15 January 2019
Associated Press
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FILE - Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen gestures while speaking in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Aug. 1, 2018.
PHNOM PENH —
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Monday that if Western countries impose threatened economic sanctions on his country, it would cause the death of the country's political opposition.
Hun Sen, speaking at a road groundbreaking ceremony, was referring mostly to plans by the European Union to cancel an agreement giving imports from Cambodia preferential duty-free status.
The EU began the process of ending the agreement after last July's general election, in which Hun Sen's Cambodian People's Party won all 125 National Assembly seats. The EU, along with other critics, charged the election was unfair and unfree because the sole credible opposition party was dissolved in November 2017 by Cambodia's Supreme Court, generally seen as being under the government's influence.
The U.S. and Germany have already instituted some diplomatic sanctions against Cambodia because of its repressive political climate.
Hun Sen said without elaborating that if Western powers seek to punish Cambodia with sanctions, they would kill the country's opposition.
In an effort to soften his authoritarian image and restore Western approval, Hun Sen has initiated several post-election measures billed as efforts toward political reconciliation. The most notable one allows 118 members of the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party to apply for the lifting of 5-year bans on taking part in politics that were imposed when their party was dissolved.
However, it appears that most of them have no intention to apply, and Hun Sen has said that the ban would not be lifted for those who were uncooperative. One of the party's former leaders, Sam Rainsy, has said he expects Western pressure on Hun Sen's government to be the best hope of restoring democracy.
"I don't want to hear any more threats of imposing sanctions but I want to tell you clearly that your imposing sanctions against Cambodia would be instrumental in killing the opposition political party," Hun Sen said. He urged those planning sanctions to "please come to talk with us as equal partners to ease the situation."
Hun Sen, who was speaking on the anniversary of his becoming prime minister in 1985, repeated his frequent contention that Western nations have no right to criticize his government with accusations of suppressing human rights and democracy.
He said he led Cambodia out of war and poverty after the Khmer Rouge regime collapsed 40 years ago, the country's "most difficult period."
"Do whatever you want, but don't forget that then you will have no longer have the right to advise me about democracy and human rights, if you really do impose sanctions," he said.
Hun Sen has said several times recently that applying sanctions would be the third mistake Western powers would make in dealing with Cambodia. The first, he said, was in 1970 when U.S.-backed Cambodian Gen. Lon Nol toppled then-Prince Norodom Sihanouk from power, leading to a bitter civil war that ended with the communist Khmer Rouge taking power and causing the deaths of about 1.7 million people during its brutal 1975-79 rule.
He said the second was when Western nations supported the Khmer Rouge to hold the country's seat at the United Nations after they were ousted from power by a Vietnamese invasion and took part in a coalition resisting Vietnam's occupation.
6 comments:
The West doesn't really know how to deal with this jungle, with little education man. As the old saying goes, "if you can not beat them, get rid of them". The West should find ways to get rid of this monster dictator as soon as possible. You can not reason with him. He only understands the law of the jungle where kill or be killed.
The West has spoiled this monster for decades and making him super rich in the process. It's time to take back all that by:
1. Freeze all his and his families' offshore bank accounts.
2. Cut all aids to Cambodia because Cambodians are not benefiting from it. The money all goes directly to his bank accounts.
3. Impose sanctions on him and his family - do not allow them to enter US, Europe, Australia, Canada, Japan, Korea, etc...
4. Move out all your businesses from Cambodia because it only benefits his family.
5. Stop all the loans to Cambodia.
6. Do not recognize his illegitimate government.
7. Kick Cambodia out of the UN.
8. Move all your embassies from Cambodia, cut all relationship with Cambodia.
9 Demand immediate payback of outstanding loans.
10 Do not allow your citizens to visit Cambodia. Starve off his tourists dollars.
If you can do all that, Hun Sen will start understand your language. He will obey you as a dog. Remember people like Hun Sen need to be treated like a dog. Otherwise, you will be just wasting your time dealing with him.
This asshole ah kwak is so so so scared out of his wit when he hears that EBA is to be cut by EU. Now it is up to the EU to stand up against this dictator.
If the EU backs down by his threats that he will around up and harm the opposition NCRP if EBA is cut. Would EU stand by idle and gets bullied by this dictator?. To teach this asshole dictator a lesson just cut the damn EBA get it over with.
Ah Kbot Cheat Hun Sen regime will face a financial catastrophe after the end of EBA. And social unrest will push ah Norouk Hun Sen to where he belongs - HELL.
The West must ask Sam Rainsy on how to deal with Hun Cent.
Hun Cent lied again for claiming the sanction would hurt the opposition. Every time Sam Rainsy reported to the EU that Hun Cent was violating human right and the condition laid out by EU, Hun Cent immediately lied to the people that Sam Rainsy wanted to hurt the people with the sanction.
1. EU imposed the sanction, not Sam Rainsy. He only reported the misdeeds by Hun Cent.
2. Hun Cent hurts the people by directly hurting the people (violating their rights), then dares the West to hurt the people with the sanction.
Do you see Hun Cent's logic here?
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