Scuffles broke out on Sunday at a CNRP forum in Pursat province after hundreds of party supporters blocked dozens of students from meeting with deputy opposition leader Kem Sokha to discuss scandalous audio clips released early this month.
The students, who claim to be free from political interests, have called on the CNRP vice president to publicly address the recordings in which a man sounding like Mr. Sokha and a young woman are heard discussing sex, pregnancy and paying for an apartment.
Phuong Sothea, Pursat provincial coordinator for rights group Adhoc, said the students arrived at the forum in Phnom Kravanh district with a megaphone and began shouting for Mr. Sokha to address the allegations. When a group of CNRP youth were deployed to prevent them from entering, the two sides began pushing one another.
“Provincial military police arrived and separated the two groups and wouldn’t allow the students to cross the road to the forum because they were afraid violence would happen,” Mr. Sothea said.
Srey Chamroeun, a representative of the group—which last week filed a petition with the National Assembly calling for Mr. Sokha to be summoned and questioned over the recordings—claimed that not only did the CNRP youth block their way, but they punched some students and threatened to kill them should they proceed with their mission.
“We will still continue to follow Mr. Kem Sokha until he gives us an explanation about the voice in the clips,” he said.
CNRP youth representatives and a lawmaker denied there had been any violence or threats.
“I wish to deny it. This information is not true,” said CNRP lawmaker Ngim Yeng.
Addressing some 4,000 supporters, neither Mr. Sokha nor party president Sam Rainsy—who spoke via Skype—addressed the scandal. Instead, both men discussed the party’s prospects for the upcoming commune and national elections.
“I believe that the other side is terrified,” said Mr. Rainsy, who has avoided returning to Cambodia since a warrant was issued for his arrest in November in what many say was a politically motivated move by the ruling party.
“They are terrified and concerned because they know that they cannot prevent the movement and feelings of the people, and the people are demanding [change].”
Mr. Sokha boasted of increasing supporters drawn to the party’s “patriotism and democratization [that will] get power in the future.”
The party has refused to address the audio clips, which were posted to Facebook and are purported to be conversations between Mr. Sokha and Khem Chandaraty, now widely known by her Facebook name “Mon Srey.” Shortly after they surfaced, Thy Sovantha, a prominent anti-government activist, filed a defamation suit; in the clips, the woman discusses rumors that Ms. Sovantha had an affair with Mr. Sokha.
Ms. Chandaraty, who was questioned by anti-terrorism police over the complaint, has said the voice on the clips is not hers and that the only interaction she has had with Mr. Sokha is when he called the salon where she worked to ask if the barber was available.
