Phnom Penh (FN), Dec. 20 – So Naro, Minister Delegate attached to the Prime Minister, said the ill-intended plan of the opposition group based in Japan to insist Japan not to recognise Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet as the head of the Royal Government already failed.

The minister delegate spoke at a press conference on Tuesday (Dec. 19) at the Phnom Penh International Airport after the premier concluded his five-day visit to Japan.

So Naro underlined that the opposition group overlooked the fact that during the election on 23 July 2023, a significant 82.3 percent of Cambodians who participated in the polls cast their votes for the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP). To simplify, out of 1,000 people, 823 supported the CPP—a historic mandate unprecedented in the party's history.

“Samdech Thipadei actively participated in the ASEAN Summit on equal terms with fellow heads of state. […] A seat is seen as empty and we know which country it belongs to. Should Cambodia be illegal, Japan may choose not to extend invitations and leave that seat unoccupied,” minister delegate added.

Furthermore, Cambodia actively engaged in bilateral meetings with the cabinet of ministers of Japan, including ministers and security advisers. On the Cambodian side, the deputy prime minister played a crucial role in negotiating on equal terms with the Japanese counterpart, highlighting their representation of the Royal Governments of Japan and Cambodia.

During their stay, Cambodian premier Hun Manet and spouse Pich Chanmony also paid a courtesy call on Japanese Emperor Naruhito at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Tuesday (Dec. 19). Such recognition showed that the ill-intended plan of the opposition calling Japan not to recognize the Cambodian government is a complete failure, minister delegate underscored.

So Naro continued, the number of participants in the demonstration was very small compared to previous year, while the extremist leaders of the demonstration have also been convicted and faced imprisonment.
=FRESH NEWS