ASEAN proposes deal for Ranarridh to run in election
ASEAN proposes deal for Ranarridh to run in election
MANILA (Agencies): Southeast Asian governments proposed a
compromise formula yesterday to enable exiled Prince Norodom
Ranarridh to run in Cambodia's elections, under which he could be
tried, pardoned and then join the poll race.
The Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand tried to break the
impasse in the face of Cambodian co-Premier Hun Sen's insistence
that he will arrest his rival and put him on trial if he comes
home.
Ranarridh has stayed out of Cambodia since a bloody coup led
by Hun Sen in July last year ousted him as first prime minister,
but has declared his intention to return home next month to take
part in the July 26 general election.
The Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand are members of the
Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), which has urged
Hun Sen to allow all groups to take part in the vote to make it
credible.
"Perhaps the best scenario if, indeed Prime Minister Hun Sen
would arrest Prince Ranarridh...would be to have a trial in
absentia and finish the trial by the first week of March and then
have the amnesty process by the second week," Philippine Foreign
Secretary Domingo Siazon said.
That would enable Ranarridh to meet the March 20 deadline for
the filing of candidacy, Siazon told reporters.
"That would be better, that's the safest thing," he added.
Siazon, Indonesian Foreign Minister Ali Alatas and Thai Foreign
Minister Surin Pitsuan spoke at a joint news conference after
holding talks on the Cambodian problem.
The ASEAN "troika" also met an 11-nation group, called Friends
of Cambodia, which includes the United States, Japan, the
European Union and Russia.
"The troika stressed the need for obtaining certainty
concerning the political status of Prince Ranarridh," they said.
They voiced hope that King Sihanouk would return to Cambodia
soon, calling him "a unifying force of the Cambodian people".
Warned
The informal grouping "Friends of Cambodia" has warned that
Cambodian ruler Hun Sen risked losing international assistance
for the polls unless the terms of the Tokyo plan are met.
"If the issue of participation is not resolved, the Friends of
Cambodia would have to individually review their continuing
assistance for the electoral process," the group said.
Tokyo's plan, which has been conveyed to Phnom Penh, calls for
the exiled Prince Ranariddh to "abandon any military cooperation"
with the Khmer Rouge, an immediate ceasefire, the trial of
Ranariddh, and his pardon by his father King Norodom Sihanouk in
the event he is convicted.
It also calls on Phnom Penh to guarantee Ranariddh's "security
and safety" and to allow him to take part in the polls once he
ends his exile.
Hun Sen has accused Ranarridh of plotting a coup and says he
preempted it by his own armed takeover. The prince dismisses the
charges as politically motivated.
ASEAN deferred Cambodia's membership last year after Ranarridh
was ousted.
Alatas denied ASEAN was interfering in Cambodia's affairs.
"What we are saying...is that it is necessary to obtain
certainty about his (Ranarridh's) political fate. Whether he is
going to be tried ...(or) convicted, that we leave to the
Cambodians. That's an internal affair. But we would like to know
what is going to happen," Alatas said.
"All that we are saying is let this process go (through)."
In its joint statement, the "troika" welcomed Ranarridh's
decision to return home and urged the Hun Sen government to
ensure his participation in the election.
The European Union has agreed to provide Phnom Penh with $11.5
million to a major portion of the polls.