Phnom Penh: Prime Minister Hun Sen had stern words for his critics and opposition groups on Friday morning. During a media briefing at the launch of vaccinations for children aged 6-11, he launched a broadside against those he accused of plotting to overthrow him.

The Prime Minister has recently been popping up in opposition groups’ zoom chats, but on Friday morning, he dismissed claims he’d been hacking his way in. He says he has all the passwords and links he needs to keep an eye on groups he says are plotting to replace him. He then zeroed in on Sam Rainsy, challenging him to swear an oath of allegiance. The Prime Minister says Rainsy has accused him of trying to create a law that would pardon former leaders from prosecution. The Prime Minister told the media at the Peace Palace that he has no intention of doing that, as it would allow leaders to exercise excessive power without fear of the law. He considered Sam Rainsy's statement to be an exaggeration:

“I make clear for You! Do you dear to swear to die or fall a plane to death! Remember, in 2008, more than two-thirds of the CPP was able to amend the constitution! Why doesn't the CPP make a law? Even in 2013, although the CPP has lost its voice, the legislature does not need the help of your group!”

Rainsy spoke in Long Beach, California on Sunday, recalling the “culture of dialogue” established by the ruling party in 2015 and that the Prime Minister had asked the opposition to create a law to pardon former leaders of the country when they left office. The Prime Minister says the CPP does not need opposition members to make laws, as it has the two-thirds majority it needs in the National Assembly to make any changes to the kingdom’s constitution.