LAWSUITS KEEP RANARIDDH OUT OF CAMBODIA; OUT OF

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 PHNOM PENH 000310 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP/MLS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV KDEM KJUS CB SUBJECT: LAWSUITS KEEP RANARIDDH OUT OF CAMBODIA; OUT OF POLITICAL SPOTLIGHT ¶1. (SBU) Summary. Legal action against Prince Norodom Ranariddh by his estranged wife on adultery grounds and by FUNCINPEC over the Prince's alleged improper handling of the sale of FUNCINPEC's party headquarters to a development company have acted to keep Ranariddh largely out of Cambodia since early December 2006. The Phnom Penh court issued a warrant for the Prince's arrest on February 16 for not having appeared on two occasions at the court for questioning. NRP officials plan to organize a demonstration to protest the RGC's treatment of their leader. Norodom Ranariddh Party (NRP) officials accuse the government of using Cambodia's weak and politically biased judiciary to undermine the Prince's popularity and the NRP's prospects for success at the polls on April 1. Despite the Prince's legal problems, the NRP managed to produce candidate lists for over 1,400 of Cambodia's 1,621 communes, following large numbers of FUNCINPEC defections to the NRP. Meanwhile, the issue of royal family members' involvement in politics is once again a topic of conversation and debate. End Summary. Ranariddh -- Out of Sight, But Still on the RGC's Mind -------------- -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Since the October 2006 split in FUNCINPEC between the Nhek Bun Chhay faction and the loyalists to former FUNCINPEC leader Prince Norodom Ranariddh, several lawsuits have been lodged against Ranariddh. The first legal action against the ex-FUNCINPEC leader came from estranged wife and recently appointed RGC senior minister in charge of the government's program to fight HIV/AIDS, Princess Marie Ranariddh. Ranariddh's estranged wife brought suit in early December 2006 against her husband through the country's adultery law, passed by the National Assembly earlier in ¶2006. At the time, many observers predicted the legislation would be used to discredit Prince Ranariddh, whose long-time companion (and mother of his three-year-old son),Ouk Phalla, had been publicly castigated by PM Hun Sen, who described Phalla as "an evil fox." Princess Marie's lawsuit, however, has receded from public attention since it was filed on December 7, 2006. Ranariddh's advisors claim that the Princess was pushed into filing the lawsuit by FUNCINPEC and CPP officials in an effort to undermine Prince Ranariddh's new political party. According to these same sources, there has been disagreement within Ranariddh's family over the legal action, and the couple's children are reportedly unhappy over the public nature of their parents' feud. Former King Sihanouk has also weighed in, publicly chiding the Princess for allowing herself to be used for political ends. ¶3. (SBU) Senior NRP officials note that the Prince long ago ceded much of the couple's joint property to Princess Marie, and Ranariddh reportedly has agreed that his estranged wife should retain those assets she requires in order to drop the suit against him. One FUNCINPEC MP who remains loyal to the Prince also told us that the Cambodian public recognizes that passage of the adultery law was politically motivated, and the public has not reacted negatively to the Prince as the government had hoped. Therefore, the RGC has realized pushing the adultery issue will only raise questions about FUNCINPEC and CPP officials known to have mistresses, he explained, and the hypocrisy of focusing only on Ranariddh will backfire for the government. ¶4. (SBU) Two additional lawsuits are potentially more serious for the Prince. The first was lodged by FUNCINPEC on November 8, 2006 and accused the Prince of improprieties surrounding the sale of the FUNCINPEC party headquarters to a private development company headed by businessman Ly Chhoung. FUNCINPEC Secretary General Nhek Bun Chhay brought the suit against Ranariddh, and accused the former FUNCINPEC leader of an "abuse of confidence" and of personally profiting from the USD 3.6 million transaction. According to the complaint, Ranariddh allegedly sold the property to Ly Chhoung in 2005, with USD 1.2 accorded for the purchase of the new FUNCINPEC headquarters site and USD 2.4 retained by Ly Chhoung's company for use in building the new facility. The suit maintains that Ranariddh proceeded with the sale without the knowledge of FUNCINPEC officials, and that Ranariddh put the title of the new headquarters property in his name. NRP officials insist that FUNCINPEC officials were aware of the sale, including Nhek Bun Chhay, who the NRP claims was instrumental in brokering the deal with Ly Chhoung -- a relative of CPP Standing Committee member and National Assembly parliamentarian Cheam Yeap. Ranariddh's advisors maintain the Prince did not make any money from the sale and the Prince's legal team has circulated a rejoinder accusing Nhek Bun Chhay of political motives in bringing the baseless suit against Ranariddh. Meanwhile, the Phnom Penh Municipal PHNOM PENH 00000310 002 OF 003 Court began taking testimony and collecting documents related to the case in January 2007. ¶5. (U) In early January 2007, PM Hun Sen requested the RGC to investigate the details surrounding the May 2000 contract awarded to a Taiwanese construction firm for the renovation of the National Stadium. The