Government Ties CNRP to Bombings, ‘Terrorist’ Group
A package of documents and DVDs sent from the Ministry of Interior to foreign embassies and NGOs this week uses speeches made by opposition leaders Kem Sokha and Sam Rainsy, criminal acts that have occurred since the election and a letter from an alleged terrorist group in the U.S. to show how nationwide protests by the CNRP could result in violence. The package included DVDs of recent speeches delivered by Mr. Rainsy and Mr. Sokha along with English-language transcriptions of their calls for demonstrations, an assemblage of pro-CNRP Facebook comments, a letter from Sourn Serey Ratha, who has been labeled as a terrorist by the government, and summaries of unsolved explosions that have taken place since the contested national election. On a document accompanying the package, which was sent from the Ministry of Interior’s Secretariat of Permanent Command for Election Security and dated August 21, recipients are asked to assist the government in making sure that anti-government rhetoric being used by the CNRP does not result in a disturbance of the peace. … At the end of the summary of inflammatory comments made by CNRP leaders and their supporters online is a rundown of three crimes that have been committed this month under the heading “Bomb Plantation and Explosion Activities.” Noting that all of the acts were committed by “unknown perpetrators,” the document reports a bomb exploding on August 7 near the Phnom Penh Municipal Court, the discovery of two shells for an M79 grenade launcher that were left on a windowsill of a house in Tuol Kok district also on August 7 and the explosion of a handmade bomb at a CPP office in Kompong Speu district on August 14. The package from the Ministry of Interior also included an open letter to Cambodia’s military and police forces from Mr. Serey Ratha, the leader of the Khmer People Power Movement, which has been deemed by Cambodia’s government to be a terrorist group with links to the CNRP. The CNRP denies having any links with Mr. Serey Ratha, who police have an arrest warrant for. … Lieutenant General Khieu Sopheak, spokesman for the Ministry of Interior, said that the letter was sent in the hopes that representatives of embassies and NGOs would send along the message to the CNRP that it needs to tone down its rhetoric in order to avoid conflict with the government. … But CNRP spokesman Yim Sovann said the documents were merely an attempt to tarnish the reputation of the opposition. …
Colin Meyn
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/elections/government-ties-cnrp-to-bombings-terrorist-group-41431/
