WEEKEND EDITION All the News Without Fear or Favor The CambODIa DaIly Volume 66 issue 19 Saturday-Sunday, November 26-27, 2016 2,000 riel/50 cents Rainsy Asks To Enter Country for Funeral Visit By kuch nAren And GeorGe WriGht The cambodia daily Exiled opposition leader Sam Rainsy sent a letter to Prime Min- ister Hun Sen on Friday asking to be allowed to return to Cambodia for his mother-in-law’s funeral on Sunday on the condition that he re- turn to France after the ceremony, a CNRP spokesman said. However, a CPP spokesman said Mr. Rainsy—who is facing a slew of charges and a conviction widely perceived to be politically motivated—would be arrested if he Reuters somehow managed to enter Cam- A firefighting plane drops fire retardant over the northern city of Haifa, Israel, from where 80,000 people bodia despite orders for officials to have been evacuated due to massive wildfires, on Friday. (Story on page 8) use any means to keep him out. Mr. Rainsy’s mother-in-law, Nhiek tioulong Measket Sam- photre, the matriarch of one of the UN Rights Office Told to Cave or Shut Down country’s most prominent families By MichAel dickison Commissioner for Human Rights that a clause is added stipulating during the rule of then-Prince The cambodia daily (oHCHR), Mr. Sokhonn said that that the U.N. office will respect its Norodom Sihanouk, died at her the U.N.’s human rights office if a lapsed memorandum of under- sovereignty and not interfere in home in Phnom Penh on thurs- must renew its agreement to work standing (MoU) between the two Cambodia’s internal affairs, inter- day at the age of 96. in Cambodia on the government’s parties was not renewed by De- preted by some to mean the gov- As a result, the opposition leader, terms by the end of the year or cember 30, the government would ernment will not tolerate criticism who before being officially exiled last shut down its operations, Foreign have “no choice but to execute its from the office. month had been living abroad for al- Affairs Minister Prak Sokhonn sovereign rights on the future of “More than ever, its representa- most a year to avoid jail time, sent a said in a letter to the office’s head- the field presence of the oHCHR tives and spokesperson have been letter to the premier asking to pay a quarters in Geneva this week. in Cambodia.” taking arrogant and disrespectful brief visit to take part in her funeral, In an escalation of simmering Negotiations over the MoU, re- behaviors toward the sovereignty of CNRP spokesman yim Sovann said. tension between the government newed annually, have been stalled Cambodia, which is unacceptable,” Continued on page 2 and the U.N.’s office of the High over the government’s insistence Continued on page 2 In S Korea, Impeachment, Gov’t Paralysis Loom By AnnA FiField 364 Viagra pills for the president— political science at Pusan National The WashingTon PosT they were apparently for altitude University. tokyo - South korean lawmakers sickness—and her approval rating the impeachment process could look set to impeach President Park sank to a new historical low of 4 take six months. In the meantime, Geun-hye as soon as next week, percent. Park has lost her legitimacy in the with 40 representatives from her But Park is digging in against eyes of the opposition as well as vast own party saying on Friday they the moves to oust her, meaning swaths of the general public and will would support the proceedings, South korea now faces a power have great difficulty in making deci- capping off an awful week for the vacuum that could stretch for sions, kelly said. Expecting Delays: Surrogacy embattled leader. months. “We could be looking at stasis Ban Leaves Parents in Limbo In yet another bizarre twist in “If she won’t go, the govern- for the next 16 months,” he added, Weekend cover story this political saga, her office this ment is going to be paralyzed,” referring to the date when Park’s week had to explain why it bought said Robert kelly, a professor of Continued on page 2 cambodiadaily.com The Daily Newspaper of Record Since 1993 2 The CambODIa DaIly saTuRday-sunday, noVembeR 26-27, 2016 aNd also Newsmakers This Guy Will Not Drop the Ball ■LoNDoN - the son of Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren said he would set fire to millions of dollars of punk memorabilia on Saturday A Nigerian man, who once “I did it because I wish to share as a protest against the musical scene’s appropriation by the main- played professional football in my God-given talent to the world stream. Joe Corre said he would burn Sex Pistols records, clothing and