The Council of Ministers’ Press and Quick Reaction Unit (PQRU) on Friday published an extended criticism of a speech made by opposition leader Sam Rainsy last week in which he promised his supporters that the political change that swept Ukraine’s president from power would soon be witnessed in Cambodia.
The PQRU’s statement emphasized the differences between recent events in Cambodia and the Ukrainian parliament’s February 22 decision to oust President Victor Yanukovich and call an election.
“What Mr. Sam Rainsy and [CNRP Vice President] Kem Sokha must understand is that in Ukraine, although the president was ousted, the process was followed legitimately in the National Assembly,” the statement reads.
“In Cambodia, the opposition walks the opposite way to Ukraine: It has repeatedly tried to topple the government and, in particular, Prime Minister Hun Sen. They have done it anarchically along the streets without compliance to the Constitution,” the PQRU’s commentary reads.
The CNRP has been boycotting its seats in Cambodia’s National Assembly since last year’s disputed national election, claiming that the vote was marred by widespread fraud and irregularities.
Tith Sothea, spokesman for the PQRU, said that the article was published to highlight the “illintentions” behind Mr. Rainsy’s speech.
“It has been written to explain to the public what Sam Rainsy has raised that does not comply with the truth,” he said.
