SAM RAINSY GRATEFUL TO MALAYSIA
Cambodian opposition leader, colleague discuss with Malaysian MPs on best socio-developmental pathways for both nations
CAMBODIAN opposition leader Sam Rainsy has thanked Malaysia for allowing him and fellow comrade, Mu Sochua, to enter the country.
The Cambodian National Rescue Party (CNRP) president said he and Sochua, who is the party vice-president, were grateful to be here and appreciated the opportunity to meet with government and opposition parliamentarians for about an hour yesterday.
Rainsy and Sochua were invited to Parliament by Permatang Pauh member of parliament Nurul Izzah Anwar for an informal meeting with the parliamentarians.
The letter of invitation indicated the meeting was to discuss the way forward in pursuing the best socio-developmental pathways for Malaysia and Cambodia.
Without commenting on the topics discussed during the meeting, Rainsy said:
“The fact that we are in Malaysia means that they (Cambodian government) are not successful in blocking us in moving freely in Asean countries.
“The very fact that we were received by MPs here is very meaningful. It means that there are MPs from Malaysia who support democracy in Cambodia. This is a message for the Cambodian people and they must be very happy and grateful.
“We don’t need to ask (for help) because we believe that they (Malaysians) will promote the values of democracy and human rights, not only in Malaysia, but also for the whole of Asia.”
On his stay here, Rainsy said he could not confirm the date of his planned departure but Sochua left the country yesterday. For security reasons, they refused to reveal their next destination.
The 70-year-old flew into Malaysia on Saturday and told supporters to “keep up the hope” after promising to return home to rally opponents of Prime Minister Hun Sen. The former Khmer Rouge commander has ruled Cambodia for 34 years.
Rainsy and his wife, Tioulong Saumura, who is a CNRP senior leader, flew into Malaysia with French passports.
Last week, Sochua was detained by officials at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport upon arriving from the United States with her American passport. She was released a day later.
It was reported that all three were denied entry into Thailand following pressure from the Cambodian government, while Rainsy was allowed into Malaysia after an earlier attempt to fly to Thailand from Paris was aborted when he was barred from boarding a Thai Airways plane.