Four Arrested In Attempt to Inspire ‘Rose Revolution’
Police said Sunday they have arrested four people believed to be involved in a conspiracy hatched by a dissident Khmer-American group plotting to topple the government of Prime Minister Hun Sen. Two men and two women were arrested on Thursday suspected of attempting to hand out 1,000 yellow roses to soldiers and police across the city along with small cards urging them to turn their weapons “against the despot,” the national police said in a statement on Saturday. The campaign was organized by the Khmer People Power Movement (KPPM), the same U.S.-based group that ordered the printing of hundreds of polo shirts urging Cambodians not to vote in last month’s national elections and for which three others remain in pre-trial detention. The government has often accused the group of attempting to organize a private army to topple the regime, though it has yet to provide any evidence. “On August 15 the competent authorities arrested four suspects who were producing and distributing hundreds of leaflets with content to incite armed violence to overthrow the Royal Government,” the national police said in the statement. The suspects, it added, “distributed the leaflets following orders from Sourn Serey Rotha who remains abroad, is president of the Khmer People Power Movement, and has established illegal armed forces and was summoned by the court on the charge of incitement to commit a felony.” ... In separate comments posted to the national police website, spokesman Kirth Chantharith said the suspects were all charged with Article 495 of the Criminal Code, which covers incitement to commit a felony and carries a prison sentence of up to two years. Contacted on Sunday, Mr. Chantharith declined to provide their names and referred questions to the Phnom Penh Municipal Court. ... Contacted in the U.S. by phone, Mr. Serey Rotha admitted to ordering the flowers and cards in the hope of sparking a “rose revolution” across Cambodia. Addressed to “every heroic soldier” and titled “The Nonviolent Rose for Change,” the cards read: “Turn your guns against the despot and sacrifice your life to protect the people who have the same Khmer blood because Cambodian troops and Cambodian people are Khmer and we have to protect each other.” The “despot” Mr. Serey Rotha was referring to was Mr. Hun Sen. He and his group have accused the prime minister of running sham national elections—including last month’s, which show a win for Mr. Hun Sen’s ruling CPP but remain mired in unresolved reports of widespread irregularities. His group has also tried convincing the International Criminal Court to try Mr. Hun Sen for alleged crimes against humanity in relation to land evictions. ... But Mr. Serey Rotha maintained that he was advocating a non-violent approach because he was calling on soldiers and police to protect the people from the violence of the government. ...
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/four-arrested-in-attempt-to-inspire-rose-revolution-39976/
