Even as Funcinpec officials celebrated the results of Sunday’s Senate election, one Phnom Penh printing house owner said he is still trying unsuccessfully to collect payment from the party for campaign materials from previous elections.
Hong Nareth, owner of Phnom Penh’s Danareth Printing Shop, said this week that Funcinpec still owes him about $12,400 for hats and flags mostly ordered by then-Battambang province campaign chief Serey Kosal in 2001, for the February 2002 commune council election.
“I want money to keep my business going on, because I waited for a long time,” Hong Nareth said Monday.
On July 7, Hong Nareth wrote to Funcinpec President Prince Norodom Ranariddh, asking him to direct the party’s Battambang taskforce to repay the debt, Hong Nareth said.
He said he had printed a total of 1,500 Funcinpec flags, 2,200 caps and 300,000 cards promoting the party between 2001 and 2003 for Funcinpec, but has only received $1,000 of the total $13,400 bill so far.
Serey Kosal’s then-assistant and current Funcinpec party member Lim Rattanak said Serey Kosal had not paid the printer because he no longer holds the Battambang post.
Funcinpec’s Co-Minister of Defense Nhiek Bun Chhay has since replaced Serey Kosal, who is now second vice president of the National Committee for Disaster Management. Serey Kosal could not be reached for comment.
Phan Chantha, a member of the party’s Battambang taskforce and an adviser to Prince Ranariddh, said the Funcinpec president had asked Nhiek Bun Chhay to pay the printing bill.
“We used to discuss this matter, and I heard that the printing house did not get the money. Excellency Nhiek Bun Chhay was not aware of this debt because it was his predecessor’s business,” he said.
Nhiek Bun Chhay could not be reached for comment.
