PHNOM PENH: The Chairman of the Royal Government Spokespersons Unit, Phay Siphan, has compared opposition leader, Sam Rainsy, to a dead horse that cannot be ridden and that no one cares about. He made this remark in response to a question from EAC News regarding Sam Rainsy's announcement of his return to Cambodia.
Answering a question from EAC News at the Council of Ministers, Spokesperson Phay Siphan said, "We do not bet on a dead horse! What we see is obvious, we see both nationally and internationally, they do not care about him!"
On 19 August, Prosecutor Seng Heang issued a summons to Sam Rainsy and seven other former senior CNRP officials to report to the courtroom on 15 September 2022 at 8:30 PM, to answer to the accusation that they were planning to commit conspiracy in 2020 and in the subsequent years, under Article 453 of the Penal Code.
On 23 August, Sam Rainsy wrote on his Facebook page that he would return to Phnom Penh for the court summons, but asked Prime Minister Hun Sen to lift the three bans that are placed on him, including allowing airline companies to permit him to travel to the country, opening the Thai border for him to enter the country and allowing the Cambodian people who support him to go out and freely express their support.
Spokesperson Phay Siphan said he considers Sam Rainsy’s post to be an example of information politics, where he asks the Prime Minister to respond only for the return of his own reputation.
"He wants Samdech (Prime Minister Hun Sen) to respond, but it's useless, because he is a dead horse and we never beat a dead horse to gain attention," he said.
Sam Rainsy had previously planned to return to Cambodia on 9 November 2019, however, his plans were thwarted by the Royal Government over suspicion that he planned to overthrow the government in his return, through means such as inciting an uprising among armed forces and officials, inciting the people to revolt against the state and raising funds to support these illegal activities.
A Spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice, Chin Malin, wrote on his Facebook page in 2021 saying, "These acts and activities were clear [to see] and strong, and some of them are easy to trace because Sam Rainsy and his accomplices used Facebook and other social networks to post provocative messages and serve their malicious action plan."
It was this plan that put nearly 60 people in jail and with arrest warrants, which the Phnom Penh Municipal Court announced on 14 June 2022.
