Prince Norodom Ranariddh appealed to all Cambodians to vote in the July 29 national elections and not listen to members of the court-dissolved Cambodian National Rescue Party’s (CNRP) boycott call.
You Hokry, the deputy director of Funcinpec, said Ranariddh made the call while recuperating in a hospital in Thailand after being injured in a car accident that also took the life of his wife.
Speaking to reporters in front of Wat Botumvatey during the ceremony marking the seventh day of the passing of Ouk Phalla, he said the prince’s health is getting better and that he expressed gratitude for the people’s concern.
“His health is good. He thanked all people who care about him . . . He wants Cambodians, the owners of the land and power, to vote on July 29. Do not believe people saying that by staying at home, they will win.
“It is impossible to win like that because it is a chance that occurs just once in five years. Voting is the expression of the people’s will. So all activists and those who love Funcinpec must keep silent and vote as advised by the prince,” Hokry said.
The party is one of 20 that are vying for seats in the national elections next month.
Hokry said, for now, the party accepts the police’s primary investigation, which concluded that the car wreck was just an accident caused by the negligence of the driver of an SUV that hit the vehicle carrying Ranariddh and Phalla. It was not politically motivated.
However, a party lawyer will continue to ask for relevant documents from the investigations with the intention of filing a complaint at some later date, he said.
“The lawyer will look at the case and we will take legal action. We need to ask the prince first . . . He is getting much better now. But we are still hesitant to tell him [about the death of his wife].
“I do not know whether the prince can accept it or not. Therefore, we are reluctant, but we do not want to hide. We need to tell him, but we need to consider whether it will affect his health if we told him at this time,” he said.
Phalla, a Funcinpec Party candidate in Prey Veng province, passed away at the Preah Sihanouk Provincial Hospital at about noon on June 17. The prince and six others were badly injured.
