The Mirror, Vol. 11, No. 536
“If talking about close relationships between the head of the opposition Sam Rainsy Party and the head of the Royal Government or with other leaders of the ruling Cambodian People’s Party [CPP], it definitely can be said that it is very rare to see this prominent opposition leader get close to the head of the Royal Government or to CPP leaders.
“There are two contrasting opinions – one says that Mr. Sam Rainsy, the opposition party leader, is a man of stainless steel who is not afraid and does not give up against anyone, but another opinion says that in fact, he is just a man who is for softness. For us, we find that with politicians in this world, there is no politician who is only tough without softness; though even if they act sometimes with cruelty, they still have their heart, sympathy, and love toward other people. As for Sam Rainsy, the opposition leader, we do not believe that he conducts the opposition violently. Sam Rainsy definitely has days being a soft person who knows what a good deed is and what a bad deed is, what a favor is and what a misdeed is, because cursing or insulting others is not good and cannot make Sam Rainsy and his party successful, while Sam Rainsy is upholding high moral principles for his party. From time to time, it is seen that this opposition leader tries and asks to meet with Samdech Prime Minister Hun Sen; and such meetings, whenever this opposition leader wanted to meet Samdech Dekchor Hun Sen, were never rejected; sometimes this opposition leader was even received to have a meal together, and with champagne wine. In contrast, this opposition leader is always a type of person who is ungrateful. This means that after meeting with the head of the Royal Government, he has never shown softness and politeness, but had only bad words against Samdech Dekchor without moderation. Now again – it can be said based on [Cambodian famous pop singer] Mr. Preap Sovath’s song ‘Start loving again,’ it is obviously seen that this opposition leader (Sam Rainsy) hurried to salute and shake hands with CPP leaders such as Samdech Chea Sim, Samdech Heng Samrin, and Samdech Hun Sen, which was a very rare occasion that all these leaders went to see Samdech Euv [the Father King], Samdech Mae [the former Queen], and the King off at the airport, leaving for Beijing on 28 November. In order to understand what the meeting between Sam Rainsy and the CPP leaders really means, especially the meeting with Samdech Dekchor Hun Sen is, we describe briefly the following.
“As a sign of the warm relations between the ruling CPP and the SRP, Prime Minister Samdech Hun Sen and Mr. Sam Rainsy, the opposition leader, publicly exchanged opinions with each other, a very rare occasion, on Wednesday at Phnom Penh International Airport. Mr. Sam Rainsy said that Prince Ranariddh was the topic for a long and happy conversation with Samdech Hun Sen at the airport, where the two leaders saw King Norodom Sihamoni, Preah Mohavirak Khsatr [the Great Heroic King] Norodom Sihanouk, and [former] Queen Monineath off for Beijing. Mr. Sam Rainsy said by phone on Wednesday evening, that Samdech Hun Sen pointed to a letter that Prince Norodom Ranariddh had sent to him. He said that the Prince will send Mr. You Hockry to negotiate with the CPP. According to the letter, Prince Ranariddh affirmed that Samdech Hun Sen asked the Prince to send someone to negotiate with the CPP. At present, Mr. You Hockry is secretary-general of the Norodom Ranariddh Party. Mr. Sam Rainsy said that Samdech Hun Sen is disappointed that the Prince created this issue. Hun Sen does not trust the Prince. He added that Samdech Hun Sen said that he did not ask for any negotiation, and he is not interested in contacting the Prince.
“Mr. Muth Chantha, the spokesperson of the Norodom Ranariddh Party denied that Prince Ranariddh had recently called for a wide movement of political parties to go against the ruling CPP in the upcoming elections; and he did not write to Samdech Hun Sen. Mr. Muth Chantha said that Samdech Hun Sen should show that letter to the public to see its content.
“Mr. Keo Puth Rasmey, the President of Funcinpec, who was also at the airport and was part of the conversation, said that he saw the letter and confirmed the meaning of the letter. Mr. Keo Puth Rasmey added, ‘We had a good atmosphere this morning between the three leaders. It is good for our country.’
