Ranariddh in car accident #Updated

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A crowd gathers around Prince Ranariddh’s car after an accident car in Kampong Cham province on Saturday. PHOTO SUPPLIED

Ranariddh in car accident

Mon, 27 April 2015

Vong Sokheng

Funcinpec party head Prince Norodom Ranariddh was the victim of a hit-and-run accident on Saturday that left at least six injured in Kampong Cham province, including the prince’s wife, officials said yesterday.

Funcinpec spokesperson Nhep Bun Chin said in an interview yesterday that he “dared not say” the car crash was an act of political terrorism, but expressed doubt that it was simply an accident.

“The matter of the truck hitting the prince’s car was not normal,” he said. “I would like to appeal to all relevant authorities to thoroughly investigate [the case] and to bring justice for the prince. It was not incidental, because the truck escaped and hit the prince’s car in the right lane.”

Bun Chin said that he has asked the party’s legal team to prepare a lawsuit with regards to the accident, but declined to give details, including which lawyer was working on the case. It is expected to be filed today.

“I cannot speak about the lawsuit, and must leave it to the lawyers to work out the legal procedures,” he said.

He added that the prince’s wife, Ouk Phalla, was seriously injured and sent to a hospital in Bangkok yesterday.

However, Kampong Cham provincial police chief Ben Rath yesterday quickly dismissed allegations that the hit-and-run was politically motivated.

“I went to the site of incident and thoroughly examined [it],” he said. “It was confirmed as a traffic accident. It was not a political matter.”

Prince Ranariddh in Kampong Cham on Saturday after his car was involved in an accident injuring his wife and at least six others. PHOTO SUPPLIED

The accident occurred on Saturday afternoon, when a dump truck hit the prince’s motorcade while it was on its way back to Phnom Penh from Kampong Cham province following a political rally. The truck hit the prince’s vehicle and one of his bodyguards’.

The prince, son of the late King Norodom Sihanouk, met nearly 3,000 supporters in Wat Kor in the Prey Chhor district of Kampong Cham.

There he urged people to not vote for the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), arguing that CNRP leader Sam Rainsy and deputy Kem Sokha egged on demonstrations following the 2013 election – which ultimately left at least five dead – to serve their own political interests and further their ability to gain a foothold in the National Assembly.

The prince went on to lash out at Rainsy for having in the past attacked the prince’s power-sharing agreement with Prime Minister Hun Sen’s ruling Cambodia People’s Party (CPP) following the 1993 election.

“While you [Rainsy] hit me, I will hit back at you and I will play until the end,” Ranariddh told his supporters. “If I did not share power at that time, civil war would have occurred . . . Ranariddh shared power to consider the interests of the nation and the lives of the Cambodian people.”

http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/ranariddh-car-accident

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Funcinpec pressing for murder charge

Tue, 28 April 2015

Vong Sokheng

Funcinpec’s legal team is scheduled to file a lawsuit at the Kampong Cham Provincial Court today, accusing a truck driver of murder. The complaint relates to a traffic accident involving party president Prince Norodom Ranariddh last week that left at least six people injured, including the prince’s wife.

Senior Funcinpec official San Vanna said yesterday that the party’s lawyers will meet with Kampong Cham provincial police today to prepare the necessary legal documents before filing the suit.

“Our legal team will file a lawsuit against the driver for intentional murder,” he said, adding that they would also try to obtain compensation from the company associated with the truck involved in the crash.

Funcinpec lawyer Samrach Kosal, who is handling the case, refused to comment yesterday.

The accident in question occurred last Saturday.

A dump truck hit the prince’s motorcade while it was returning to Phnom Penh from a political rally in Kampong Cham. The truck slammed into the prince’s car and one of his bodyguard’s vehicles.

The accident left at least six people injured, including Ouk Phalla, the prince’s wife. She was taken to a hospital in Bangkok for treatment.

Funcinpec spokesperson Nhep Bun Chin on Sunday insinuated that the incident may have been politically motivated.

However, provincial police were quick to dismiss those concerns, saying the crash appeared to have been nothing more than an accident.