Leaflets calling for a “people’s court” to prosecute Prime Minister Hun Sen, and strewn about three city districts last week, were authored by someone hoping to cause a rift between the ruling CPP and Funcinpec, royalist party members claimed Sunday.
“It was…aimed at splitting the relationship between Funcinpec and the CPP,” Funcinpec spokesman Nouv Sovathero said.
The leaflets, found on the streets of Tuol Kok, Russei Keo and Chamkar Mon districts, were designed to make it appear as though Funcinpec members had written and distributed them.
The leaflets accused Hun Sen of curtailing freedom of expression and of other misdeeds.
Nouv Sovathero said that such a ploy would do nothing to harm the coalition relationship, which he said was strengthened at a meeting on May 11 between the two parties where both the CPP and Funcinpec “promised to respect the cooperation agreement, strengthen it and make it firmer.”
Meng Rita, Sam Rainsy Party ‘s acting secretary-general, said that Nouv Sovathero’s comments were an underhanded way to blame the leaflets on the SRP. “SRP does not have a culture of throwing leaflets. If we want to criticize, we will criticize directly,” Meng Rita said.
Interior Ministry spokesman Khieu Sopheak said that police were investigating the leaflet drop but refused to say whether the police had identified suspects.
Nouv Sovathero denied his comment were aimed at implicating the SRP and added that the leaflets were not significant anyway.
“It is only a piece of paper,” he said. “It is not an atomic bomb.”
