Cambodia accuses US of political interference

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Cambodia hit back on Thursday at US criticism over its decision to expel a US-funded pro-democracy group, accusing Washington of political interference and describing American democracy as "bloody and brutal."

Prime Minister Hun Sen, the strongman who has ruled Cambodia for more than three decades, has taken a strident anti-American line in the increasingly tense run up to a 2018 election.

The US State Department criticized Cambodia's decision to expel the National Democratic Institute (NDI) on Wednesday and a statement from the US embassy in Phnom Penh questioned whether Cambodia was a democracy.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen. /Reuters Photo

In an open letter on Thursday, the Cambodian government asked whether the US was "coming to Cambodia to help or hinder the Khmer people" and blamed it for contributing to the rise of the genocidal Khmer Rouge in the 1970s.

"Cambodians are well aware of what a democratic process means. You do not need to tell us what it is," the letter said, describing US-style democracy as "bloody and brutal".

"We wish to send a clear message again to the US Embassy that we defend our national sovereignty," it added.

Government supporters have threatened to protest at the US Embassy in Phnom Penh, the pro-government "Fresh News" web site reported on Thursday.

"The protests are likely to be in large scale against the US Embassy in Phnom Penh like in the 1960s because of the American interference in Cambodia's sovereignty," it said, citing an anonymous government source.

In a statement on its website on Wednesday the NDI called on Cambodia to reconsider its decision to shut it down. The institute said it worked with all major parties and that its work was "strictly nonpartisan".

NDI President Kenneth Wollack said the NDI has fulfilled all legal obligations for registration.

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Source(s): Reuters