Phnom Penh: One of Cambodia’s oldest political parties, FUNCINPEC, has condemned a Facebook post by Sam Rainsy. The former Cambodian opposition leader posted on Tuesday, reacting to the arrest of the Mother Nature activists.

Rainsy wrote: “Our king today is not only useless, but he allowed the dictator Hun Sen to use his name to harm the youth who were protecting the environment and accused them of insulting the King.” He went on: “The current king is a useless puppet who spends a lot of national money from the blood and sweat of the people just to stamp out the traitor Hun Sen to destroy the nation and hurt the people at will.”

It should be noted that: The Constitution of the Kingdom of Cambodia, Chapter 2, Article 7, states that "The King can not be violated by anyone."

FUNCINPEC, an acronym based on the party’s French name, translated in English as the National United Front for an Independent, Neutral, Peaceful and Cooperative Cambodia, says Mr. Rainsy’s post is a serious insult and has seriously damaged the reputation of HM King Norodom Sihamoni. The party says the Facebook post is in violation of the country’s lése majesté laws. It is urging the Royal Government and the judiciary to take strong action to bring what it calls “this illegal rebel leader” to justice.

Sam Rainsy, the leader of the extremist opposition group, was sentenced to 4 years in prison every time.

^{FUNCINPEC statement on June 23, 2021}

^{Print short screen from Sam Rainsy facebook}