A group of gunmen attacked a Sam Rainsy Party office in Pailin on Sunday, tearing down the party’s sign and threatening party members, party officials claim.
Phi Thach, chief of cabinet for the opposition party, said the assault occurred about 8 pm. The attackers hacked down the sign with axes, set fire to party flags and told the members, “All Sam Rainsy Party members deserve death,” he said.
Phi Thach called the raid a “criminal act” intended to frighten and harass party members “in order to weaken their party at the local level and…at the final stage, to eliminate people who actively support the [Sam Rainsy Party] at the upcoming commune elections.”
Both Pailin Deputy Governor Kheo Horn and police chief Lai Chan Chhay said an attack took place on the party office but disputed claims that the attackers were armed.
Lai Chan Chhay blamed disgruntled Sam Rainsy supporters for the incident, saying they were upset by promises the opposition party leader made before the 1998 elections but allegedly did not keep. He said police were investigating.
