Phnom Penh (FN), May 18 - Charles Santiago, Chairman of the ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) and a member of the Parliament of Malaysia, stated that the Cambodian government’s messages concerning upcoming elections have been consistently threatening.

He made statement Wednesday during the interview with Radio Free Asia (RFA).

Mr. Santiago quoted DPM Tea Banh, the Cambodian Minister of Defense, threats to "break the teeth of the demonstrators who would not recognize the result of the election."

On Thursday,  the MoD’s spokesman Chum Socheat called the chairman’s perspective inflammatory and accused the chairman of intervening with Cambodia’s internal affairs.

“The publication of RFA regarding the chairman’s statement is causing instability and interferences with Cambodia’s sovereignty. The statement is false and unacceptable,” stated Chum Socheat.

“DPM Tea Banh’s message was not a threat, but rather a friendly reminder to ensure public order and security,” he added.

The DPM Tea Banh has previously warned of crackdowns on protests if election results were disputed.

“When the opposition lost the election, they demanded this and that. They did not recognize the results. I want to break their teeth,” said DPM Tea Banh.
=FRESH NEWS