Cut ties with Cambodian gov't, says exiled opposition leader

An exiled leader of Cambodia's political opposition said the international community should cut ties with Prime Minister Hun Sen's government after the court-ordered dissolution of the only party challenging his three-decade grip on power.

Sam Rainsy told The Associated Press that the Supreme Court ruling was the death knell of democracy and presented a credibility test to world powers that had sponsored a 1991 peace accord in the Southeast Asian nation, which committed them to supporting an open political system there.

He called for governments to drop their recognition of the prime minister and "delegitimise the Hun Sen regime."

Rainsy used to lead the Cambodia National Rescue Party but went into exile last year because of the threat of prison in legal cases against him that are widely regarded as politically motivated. He and a half-dozen CNRP lawmakers are in Washington to lobby US lawmakers and State Department officials.
 

Rainsy urged the Trump administration to pay more attention to Cambodia and impose targeted sanctions on senior Cambodian officials although not broader economic restrictions that could hurt Cambodia's 15 million people.

"The international community must not do business as usual with Hun Sen following his very undemocratic and shocking move to dissolve the only opposition party," Rainsy said in an interview. "It is a matter of credibility for the international community following Hun Sen's violation of an important international treaty."

The White House released a statement yesterday night expressing "grave concern" and promising to "take concrete steps to respond to the Cambodian government's deeply regrettable actions."

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said: "As a first step, we will terminate support for the Cambodian National Election Committee and its administration of the upcoming 2018 national election. On current course next year's election will not be legitimate, free or fair."

The United States and 18 other governments signed the 1991 Paris Peace Accords, which ushered in democracy after the genocidal rule of the Khmer Rouge regime in the late 1970s, then occupation by Vietnam and civil war.

Yesterday's court verdict, read by a judge who is member of the ruling party, came amid an intense push by Hun Sen's government to neutralize political opponents and silence critics ahead of July 2018 elections.

There was no immediate reaction by the US administration. American influence has been waning for years as Cambodia edges closer to China, which has supported Hun Sen's efforts to "protect national security and stability.