Rainsy Asean arrest warrants sent
THE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and I n t e r n a t i o n a l C o o p e r a t i o n announced on Tuesday that arrest warrants for Sam Rainsy had now been sent to all 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) member states.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Ket Sophann said on Tuesday that the issuing of warrants for the arrest of Rainsy, the “acting president” of the Supreme Court-dissolved Cambodia National Rescue Party, had followed procedure.
“The work has been done within the framework of international cooperation in the crime and justice sector. Cambodia has carried it out according to procedure,” Sophann told The Post on Tuesday.
Last week, Prime Minister Hun Sen said Laos and Thailand had already received warrants arrest.
Rainsy told The Post on Tuesday that only some Asean countries would cooperate with Hun Sen’s request to arrest him.
“[ This is] because a number of neighbouring countries tended to e mbra c e a more d e mocra t i c approach. Hun Sen has sided with f or Rainsy’s
Chhay Kim Khoeun said after its conclusion that the main purpose of the meeting was to outline its course of action.
“The National Police has emphasised two tasks. The first is to maintain security during the Pchum Ben festival.
“The second is to strengthen security to protect national interests and not allow any enemy or rebel group to destroy the safety, security and peace that we currently enjoy,” said Kim Khoeun, who is also the deputy chief of the National Police.
A senior police official who attended the meeting and asked to remain anonymous told The Post: “The National Police ordered that we must do whatever it takes to arrest the ringleaders, regardless of how many people support them. All police officers must follow the orders of their superiors fully and must crackdown on any rebel group wishing to destroy peace.”
Soeng Sen Karuna, senior investigator at rights group Adhoc, said the measures outlined by the authorities concerned him.
“They are harsh and affect human rights, freedom of expression and the right to participate in politics because people would only be expressing their views,” Sen Karuna said.
He said that arresting Rainsy and the senior CNRP leadership should they return could result in confrontations between their supporters and the authorities and lead to unrest.
However, Kin Phea, the director of the International Relations Institute at the Royal Academy of Cambodia, said he supported the measures.
“The authorities have an obligation to crack down on those posting messages in support of activities involved in attempting to topple the legitimate government – one born out of the will of the people,” Phea said.
The National Police had enough capacity to arrest Sam Rainsy should he return to Cambodia, he added.