government's spokesperson, Minister of Information Khieu Kanharith, claimed to the press that the investigation was at the behest of opposition Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) MP Son Chhay, but the opposition figure suggested that the RGC's desire to add another legal battle to the NRP leader's headaches could be the reason. Son Chhay noted he has raised questions about the stadium deal in the past, but his inquiries had been dismissed. Calling for an investigation that was brokered nearly 7 years ago at this time raises questions regarding the PM's motivation, say Ranariddh supporters, who deny that the Prince had any part in the Stadium deal. Latest Developments -------------- ¶6. (SBU) For his part, Ranariddh has maintained a low profile and spent much of his time over the last several months outside Cambodia. The Prince returned to Cambodia briefly over the New Year to celebrate his 63rd birthday on January 2, but left the country again shortly afterwards and reportedly is in France. NRP officials report that Ranariddh has no immediate plans to return. Meanwhile, FUNCINPEC Secretary General Nhek Bun Chhay has called on Cambodian SIPDIS authorities to arrest the Prince should Ranariddh come back to Cambodia. On February 16, the Municipal Court of Phnom Penh issued a warrant to detain the Prince on his return to Cambodia. The court explained that the warrant was issued following the Prince's non-appearance at two previous hearings over the FUNCINPEC headquarters transaction. Ranariddh's lawyers have cried foul, saying that the Prince is too busy with academic duties in France to return to the country at this time, but will clear his name on his return. ¶7. (SBU) Most recently, NRP officials have told us that they are planning a peaceful protest of NRP members throughout Cambodia to highlight the RGC's unjust tactics towards Ranariddh. They estimate that as many as 10,000 NRP members would participate, although the NRP has not yet requested RGC permission to stage a demonstration nor have they determined a date. What to Do with the Royals -------------- ¶8. (SBU) Coincident with Ranariddh's legal problems has been renewed public discussion and debate over the future role of Cambodian royal family members in politics -- a topic that continues to emerge and recede in the news. Most recently, the PM has publicly discussed the possibility of the royals being excluded from running for political office in exchange for pensions and charitable roles as public figures in support of government activities. Prince Sisowath Thomico claims that the CPP efforts to remove royals from politics are geared towards symbolically eliminating former King Sihanouk's influence in Cambodia's political affairs as well as getting rid of the royals before the 2008 national elections. It would also lower the profile of royal family members in Cambodian life, and the public would disassociate royals from politics, said Thomico. The former personal secretary to former King Sihanouk told us that he should not SIPDIS be prevented from serving his country, and Cambodia needs all its citizens, royal family members included, to run for office if they have something to contribute. ¶9. (SBU) NRP officials have said that Ranariddh would simply renounce his title and continue his political life as a private citizen if the CPP tries to legislate the royal family members out of politics. To date, FUNCINPEC MPs have been silent as to whether they continue to support the party or have shifted their allegiance to Ranariddh in order to retain their positions in the National Assembly. Commune counselors, on the other hand, were forced to declare in advance of the April 1 elections, fearing that they would lose their re-election bid if they ran under the FUNCINPEC banner against a Ranariddh candidate. However, the national elections in 2008 will force the MPs to decide, and the NRP estimates that roughly two-thirds of the FUNCINPEC MPs will likely go with Ranariddh if the NRP does reasonably well in the commune elections. For that reason, they say, FUNCINPEC will probably insist on a show of hands in the near future and replace Ranariddh loyalists with Nhek Bun Chhay favorites. PHNOM PENH 00000310 003 OF 003 Comment -------------- ¶10. (SBU) The PM's tactics of using politically motivated lawsuits to undermine the political opposition and keep its leaders out of the country is a tried and true formula, having worked most recently against Sam Rainsy for much of ¶2005. At that time and as a coalition partner in the government with the CPP, Ranariddh and FUNCINPEC were happy to see their political rival weakened and unable to return to Cambodia. Ironically, with Rainsy back in Hun Sen's good graces and Ranariddh on the outs, the tables have turned. Rainsy, however, has no sympathy for Ranariddh and hopes that his party will benefit from the NRP leader's woes on April 1. While the CPP would also welcome new voters, observers generally agree that the CPP's primary aim in keeping Ranariddh out of the country is to help FUNCINPEC retain as much of its dwindling political support as possible. The PM announced in December 2006 that the CPP would retain FUNCINPEC as a coalition partner following the 2008 elections (assuming a CPP majority),hoping that the promise of continued public sector employment would be an added incentive to FUNCINPEC loyalists to stay with the party following the unexpected wave of defections to the NRP for the commune elections. End Comment. MUSSOMELI