Opposition Seeks King’s Intervention in Um Sam An Arrest

About 40 members of the opposition have turned to King Norodom Sihamoni for help in securing the release of Um Sam An, after their bail request was rejected last week. Mr. Sam An was arrested on April 11 on charges of incitement and discrimination months after writing posts about demarcations along the border with Vietnam.

According to a letter sent on Friday, members of the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) said they are seeking royal intervention in Mr. Sam An’s case because the immunity given to all members of the National Assembly was being ignored by the government for political reasons. During Mr. Sam An’s arrest, police said they had the right to detain him because of “in flagrante delicto”, a legal loophole meaning caught in the act, which has often been used to circumvent immunity and has no time limit.

The letter added that on April 12, the National Assembly continued its session with 63 CPP lawmakers and approved the court ruling in Mr. Sam An’s case. This, they said, was in direct violation of Article 80 of the constitution, which requires two-thirds or three-fourths of all National Assembly members to decide whether a member can be arrested or detained. The members of the opposition said they believed the King is the arbiter of public power and the constitution and is therefore able to step in for situations like this.

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