Cambodia army calls for opposition figure's resignation

[geovalin]

By David Fisher

Military brigade demonstrate amid ongoing pressure for opposition figure to give up parliamentary position

By Lauren Crothers

PHNOM PENH – Cambodia’s army has waded in to a violent spat that erupted when two opposition MPs were beaten earlier this week, joining calls for the party’s deputy leader to step down from his position at the National Assembly.

The Cambodia Daily on Wednesday published a picture taken the day before, which showed soldiers from a Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) brigade in the northern province of Oddar Meanchey holding up signs demanding the resignation of Kem Sokha, who is the assembly’s vice president.

According to the Daily, the signs described Sokha from the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) as an “inciter” and problem-maker.

The report also included quotes from RCAF deputy commander Kun Kim, who said Sokha was “venomous” and his “deceitful propaganda” could plunge the country into another civil war.

On Wednesday, Sokha posted pictures and videos to his page that showed him meeting with the beaten lawmakers at a Bangkok hospital, where Kong Sophea — who sustained a fractured nose and torn eardrum — and Nhay Chamroeun underwent surgery.

CNRP spokesman Yim Sovann told Anadolu Agency on Wednesday that the party was, for now, focusing solely on an investigation into the attacks, which had been promised by the Interior Ministry.

“Under the constitution and law, [the army] should be neutral and not involved with any political party,” Sovann said.

“[The attack on MPs] is not solved yet, so we need to do this first; we don’t want to divert the attention from one to another,” he said.

As for addressing the involvement of the army in the unfolding drama, Sovann said both the CNRP and ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) “need to sit down together to talk”.

The “culture of dialogue” both sides espoused over the past year has all but fallen apart, with Prime Minister Hun Sen and CNRP leaders Sam Rainsy and Sokha trading barbs over recent weeks.

Last week, Sen warned of rebellion if stalwarts among the army and police forces were to be removed in the event of an opposition government taking power.

Sovann described the situation as “very, very bad”, with his party “pushed to the wall”.

He said Rainsy, who is abroad and not due to return until the middle of next month, is in the process of drafting a letter to Interior Minister Sar Kheng to ensure that “concrete measures to guarantee the safety and security of MPs” will be put in place.

Political analyst Ou Virak said the involvement of armed forces is “very dangerous”, not least because there is a history of factions forming within the army — even though on the surface, the army appears to be consolidated under the CPP.

“All it needs is a CPP that abuses control over the military to the point that some people get fed up, and that’s not going to be pretty,” he told Anadolu Agency.

Long-time adversaries of the ruling party, the CNRP were only sworn into parliament in July 2014 after boycotting their seats for a year in protest of what they claim was a rigged ballot in the July 2013 elections.

The opposition agreed to take their seats in exchange for the assembly’s vice presidency, positions heading five parliamentary commissions, and a total revamp of the country’s National Electoral Committee.

source: http://www.newsfultoncounty.com/politics/news/2813361-cambodia-army-calls-for-opposition-figures-resignation