Logo of Phnom Penh Post newspaper Phnom Penh Post - CNRP official invokes possibility of protests if Sokha is arrested

CNRP official invokes possibility of protests if Sokha is arrested

Acting opposition leader Kem Sokha talks speaks at the CNRP headquarters during a meeting with activists earlier this month. Photo supplied
Acting opposition leader Kem Sokha talks speaks at the CNRP headquarters during a meeting with activists earlier this month. Photo supplied

CNRP official invokes possibility of protests if Sokha is arrested

Cambodia National Rescue Party acting president Kem Sokha will not attend his trial next week, his daughter and party official Kem Monovithya told supporters in the US, while also raising the prospect of demonstrations in the event of her father’s arrest.

Speaking in Lowell, Massachusetts, over the weekend, the CNRP’s deputy head of public affairs also appealed for the international community to support the opposition’s beleaguered leaders.

Sokha has been holed up for three months at CNRP’s headquarters to avoid arrest. He has been charged with “refusal to appear” for shunning a court request to answer questions about his alleged affair with a hairdresser. A trial has been set for September 9.

The cases against Sokha, a conviction and new trial hanging over the head of self-exiled CNRP president Sam Rainsy, and a slew of legal actions against opposition members are widely considered politically motivated, a point Monovithya stressed in her speech.

“It is not important what case they use to sue, when they want to arrest, they arrest. They will create a case to charge. If they need to imprison, they will create a case to imprison,” she said.

Monovithya also noted that taking to the streets remained an option to prevent Rainsy and Sokha’s sentencing, but added that any protests needed to remain non-violent.

Reached yesterday, Justice Ministry spokesman Chin Malin said that any use of “the public’s forces” would be “a mechanism outside of the law that we cannot accept”, and maintained that if Sokha skipped his trial the court could choose to issue an arrest warrant.

MOST VIEWED

  • 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

  • Cambodia set to celebrate Koh Ker UNESCO listing

    To celebrate the inscription of the Koh Ker archaeological site on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, the Ministry of Cults and Religion has appealed to pagodas and places of worship to celebrate the achievement by ringing bells, shaking rattles and banging gongs on September 20. Venerable

  • 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

  • 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

  • Cambodian diaspora laud Manet’s UN Assembly visit

    Members of the Cambodian diaspora are rallying in support of Prime Minister Hun Manet’s forthcoming visit to the 78th UN General Assembly (UNGA 78) in the US’ New York City this week. Their move is an apparent response to a recent call by self-exiled former

  • 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.