Hun Sen told the Candlelight Party to apologize and stop issuing statements that the ruling CPP threatens it — or face legal action.
The prime minister was speaking at the opening of a new hospital in Phnom Penh when he waded into politics again.
Over the past week, Candlelight’s senior adviser Kong Korm has been slapped with lawsuits and vice president Thach Setha arrested. In response, the country’s biggest opposition party asked the CPP for talks and called on the ruling party to end its pressure, threats and political persecution.
Hun Sen on Thursday merely raised his political rhetoric.
“You cannot issue a statement blaming the ruling party for threatening you. Be careful or the CPP will file a lawsuit, to speak clearly with each other,” he said, noting that Setha was arrested over a bouncing check — though the case apparently dates back years.
“You issued a check without money and the court made an arrest — this is reasonable. ‘Everything is politics,’ ‘everything is politics,’ ‘everything is politics,’” he said, deriding the opposition. “If you do not apologize, we will file a lawsuit against you.”
“There are only two options, one is using the courts, and the other is to go to their homes and attack them. There are only these since you no longer listen. Which way do you prefer among the two? Do not dare,” he said, repeating threats made last week.
Hun Sen, who was visibly angry in his delivery, even turned his rhetoric against named and unnamed opposition leaders and their families.
“One person, your wife and your children are in Phnom Penh. Don’t be foolish. I’m not using your wife and children as hostage, but you should not go too far,” Hun Sen said.
“Ho Vann, your child is a deputy of Candlelight in Phnom Penh. You should come home. Don’t follow the others. If you want to come, I’ll pardon you.”
Hun Sen said the ruling party needed to “eliminate extremists.”
“You cannot do anything that impacts the honor and dignity of the CPP. If you dare to test this, I will take action to show you.”
He took exception to Candlelight saying votes were stolen in last year’s election — the basis for a prior lawsuit against vice president Son Chhay.
“I will end you through all these court cases,” Hun Sen said. “I have never touched your party, and why do you have to touch the CPP. … You know enough about democracy.”
The CPP was only acting through proper channels by filing cases with the courts, Hun Sen said.
“If you want to win, please do your propaganda like advertisements,” he said. “Coca-Cola never insults Fanta.”
“But these bastards, when they start, they have nothing to say besides cursing me,” he said. “From now on, I will never accept and tolerate it from the top to the bottom, if it needs handcuffs, make it quick. … Your words pushed me to speak like this.”
He also referred to people who tried to insult him by linking him to Vietnam — Korm, the senior adviser sued last week, had recently made such a suggestion.
“Your group deserves to be in prison, I tell you. You cannot escape it because you are a fish in a barrel. I can break your neck to eat any time I want to, speaking clearly with each other.”
He also raised Germany detaining environmental activist Greta Thunberg from a protest on Tuesday.
“How come they can do it but Cambodia can’t?” he asked. “Who dares to criticize Germany? They only criticize poor countries. But Cambodia has true independence and isn’t under anyone.”
He ordered cybercrime police to check his page for critical Facebook comments. If the commenters are abroad, “who are their families inside the country? Educate the parents and relatives so they can educate [the commenters],” he said. Hun Sen made a similar statement against overseas protesters last month, but said security visits of families were not a threat.
“Now the one who lives abroad can curse me, you can escape because you are outside. But the one who is inside, you cannot escape. I’ll block the border to stop you from going anywhere and you shouldn’t run, if you are brave.”
