Friday, 8 August 2008

Cambodian prince's supporters cling to hope of royal pardon

M&C Asia-Pacific News
Aug 8, 2008

Phnom Penh - Supporters of self-exiled Prince Norodom Ranariddh said Friday they had not given up hope of a royal pardon over his conviction for breach of trust, which was upheld by his last avenue of appeal, the Supreme Court, last month.

Petitions to his half-brother King Norodom Sihamoni had flooded in from opposition groups and political parties appealing for the king to grant him a pardon, Norodom Ranariddh Party spokesman Muth Chantha said by telephone.

Chantha's comments followed a speech by Prime Minister Hun Sen widely published in local newspapers Friday in which he reiterated the prince must return and serve two thirds of his 18-month sentence.

'The king has the full right to grant amnesty to the prince for his conviction, and we appeal to the king directly,' Chantha said. 'We do not need to ask the government.'

Ranariddh's former Funcinpec party ousted him as president in October 2006 and then sued him, accusing him of embezzling some 3.6 million US dollars from the sale of the party headquarters that year.

He was convicted and sentenced in absentia the following year by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court. The highest court in the land upheld the sentence July 30.

Supporters of the prince, including those from the self-named party he subsequently established, claim the charges are politically motivated and he should be allowed home from exile in Malaysia.

However Hun Sen has said he will stand firm, and the prince will have to serve time in one of Cambodia's notoriously stark prisons and will not escape punishment.

The palace has made no comment on the issue.

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