Cambodia, “has cycled 100 km and to encourage the young ones other ephemera on the 40th anniversary of the release of the band’s de- while balancing a ball on his head,” to do something that has never but single “Anarchy in the U.k.” “I’ve been wondering for a long time CNN reported earlier this week. been done before,” Mr. Chinedu what to do with it all and I think this is the right opportunity to say ‘you Harrison Chinedu rode his bicy- told reporters. know what, punk is dead,’” he said on thursday. Sex Pistols lead cle 103.6 km across Lagos— He said he learned he could cy- singer, John Lydon, known as johnny rotten, has said Corre should without dropping the ball. He cle while balancing a football on his sell the items, which are valued at up to $12.5 million, and donate the “may have broken the Guinness head during his decadelong foot- funds to charity. Asked why he had not done so, Corre said: “Who is World Record for the farthest dis- ball career. “Pedaling the bicycle, actually going to buy it?... It would end up going on some banker’s wall. tance traveled with a football on controlling the ball, watching for that’s who’d buy it and that wouldn’t satisfy me very much.” (Reuters) the head,” according to CNN. traffic—it’s all calculation,” he said. has argued that such criticisms are the country appeared to violate his Vaeren saying Ms. Lee had “crossed UN... part of its purpose in the country. basic human rights. the red line of the U.N. Charter” by Government spokesman Phay “No elements of the decision to “interfering into the internal affairs of continued FroM pAGe 1 Siphan said on Friday that a final block the entry of Mr. Sam Rainsy the kingdom of Cambodia.” Mr. Sokhonn said in the letter ad- decision on whether to close the into Cambodia have been brought that letter said the oHCHR’s ac- dressed to the U.N.’s high commis- oHCHR’s office in Cambodia to light that would allow anyone to tivities in the country were “not le- sioner on human rights, Zeid Ra’ad would be made after the deadline assess its reasonableness, which gitimate” due to the office’s MoU Al Hussein. passed. renders the decision unjustified having lapsed since December. “Despite the RGC’s efforts to en- “We had to do something,” Mr. and arbitrary,” Ms. Lee said in an the local oHCHR office re- hance the smooth, constructive Siphan said. “they were unprofes- email to the Cambodia Daily. ferred questions to representa- and effective cooperation based on sional enough.” the directive, sent out to air- tives in Geneva, who said only that mutual respect, the oHCHR has the office had overstepped its ports and international border discussions over the MoU were furthermore been stepping up its in- bounds by trying to tell the govern- crossings, said officers should re- ongoing. terference in internal affairs of Cam- ment what to do, he said. “they’re main vigilant and “take legal action “the presence of oHCHR in bodia,” he said, referring to the Roy- not policemen—not rulers here.” to stop this individual from coming any country depends on the agree- al Government of Cambodia. the government has taken par- into Cambodia, taking other action ment of the host country and we the oHCHR has released a se- ticular offense to comments made if necessary for serious and highly are looking forward to continuing ries of criticisms over the prosecu- earlier this month by the oHCHR’s effective implementation.” to discuss with the government tion and jailing of opposition politi- country representative, Wan-Hea Following Ms. Lee’s remarks, the continuing presence of cians and activists—actions it says Lee, who said an Interior Ministry Mr. Sokhonn, the foreign affairs oHCHR in the country,” said Rav- appear to contravene the indepen- directive to bar exiled opposition minister, first wrote to U.N. resident ina Shamdasani, a spokeswoman dence of the judiciary. the office leader Sam Rainsy from entering country coordinator Claire Van der for the high commissioner. Mr. Rainsy did not respond to a row following the death today of our Nhiek tioulong, a well-respected Rainsy... request for comment. mother and mother-in-law, Ms. politician, diplomat and military gen- CPP spokesman Sok Eysan Nhiek tioulong Measket Sam- eral under Prince Norodom Siha - continued FroM pAGe 1 said he was unaware of the letter photre, at the age of 96, at our home nouk’s government, until he died in “Because his mother-in-law but reiterated that the CNRP pres- in Phnom Penh,” Mr. Rainsy wrote. 1996. the family left Cambodia be- passed away he wants to partici- ident would not be allowed back Mr.