11 Sep 2013
Welcoming the King, Political Rivals Give Each Other the Cold Shoulder
Political leaders from the ruling and opposition parties were both on hand at Phnom Penh international airport Wednesday to welcome home King Norodom Sihamoni from a medical trip to Beijing. However, neither side used the occasion for sideline talks in the country's ongoing political deadlock. In fact, neither side said much or anything to the other. Nor did they look at one another. Prime Minister Hun Sen and his political rival, Sam Rainsy, who is head of the Cambodia National Rescue Party, stood within 10 meters of each other as the king deplaned and greeted the dignitaries who stood in line to welcome him home. The Rescue Party has threatened to boycott a Sept. 23 meeting at the National Assembly that would mark the formation of the post-election government. That meeting must be held at the behest of the king, who can choose to postpone it. And so now both sides are waiting to see what he'll do, and how Cambodia's latest political drama will play out. (Heng Reaksemy and Say Mony, Phnom Penh)
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