Parties told to refrain from insults, drawing accusations of hypocrisy
Keep it civil, Hun Sen urges
IN THE middle of what observers and experts have described as a sustained legal, political and, at times, physical onslaught against the opposition, Prime Minister Hun Sen yesterday called for parties to refrain from attacking or insulting their opponents in the run-up to the June commune elections.
Speaking at a school inauguration in Kratie province, the premier said there needed to be a civil environment free of antagonism ahead of the elec- tions, before adding his own thinly veiled legal warning to those who indulged in “insulting” other parties.
“To avoid conflict is to not insult each other. Each party can raise their own policies, but do not discredit others,” he said, while noting that “some words should not be said because those words are not allowed by law”.
Pivoting to the elections, Hun Sen also called on Cambodian citizens to continue their support of the Cambodian People’s Party, adding that a vote for the party was a vote for “develop- ment and maintenance of peace”.
Reached yesterday, CNRP deputy director of public affairs Kem Monovithya said in an email that the CNRP had consistently pushed for all parties CONTINUED