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Cambodian prince on protest fast
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A CAMBODIAN prince — the cousin of King Norodom Sihamoni — went on hunger strike yesterday in protest at Prime Minister Hun Sen’s disputed election victory, demanding “justice for voters.”
Prince Sisowath Thomico, who is a senior member of the opposition Cambodian National Rescue Party, said: “I am on hunger strike until there is a solution to render justice to the people, who are the voters.”
Talking to reporters as he began the protest at a pagoda in the capital Phnom Penh, he accused the prime minister’s Cambodian People’s Party of “staging a cold coup” and seeking to create a conflict between the people and the king.
According to official results of the July election, the CPP won 68 seats against 55 for the CNRP.
The opposition has rejected the tally, alleging widespread vote rigging, and has warned it will boycott the opening of parliament on Monday unless the irregularities are addressed.
“We will not attend the meeting (of parliament) on September 23,” opposition leader Sam Rainsy said. “If the meeting on the 23rd goes ahead and without the CNRP, it will totally violate the constitution.”
He called for more talks with the CPP to find a way to “expose the truth about who is the real winner of this election.”
Earlier this week the king wrote to opposition lawmakers appealing to them to drop the planned boycott of parliament for the sake of “national unity.”
In a reply yesterday, Rainsy urged the king to postpone the opening of the National Assembly until “a peaceful solution” is found.
Hun Sen, who has ruled for 28 years, has held several meetings with Rainsy in the past week to discuss the political stalemate. The two sides remain at odds over the opposition’s demand for the creation of an independent “truth committee” to investigate the polls.
Violent clashes erupted in Phnom Penh last Sunday on the fringes of a mass demonstration.
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