Logo of Phnom Penh Post newspaper Phnom Penh Post - Government rejects Serey’s ‘impossible’ request

Government rejects Serey’s ‘impossible’ request

Content image - Phnom Penh Post
KNLF founder Sam Serey (right) is seen in a photograph included in a government dossier of evidence purporting that Serey planned to bomb Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. Photo supplied

Government rejects Serey’s ‘impossible’ request

The government on Thursday rejected a request by the leader of the Khmer National Liberation Front (KNLF), Sam Serey, to be allowed to form a legitimate political party and return to Cambodia to participate in politics.

A senior Ministry of Interior official said it would be “impossible” for Serey to form a party as he was a “prisoner who had never been in jail”.

Serey lives in Denmark after having been given political asylum in 2011. He formed a “government in exile” in 2016 after being sentenced to nine years in prison in 2014 for allegedly “plotting” to overthrow the government.

The comments came after Serey, who is accused by the government of being an “armed rebel leader”, said he would “halt” his “movement’s activities” and return to Cambodia if certain conditions were met, including the “release” of former opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) leader Kem Sokha.

A government official said the Ministry of Interior would consider such a request from other KNLF members who had not been found guilty of committing offences.

However, Serey, who has been labelled a “terrorist mastermind” by the government, said that none of his movement’s members could form a party apart from him.

“In the KNLF, no one can form a party except me. All the members put their confidence in my leadership. Therefore, only I can make the breakthrough in this political issue. The ministry should take this into consideration. No one can form a party except me,” he said.

‘A fleeing prisoner’

General Khieu Sopheak, a Ministry of Interior spokesman, told The Post on Thursday that he had heard of Serey’s request, but he said it would be “impossible” because the KNLF founder had been sentenced to a prison term and was required to undergo the punishment or receive a pardon first.

“He is a prisoner. How can he form a party? If he forms a party then it means that the court’s verdict has been opposed."

“The important thing is to make sure that the court’s verdict becomes invalid first . . . After being sentenced in absentia, he needs to undergo the punishment passed down or get a pardon to become an ordinary person first,” he said.

Sopheak said he found Serey’s request hard as he is a prisoner who has never been in jail. “He is a fleeing prisoner who refuses to undergo his punishment,” he said.

General Sopheak said the court had not banned Serey’s organisation and so the case was different from that of the Supreme Court-dissolved CNRP. He said that if it was another person, apart from Serey, who was making the request, the ministry would take it into consideration.

“As we say in Khmer, ‘one pot will fit with its cover’. Perhaps his organisation has not been banned yet. But the 118 CNRP officials whose party has been dissolved, they are outlawed,” he said.

He said Serey’s situation is different from Sourn Serey Ratha, the founder of Khmer People Power Movement, which was also labelled a “terrorist” group.

Content image - Phnom Penh Post
Sam Serey’s request to be allowed to form a legitimate political party and return to Cambodia was rejected by the government. Sam serey via facebook

Serey Ratha received a royal pardon after being sentenced to seven years in prison for a Facebook post urging the overthrow of the government. He returned to the Kingdom and formed a political party.

“[Suorn Serey Ratha] got a pardon. He has cleaned himself up,” he said.

On Thursday, Serey said he noted that Prime Minister Hun Sen is now more positive towards finding a solution to strengthen political unity and has released prisoners.

“I can see that his political messages are good signs, and the Minister of Interior [Sar Kheng] is also starting to calm the situation, releasing political prisoners and widening the space for civil society in Cambodia."

“I believe there will be a solution which benefits Cambodian people in the near future, and all political groups will join the next free and fair elections,” he said.

Serey said he had not written a letter of appeal for intervention from Hun Sen because he expected the prime minister to be committed to “solving the political crisis and reconciling the nation”.

MOST VIEWED

  • Ministry taking steps over Thai ‘replica’ of Angkor Wat

    The Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts has dispatched experts to inspect the ongoing construction of a temple in Wat Phu Man Fah, located in Thailand’s Buriram province. This temple appears to be a replica of Cambodia’s renowned Angkor Wat. The ministry said

  • Ream base allegations must end, urges official

    A senior government official urges an end to the allegations and suspicions surrounding the development of Cambodia’s Ream Naval Base, now that Prime Minister Hun Manet has addressed the issue on the floor of the 78th UN General Assembly (UNGA 78). Jean-Francois Tain, a geopolitical

  • PM to open new Siem Reap int’l airport December 1

    Prime Minister Hun Manet and Chinese leaders would jointly participate in the official opening of the new Chinese-invested Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport on December 1. The airport symbolises a new page in the history of Cambodian aviation, which will be able to welcome long-distance flights to

  • CP denied registration documents by ministry

    The Ministry of Interior will not reissue registration documents to the Candlelight Party (CP). Following a September 21 meeting between ministry secretary of state Bun Honn and CP representatives, the ministry cited the fact that there is no relevant law which would authorise it to do

  • Minimum wage set at $204, after Sep 28 vote

    The minimum wage for factory workers in the garment, footwear and travel goods industries for 2024 has been decided at $204 per month, with the government contributing $2. Following several negotiation sessions, the tripartite talks reached an agreement during a September 28 vote, with 46 of 51 votes supporting the $202 figure.

  • Thavisin touches down in Phnom Penh for first official visit to an ASEAN member state

    Thailand's newly appointed prime minister Srettha Thavisin has arrived in Cambodia for a one-day visit. The trip marks his first visit to an ASEAN country since taking office and aims to enhance bilateral trade and investment. According to the agenda, Thavisin is scheduled to hold