A former commune chief of the outlawed opposition has condemned “treasonous acts” by an exiled CNRP leader in an on-camera “confession” that opposition politicians say was coerced, two days after the ex-chief was charged for plotting against the government.
In the video produced by a government press unit, Seng Sokhorn, the former chief of Phnom Penh’s Phsar Depot II commune, says she had joined the banned opposition CNRP because she saw leader Sam Rainsy’s “good deeds” and policies that would benefit people’s livelihoods.
But later, Sokhorn says she “decided to confess in front of the authorities” because Rainsy’s actions — including “inspiring people to stand up, persuading soldiers to face off with the government and insulting the king” — were “treasonous” and “wrong.”
Sokhorn was charged with “plotting” alongside four others on Monday, two of whom were arrested by police while at home in Phnom Penh, according to the CNRP.