The vice president of the opposition Candlelight Party said he’s not concerned about being arrested sometime before the July 23 election – a comment that follows a pro-government newspaper’s report that warned of a possible arrest if he’s found in violation of his court probation.
Rong Chhun, a prominent activist who has held several top labor roles in Cambodia, joined the Candlelight Party in January, saying that he supports the party’s platform of “freedom, human rights, justice and democracy.”
His decision came amid a wide-ranging crackdown by authorities against the Candlelight Party, with Prime Minister Hun Sen repeatedly attacking his opponents in public forums.
Those actions have continued in recent months, with some party activists facing harassment and threats at the provincial level while more senior members of the party have been targeted with arrests and lawsuits. Hun Sen and the ruling Cambodian People’s Party have also persuaded a number of activists to switch their allegiance to the CPP.
Rong Chhun is expected to submit his application with the National Election Committee on Saturday to be listed on the ballot as Candlelight’s top parliamentary candidate in central Kandal province. That would put him in direct competition with Hun Sen, who is running as the CPP’s top candidate in Kandal.
“Hun Sen must be open to my candidacy and to having a fair and just competition,” he told Radio Free Asia on Thursday.
“It is not worth it if you win without competition,” he said. “If we are competing and you’ve done bad things against competitors, the world will think that it is worthless to win.”
‘It will backfire on them’
In 2021, authorities sentenced Rong Chhun to two years in prison for criticizing the government’s failure to address disputes over the country’s shared border with Vietnam in 2020. He was later ordered to serve for 15 months, with the remainder of the sentence suspended with a three-year probation.
The court said he is required to tell authorities of any changes in address or employment or any plans to travel abroad. He must also appear for meetings with court officials when summoned.
On Thursday, the spokesman for Phnom Penh Municipal Court told the Fresh News newspaper that Rong Chhun would be arrested if he’s found to have disregarded any of the probation requirements.
Rong Chhun told RFA that he hasn’t been banned from voting and has the right to run for any office in the July 23 general election. Also, the Ministry of Interior has already recognized him as the Candlelight Party’s vice president, he said.
“I have nothing to be worried about because I’ve done nothing wrong. There is no ban that says I can’t involve myself in politics. If I am arrested and people think it is not correct, it will backfire on them,” he said, referring to the CPP.
Translated by Samean Yun. Edited by Matt Reed and Malcolm Foster.