The United States stopped election support for Cambodia with a promise of more “concrete steps” and the European Union threatened vital trade preferences after the main opposition party to Prime Minister Hun Sen was banned. The ban on the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), decreed by the Supreme Court at the government’s request, followed the arrest of its leader, Kem Sokha, for treason. Hun Sen’s critics called the CNRP dissolution an attempt to steal the election and the death knell for democracy. In Beijing, foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a news briefing that China supports Cambodia in pursuing its own development path. There have been no protests over the opposition party ban and many people in the capital, Phnom Penh, said they were afraid to speak out.

Source: Egypt Independent November 17, 2017 08:15 UTC