Cambodia’s Hun Sen says no political motive behind recent arrests
Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen on Thursday lashed out at critics who claimed that the recent arrests of four opposition officials for their alleged roles in a violent protest were politically motivated, saying they had committed criminal acts and must be tried according to law.
The opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and the United Nations' envoy on human rights in Cambodia have slammed the arrests as a tactic by Hun Sen's ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) to gain leverage in negotiations over electoral reforms. ... A July 22 deal between the CNRP and Hun Sen's ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) to end a political standoff following disputed elections a year earlier saw the release of opposition members accused of stoking the violence at Freedom Park, but the prime minister said Thursday they had only been "temporarily freed." ... He added that the recent arrests of the four CNRP officials had not broken the terms of the deal and said they would not affect ongoing negotiations between the two parties on electoral reforms. ... Big News Network News Staff
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