Phnom Penh – Prime Minister Hun Sen has told senior officials not to respond to comments from former opposition leader Sam Rainsy after the exiled leader of the Cambodia National Rescue Party urged Interior Minister Sar Kheng to move against the premier.
Hoping to drive a wedge between the two powerful Cambodian People’s Party leaders, Rainsy suggested Kheng should lead a coup to overthrow Hun Sen. But Hun Sen mocked Rainsy and told CPP supporters to “stay still”.
Rainsy, who has lived in exile in France since a warrant was put out for his arrest in 2015 on defamation charges, has long sought to divide the CPP leadership, including suggesting that senior military officials move to overthrow Hun Sen.
