambodia” to discuss what he termed the country’s ongoing “slide towards totalitarianism”. The UN Human Rights Council will review Cambodia’s human rights situation during its quadrennial “Universal Periodic Review” on December 1. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Cambodia Discussion (CAMDISC) - www.cambodia.org" group. This is an unmoderated forum. Please refrain from using foul language. Thank you for your understanding. Peace among us and in Cambodia. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/camdisc Learn more - http://www.cambodia.org
