Phnom Penh (FN), June 11 – In a view to reducing political tension in Cambodia, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon made a direct phone call to Senior Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Prak Sokhonn on June 8, 2016.

Both a report posted on the UN Website on June 9, 2016 and a release by Cambodia Ministry of Foreign Affairs the following day, acknowledged concern by Mr. Ban Ki-moon over the current political situation in Cambodia and that he asked the Cambodian People’s Party and the Cambodian National Rescue Party to resume the culture of dialogue in order to reduce the tension.

Responding to the suggestion by Mr. Ki-moon, Senior Minister Prak Sokhonn emphasized that the Cambodian government was really in favor of culture of dialogue and that it is actually Prime Minister Hun Sen who initiated the culture of dialogue. However, he added, it is Mr. Sam Rainsy and Mr. Kem Sokha respectively president and vice-president of the CNRP who have brought it to a halt, according to the release by the Foreign Ministry.

“We do want the culture of dialogue very much and I would like to recall to Secretary General that this culture of dialogue was initiated by Samdech Prime Minister Hun Sen. However, the two opposition leaders Sam Rainsy and Kem Sokha have for many times created a lot of what considered as mistrust, outrage and splits that lead to the malfunctioning of the culture. We want this culture of dialogue because it will maintain peace in the society and contribute to free and fair elections in near future,” said Minister Sokhonn in the release.

It is recalled that CPP led by Prime Minister Hun Sen and the CNRP led by Mr. Sam Rainsy agreed on and signed up to the culture of dialogue on May 22, 2014 in a deal aimed at ending the feud over the results of the election in July 2013.
Under the culture of dialogue, leaders of the two political parties, Samdech Hun Sen and Mr. Sam Rainsy had had many occasions to demonstrate close and cordial relationship that was very much welcome by the public.

Nevertheless, the culture of dialogue dubbed by many people as the ‘Honeymoon’ had gradually cracked and became full broken apart on November 13, 2015 when Mr. Sam Rainsy fled the country to avoid a court arrest warrant in relation with the defamation legal complaint by Deputy Prime Mininster Hor Namhong.

The destruction of the culture of dialogue came also in the aftermath of Mr. Sam Rainsy and Mr. Kem Sokha as well as many other opposition members, were in an attempt to label the Cambodian government as dictatorship and kept trying to bring up accusations against the government on border issues regardless of much the government had tried to prove such as borrowing the country maps from the UN as well as from France to verify the truth.
=FRESH NEWS