Prime Minister Hun Sen appealed to monks and members of the public to stand up against Sam Rainsy and any party involved with him in order to protect the monarchy.
Continuing a tour of flood-affected regions, Hun Sen responded to Rainsy — the former opposition leader now living in exile in France — who criticized the king in a public forum, according to a video posted alongside commentary by pro-government Fresh News on Monday.
In the video, Rainsy points to the signing of a border deal with Vietnam, possibly in reference to a 2019 agreement recognizing previous treaties, in calling the king a traitor.
“The king today has no national conscience, not even a little,” he says in the video. “After Hun Sen, the king of Cambodia betrayed the nation, because we supplemented others, betrayed the nation completely, because we cut off Khmer territory to foreigners.”
Rainsy has not yet responded to a request for comment.
Hun Sen on Tuesday distributed food and seeds to 5,000 families in Pursat province, and said people needed to stand up to Rainsy and affiliated political parties — a likely reference to the opposition Candlelight Party, originally founded as the Sam Rainsy Party.
“These last two days, they are not just cursing me but also cursing our king. So I appeal to all people, monks and laymen, to stand up against the traitor and party that is linked to this traitor to protect the monarchy, the throne, to protect the king, to protect the unity and peace of our territory.”
Any party linked to Rainsy should come under the scrutiny of the court, he warned again. He said this was not a threat, but he would not allow a treasonous party to exist in the country.
The king was an apolitical head of state and the insult was unacceptable, he said.
“It is time that people who stay in a certain party — whose name I will not mention, but is linked with the traitor of three generations — please hurriedly distance yourselves and participate in other political parties,” Hun Sen said. “Don’t stay with this party. If [you] stay with this party, [you] run the risk of legal implementation.”
The prime minister further insinuated that Candlelight supporters could be prosecuted for insulting the king.
“[I] hope that people who are members and the supporters of this traitor leave from the affiliated party as soon as possible to avoid being convicted for insulting the king or any previous acts of national betrayal.”
Tuesday’s tirade continues Hun Sen’s attacks against Rainsy spanning over a week. Last week, Bour Kry, the chief monk of Dhammayuttika Nikaya, one of the country’s main Buddhist sects, as well as the Sangha Council of another sect, Maha Nikaya, issued letters in support of Hun Sen’s condemnations and called Rainsy a rebel trying to topple a legitimate government.
