kompong cham town – Funcinpec officials denounced on Sunday the distribution of fake Funcinpec fliers in Kompong Cham province, saying they were not from the party or from Funcinpec President Prince Norodom Ranariddh.
The fliers, which were thrown from a black Toyota Camry by unidentified passengers just outside of Kompong Cham town and printed on paper bearing the Funcinpec logo, stated that the party is led by “crazy people” and described Prince Ranariddh as “loving power.”
According to a statement at the bottom of the flier, the leaflets were distributed by “Funcinpec activists.”
“These are surely not from Funcinpec,” Minister of Women’s Affairs Mu Sochua said Sunday. When asked if the royalist party knew who distributed the fliers, she said, “We are questioning many, many things right now.”
The fliers took special note of Funcinpec officials such as Senator Nhiek Bun Chhay, security adviser Serey Kosal and Khan Savoeun, lieutenant general and deputy commander in chief of the Cambodian Joint Chiefs of Staff. It called them “idiots and useless people.”
Meanwhile, King Norodom Sihanouk criticized Funcinpec on Friday for using his image for political purposes.
The King released a statement condemning the party for violating a previous rule banning any political party from using the King’s image for “propaganda.”
Although the statement was dated July 25, it was distributed to media outlets on Sunday. The King may have been reacting to Funcinpec’s unveiling of a statue of the monarch at Funcinpec headquarters on Saturday.
Funcinpec lawmaker Princess Norodom Vacheara said the party had been constructing the statue of the King for a long time, and “it was just by chance” that the party officially unveiled the statue the day before the elections.
“We built the statue to recognize the founder of Funcinpec,” she said. “Funcinpec is the royal party, so we celebrate and have a symbol of the founder in our headquarters.”
She declined to comment on the King’s statement.
The King on Sunday also released an open letter to CPP President Chea Sim and Prime Minister Hun Sen stating that a leaflet dropped by Funcinpec from a helicopter were not his original writings. “I would like to inform you that this is a mistake that took my writing to propaganda and to confuse the public for party interests,” the King wrote.
(Additional reporting by Nhem Chea Bunly)
