Rainsy calls on citizens to ‘rise up for change’
IN HIS latest move to seize power in t he Kingdom, Cambodia National Rescue Part y (CNRP) “acting president” Sam Rainsy has ca lled for a rebellion to change t he government.
His ca l l was poorly received among government of ficia ls, a polit ica l analyst and even CNRP deput y president Pol Ham, who said he does not support Rainsy’s ca ll.
Speaking to his supporters i n the US, Rainsy said in a v ideo clip posted on his Facebook page on Tuesday: “In 2019, we have to ta ke over Cambodia and hand it to t he people.
“This is t he stor y and our goal in histor y in which we have to join t his mission to successf ully ta ke over Cambodia and give it to the people.”
He claimed that this year presented the best opportunit y to ta ke over t he countr y, and ca lled on Cambodians abroad to join with the people in the countr y who, he claimed, were in fear of standing up.
“Therefore, we gather our forces to enter t he countr y and urge Cambodian citizens in t he countr y to rise up to demand a change that we wish for,” he said, adding t hat he will “tr y to avoid bloodshed”.
He said t here were activ ities inside the countr y with some activ ists ta k ing action i n public, while some were doing so in secret. He urged his supporters to persuade t he militar y not to defend Prime Minister Hun Sen.
Ham said he could not speculate on Rainsy’s claim that he would return to Cambodia as he was never in contact with him.
But he said he doesn’t support ca lling on the people to rise up against t he government.
“As we know, I am st i l l banned from participating i n politics. But even i f I now have politica l rights, I don’t have a plan to gat her people to do any thing that is against the law. Whatever he [Rainsy] does, it is in no way linked to me,” he said.
Commenting on Rainsy’s ca l l, ruling Cambodian People’s Part y spokesman Sok Eysan mocked him, and said if Rainsy wanted to change the government, he must return to the Kingdom and not tr y to effect a change from abroad.
“If you want to change the government li ke [you] shouted to do, please, t he conv ict, t he companions and t he young [self-]exiled analysts . . . return to Cambodia to change t he government flagrante delicto [lat in for in bla zing of fence].
“The Cambodian people don’t need to be incited [by Rainsy] from afar. If you direct ly lead t his [rebellion], you would be ca lled a brave man. [But] if you just shout from far away, it is nonsense,” he said.
Eysan said Rainsy a lways said t he opposite of rea lit y, such as by claiming Cambodia was in chaos and povert y while t he tr ut h is t hat it is prospering.
“The self-ex iled conv ict dare not return [to Cambodia], but he wants to arrest Samdech Hun Sen.
“He is losing supporters [in the Kingdom] but instead of say ing t here were millions of supporters abroad,” Ey-
Eysan said.
L i k e w i s e , g o v e r n me n t spokesperson Phay Sipha n sa id Ca mbodia did not ba r Ra i nsy f rom ret ur ni ng. But t h e g o v e r n me n t w o u l d act aga i nst t he ret u r n i f it comes i n t he for m of rebel groups, let a lone a lleged supporters.
“His appeal is characteristic of a rebel l ion which causes c h a o s a nd g o e s a g a i n s t C a m b o d i a n l a w. T h e government will ta ke action through a ll means.
“The sta nce of t he a r med forces is a lready clea r . . . t hey have committed to respect t he law, protect t he gover nment, and prevent a ll insurgent g roups, a nd a ny ot her t hat goes against t he government,” he said.
Adding his voice to Rainsy’s call to rebellion, political analyst Lao Mong Hay sa id : “I d i s approve a nd c ondem n such a c a l l. [ There wou ld] possibly be st r i fe bet ween r iva l pa r t ies whose di mensions a nd outcome, as past strife has shown, are unpredictable.”
I n t he mea nt i me, CNRP s u p p o r t e r s s t a t i o n e d i n Europe plan to hold a protest in Brussels, Belgium on March 1 to demand “t he respect of Huma n R ig ht s i n Ca mbodia”.
Norn Hy, 73, a CNRP suppor ter in Belg iu m sa id on Wednesday that the planned protest would be held in support of the possible withdrawal of t he EU’s Ever y t hi ng But Arms (EBA) preferentia l tariff agreement.
“They [the EU] may decide on this in March. We support t he decision if t he si xt h mandate government doesn’t follow t he f ive points it [t he EU] d e ma n d e d i n r e s t o r i n g democracy a nd f reedom for t he people.
“We k now t hat t he consequences would be huge if [the gover nment] doesn’t fol low t hem,” he sa id i n a phone ca l l.