“The relations between the SRP and the CPP are in less trouble since Mr. Sam Rainsy quietly met with Samdech Hun Sen in February 2006, after returning from a one-year exile. In August 2007, Mr. Sam Rainsy released an announcement as had never happened before, saying that his party will check the possibility to create a coalition government between the CPP and the SRP after the 2008 election. That topic was not discussed on Wednesday, but Mr. Sam Rainsy just said, ‘The culture of long-term hatred between each other, between the CPP and the SRP, now ends.’ Mr. Sam Rainsy added, ‘Samdech Hun Sen and I discussed many issues, we exchanged information with each other. I also talked with Samdech Chea Sim, the president of the Senate as well as Samdech Heng Samrin, the president of the National Assembly. This was a rare occasion.’ He added, ‘Democrats may have different ideas; however, we don’t want to defeat each other. We are competitors, but not enemies.’
“Mr. Muth Chantha said that Mr. Sam Rainsy, who rejected Prince Ranariddh’s appeal for joining together to win over the CPP, has sold himself to the ruling party. He stated that when the SRP loses in the elections, it will join with the CPP, after that Samdech Hun Sen will be Mr. Sam Rainsy’s boss. He added that when they want power, they never care about the national interest.
“Mr. Koul Panha, the director of the Committee for Free and Fair Elections, said that there is a specific change in the SRP which is likely to reflect the reality for getting Cambodian voters. He said that the SRP does not use strong language to criticize the government. Khmer nationals cannot accept criticism with strong words. He said that the SRP might think that for this time, they cannot initiate a wide change, they can just seek reforms.” Rasmei Angkor, Vol.14, #1252, 30.11.2007
Newspapers Appearing on the Newsstand:
Friday, 30 November 2007
Kampuchea Thmey, Vol.6, #1506, 30.11.2007
- Samdech Krom Preah’s [Norodom Ranariddh’s] Letter [sent to Prime Minister Hun Sen] Is Sent Back, because It Is Not Understood
- More Than 2,000 Workers of Fortune Garment on Strike, Blocking the Traffic for a Whole Morning [five officials were injured in dispersing the strike on 29 November – S’ang, Kandal]
- Chinese Warship Visits Japan
- Indonesia Plants 79 Million Trees
Khmer Machas Srok, Vol.1, #62, 31.11-1.12.2007
- Mr. Sam Rainsy: Prime Minister Hun Sen Told Me that Prince Ranariddh Will Send You Hockry [secretary-general of Norodom Ranariddh Party] to Negotiate with the Cambodian People’s Party
Koh Santepheap, Vol.40, #6206, 30.11.2007
- National Assembly Discusses Adoption of Budget; Draft Law Shows 2008 National Budget Increases by 22 Percent
- Samdech Dekchor Hun Sen Presides Over Opening of the First International Golf Competition in Cambodia [Siem Reap]
- Vietnam Loses Approximately $500 Million per Year on Smuggled Cigarettes
Mohaboros Khmer, Vol.8, #93, 30.11-3.12.2007
- Government Weakens Press Freedom [by allowing officials to treat journalists badly]
Moneaksekar Khmer, Vol.14, #3325, 30.11.2007
- Mr. Sam Rainsy Expects that Opposition Party Will Get Not Fewer Than 62 Seats in 2008 Election
- Government Does Not Support Sanctions against Burma and It Will Not Speak about Release of Aung San Suu Kyi [Burmese elected democracy leader]
- Opposition Party and Civil Society Organizations Continue to Criticize Hun Sen Government for Lack of Will to Make Anti-Corruption Law
Rasmei Angkor, Vol.14, #1252, 30.11.2007
- Sam Rainsy: Culture of Long-Term Hatred of Each Other between the CPP and the SRP Now Ends
Rasmei Kampuchea, Vol.15, #4450, 30.11.2007
- Club of Cambodian Journalists Concerned about [Phnom Penh] Court’s [unjust] Action against Samleng Yuvachun Khmer [on the accusation of spreading false information]
- Cambodia and America Discuss International Child Adoptions
- [South] Korean Investors Dare to Buy Land Expensively and They Receive Attention in Land Business [in Cambodia]
- Vietnam to Host Miss Universe Contest 2008
Sralanh Khmer, Vol.3, #563, 30.11.2007
- If Hun Sen Is Smart, He Should Help Introduce [Burmese Prime Minister] Thein Sein to Talk with UN Envoy [Ibrahim Gambari]
- Ghost Names Exists in All Ministries and Departments
- Sam Rainsy: Keat Chhon Should Once Go to Market to See How Khmer People Suffer from Growing Economy
- Government Plans to Increase Public Servants’ Salaries to $100 or Riel 400,000 in 2013
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