Cambodian King Refuses to Pardon Son, Derailing Peace
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — Cambodia’s King Norodom Sihanouk refused today to pardon his son, who was convicted in absentia this week of conspiring to overthrow the government and sentenced to 30 years in prison.
“Papa has no ability to help brothers or sons or to find justice for you,” Sihanouk said in a letter to deposed First Prime Minister Prince Norodom Ranariddh.
Sihanouk’s refusal to pardon Ranariddh derails a complex Japanese-brokered plan that would have allowed the prince to return to Cambodia and compete in elections scheduled for July.
Ranariddh was ousted from Cambodia’s shaky ruling coalition by his counterpart Hun Sen in a bloody coup last July. He is living in exile in Bangkok, Thailand.
Hun Sen had Ranariddh prosecuted by a military court on charges of smuggling weapons and conspiring with the Khmer Rouge rebels to grab power.
The charges were widely viewed as politically motivated and conviction in the Hun Sen-controlled courts assured.
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