Phnom Penh (FN), May 22 – Cambodian Senate President, Samdech Techo Hun Sen stated that he cannot engage in dialogue with extremist ideologies and violent political cultures, which resemble the bloody ideologies of the past.

Samdech Techo spoke on Wednesday (May 22) at the closing of the conference on the “Future of Cambodia Without Genocide” at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC).

On that occasion, Samdech Techo Hun Sen stated that fostering a culture of dialogue aligns with the establishment of liberal democracy and multi-party democracy, in line with the principles of the rule of law outlined in the Constitution of the Kingdom of Cambodia.

"Democracy upholds diversity and provides an effective means to resolve political differences through ballots rather than bullets. While Cambodia boasts numerous political parties today, armed groups no longer exist in the country. Most importantly, violence has been eradicated from Cambodian politics since the success of the win-win policy. This illustrates the maturity and democratic progress in Cambodia," Samdech Techo underscored.

Samdech Techo further continued, "However, I truly cannot engage in a culture of dialogue with politicians who have continuously attacked me and my family, despite my previous acceptance of this extremist individual in the spirit of our great Khmer family. This individual still seeks to overthrow the government led by the Cambodian People's Party, thereby persisting in the ideology and culture of extremist and violent politics, reminiscent of the bloody ideologies of the past."

He reiterated that peace in Cambodia is not a given but rather the result of Cambodian resilience and resistance to both internal and external pressures.

On the occasion, Samdech Techo recalled the incomplete mission of UNTAC, which left Cambodia in 1993 without achieving complete peace, the primary objective of the Paris Peace Accords. Despite this, Cambodia achieved national unity and territorial integrity in 1998 through win-win politics, spearheaded by Samdech Techo and his delegation.

For over 25 years, Cambodia has enjoyed peace, enabling the nation to harness its resources and efforts toward development. Samdech Techo underlined the importance of preserving this peace by rejecting insurgency and extremist movements that threaten social harmony and stability.
=FRESH NEWS