AT A wedding in the southern province of Kandal, the resignation of Sam Rainsy, the country’s longtime opposition leader, is announced in passing by a teenager scrolling through Facebook. The apparent departure of a figure who has been central to Cambodian politics for 20 years created a kerfuffle among Cambodia-watchers when it emerged this week. The wedding guests simply shrug.
The apathy reflects the disconnect between Mr Sam Rainsy, who describes himself as the “national and international symbol of resistance” to Cambodia’s authoritarian government, and the country from which he has been absent since 2015 in order to avoid arrest on various charges. As local elections approach in June, with parliamentary elections looming a year on, this cosmopolitan former banker campaigning from Paris was always going to struggle to energise the provinces.
Cambodia’s strongman prime minister, Hun Sen, had threatened a week earlier to teach Mr Sam Rainsy “a lesson”. The courts had already convicted him in several dubious cases. Next the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) drafted a law that would allow the authorities to dissolve...Continue reading
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