Prime Minister Hun Sen on Friday staked his position as head of the Cambodian government on a promise to arrest opposition leader Sam Rainsy within 24 hours of his planned return to Cambodia in November.
The prime minister was responding to Sam Rainsy who on Friday challenged Hun Sen to step down as head of the government if he returned to Cambodia on November 9, 2019. Sam Rainsy, who has been in self-imposed exile since 2015, said he and other senior Cambodia National Rescue Party leaders will return to Cambodia on November 9, the country’s Independence Day.
Hun Sen told VOA Khmer, via WhatsApp messages, that Sam Rainsy was making a “ridiculous” wager and that the opposition leader would be arrested within 24 hours of his purported return.