Cambodia's political prince Norodom Ranariddh submits to strongman Hun Sen as opposition crumbles
Opposition says Prince Norodom Ranariddh helps deprive Cambodians of choice
With Cambodia’s opposition warning of the imminent death of its democracy, the historic rival who once beat Prime Minister Hun Sen in an election said there was no option but to work with the strongman.
Seventy three year-old Prince Norodom Ranariddh, Hun Sen’s opponent in UN-supervised elections in 1993, has horrified Cambodia’s main opposition party with a call for it to be dissolved after its leader was charged with treason.
Ranariddh’s career exemplifies not only the swings in Cambodian politics, but also the way Hun Sen, 65, has used force and cunning to neutralise enemies since defecting from the genocidal Khmer Rouge in the 1970s to help drive it from power.
“Samdech Hun Sen, you want or you don’t want, you like him or you don’t like him, he brings about this national unity,” Ranariddh said, using the prime minister’s formal title.
“According to the law you are not allowed to harm national unity,” the white haired Ranariddh said in an interview.
