The Sam Rainsy Party has removed its sole National Assembly parliamentarian for Kampot province, claiming that lawmaker Kieng Vang had defected to Funcinpec, SRP officials said Sunday.
SRP President Sam Rainsy said that the party had removed Kieng Vang from his seat in parliament Friday after SRP members in Kampot province reported that the lawmaker had been campaigning for Funcinpec.
“He already defected to another party,” Sam Rainsy said. “We already have evidence from local people—he has been serving Funcinpec.”
SRP Secretary-General Eng Chhay Eang said the party already made a request to the National Assembly asking for Kieng Vang to be formally removed and replaced with Vann Dara, a member of the party’s Kampot provincial council.
Kieng Vang’s position within the SRP was already looking weakened prior to Friday’s ousting by the party. Last July, the party transferred him from his position as head of the Kampot council to a lesser post in Phnom Penh as part of an internal reshuffle geared at shoring up support ahead of this year’s national election.
Contacted by telephone Monday, Kieng Vang called his removal unjust and denied having defected to Funcinpec. He added that the SRP had not given him a chance to defend himself against the allegations before removing him.
“I am not happy with Sam Rainsy—there is no justice in society,” he said. “Sam Rainsy has his party to serve the family members of Eng Chhay Eang, [SRP lawmaker] Yim Sovann and Sam Rainsy.”
Kieng Vang, who had previously been a Funcinpec official, added that because of the removal, he has now decided to rejoin the royalist party.
“I will rejoin Funcinpec and my old friends,” he said. “I want to restore Funcinpec.”
Funcinpec spokesman Nouv Sovathero said that his party was eager to welcome Kieng Vang back into the fold.
Sam Rainsy dismissed Kieng Vang’s accusations of nepotism, saying that defectors always criticize their old party.
