Cambodian opposition leader-in-exile, Sam Rainsy, is trying to mount a strong challenge to long-ruling Prime Minister Hun Sen in Cambodia’s upcoming elections – from and with the help of Europe. Kris Janssens reports.
Last Saturday, February 3, about 200 Cambodian expats met in the outskirts of Paris to discuss the political situation in their home country. Taking center stage was 68-year-old Sam Rainsy (main picture), the former Cambodian opposition leader who went into self-imposed exile to avoid imprisonment on trumped-up political charges.
The crowd cheered when he took the floor to address them.
Firm and self-assured, Rainsy declared, “One day we will decide to tell the people to stand up, and they will stand up!” He demanded the release of all political prisoners in Cambodia, starting with Kem Sokha, the current opposition leader who was charged with treason last September after being accused of trying to topple the government with backing from Washington. If convicted, he faces up to 30 years in prison.
Political machinations
Cambodia’s political history reads like a thriller. Sokha and Rainsy originally belonged to separate opposition parties. But in 2012 they joined forces and founded the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP).