Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Washington, DC Thursday, 03 March 2011
“Without Sam Rainsy’s involvement in upcoming elections, the international community will question the legitimacy of Cambodian democracy.”
Analysts say that with no more legal options available in a criminal case against Sam Rainsy, a political solution must be found ahead of upcoming elections.
The Supreme Court this week upheld criminal charges against the opposition leader, who was found guilty of racial incitement and destruction of property for uprooting border markers near Vietnam in 2009.
Sam Rainsy remains in exile and faces two years in prison for those charges, along with an additional sentence of 10 years for posting a map of the border on his party website that the government said was false and constituted disinformation.
The criminal charges will prevent him from leading his party from Cambodia in local elections in 2012 and from contesting national elections in 2013.
Chea Vannath, an independent political analyst, told VOA Khmer that Prime Minister Hun Sen is “accustomed to win-win experiences,” and should be able to find a political solution for “national reconciliation.”
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