F irst Prime Minister Norodom Ranariddh had an angry response when questioned

about dissident MP Sam Rainsy on his return form the ICORC meeting in Paris.

"I'm sorry that he is a Khmer. I'm sorry that he is a Member of Parliament. I'm

sorry that he is a member of Funcinpec. I'm sorry to have that man," said

Ranariddh . Saying that he had at one stage thought Rainsy a "great patriot" he

said he no longer believed that. "I' don't admire him very much. He's traveling

around taking badly about his own country and asking [foreign] governments to

[stop] providing aid not only to the Royal government, but to the people

directly. It's very bad."

Rainsy - who has stated ad nauseam that he is

not opposed to aid to Cambodia, country to Ranariddh's belief, but only that

conditions should be imposed on the giving of it -was also in Paris for the

ICORC meeting.

He held public meetings with Cambodians living in Paris

and made appeals to ICORC members to urge the Royal government to do more about

matters such as human rights, government transparency and accountability and

deforestation.