With deputy opposition leader Kem Sokha refusing to discuss audio recordings alleged to be of him speaking with a mistress, a group of ostensibly concerned students turned to the National Assembly on Monday in their campaign for the truth.
About 50 students who claim to be free from political interests submitted a petition with the National Assembly asking for Mr. Sokha to be summoned to answer questions about the recordings, in which a man and a young woman are heard discussing sex, pregnancy and paying for an apartment.
“The purpose of submitting this petition is to demand that the president of the National Assembly summon His Excellency Kem Sokha…to clarify about the audio recordings and say whether they are true or not,” said Srey Chamroeun, 24, who identified himself as a law student but declined to name his university.
Asked why he and his fellow student activists were so anxious to have Mr. Sokha comment publicly about the recordings, Mr. Chamroeun said the acting CNRP president had a responsibility to be honest with voters.
“This case is not just a personal issue because he’s a public figure, not a private figure. Especially because he’s a lawmaker for Kompong Cham province—he is elected by citizens,” he said. “As an acting leader of a political party, he must clarify about the suspicions of people and youth who want to know the truth.”
National Assembly spokesman Leng Peng Long said the petition would be forwarded to Assembly President Heng Samrin, but that it was too early to say whether Mr. Sokha would be summoned as requested.
Mr. Sokha has not publicly commented on the veracity of the audio recordings, instead instructing supporters not to respond to provocations, and CNRP security guards prevented the student activists from entering party forums earlier this month.
Khem Chandaraty, the woman purported to be heard in the recordings, was questioned by anti-terrorism police on Friday in relation to a defamation complaint filed by opposition activist Thy Sovantha, who is criticized by the man in the clips for using the CNRP to make money.
After being questioned, Ms. Chandaraty—who claims to have merely worked at a hair salon frequented by Mr. Sokha—denied being the woman in the recordings, and said she did not even know who Ms. Sovantha was until the public scandal.
Mr. Chamroeun said his group had filed a complaint with Phnom Penh Municipal Court accusing Ms. Chandaraty of fraud for allegedly lying about her relationship with the deputy opposition leader.
Ms. Chandaraty’s lawyer, Try Chhuon, said she was not worried about the complaint.
“I’m not interested in this case since there is no criminal offense,” she said.
