Sam Rainsy

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0:00:09 > 0:00:11Welcome to HARDtalk - I'm Sarah Montague.

0:00:11 > 0:00:13The UN, US, and Europe, all say they are worried

0:00:13 > 0:00:15about what's going on in Cambodia.

0:00:15 > 0:00:21More than a dozen opposition figures are in prison.

0:00:21 > 0:00:24The party's vice president hasn't left their headquarters in four

0:00:24 > 0:00:25months for fear of being arrested.

0:00:25 > 0:00:28And the opposition leader Sam Rainsy - my guest today -

0:00:28 > 0:00:32fled the country to avoid jail.

0:00:32 > 0:00:34They want to replace Prime Minister Hun Sen,

0:00:34 > 0:00:37who has been in power for more than 30 years,

0:00:37 > 0:00:39and whom they claim has rigged past elections.

0:00:39 > 0:00:40They have threatened mass demonstrations

0:00:40 > 0:00:43if the intimidation continues.

0:00:43 > 0:00:46But can their leader make a difference to life in Cambodia

0:00:46 > 0:00:50when he's in self-imposed exile in Europe?

0:00:50 > 0:01:00Sam Rainsy, welcome to HARDtalk.

0:01:20 > 0:01:22Sam Rainsy, welcome to HARDtalk.

0:01:22 > 0:01:23Thank you.

0:01:23 > 0:01:26Do you want to see mass demonstrations across Cambodia?

0:01:26 > 0:01:31No, it would be the last resort.

0:01:31 > 0:01:36We would prefer to engage in negotiation with the government

0:01:36 > 0:01:42in order to reach a peaceful resolution to the current crisis.

0:01:42 > 0:01:47And when do you decide that you've reached the last resort?

0:01:47 > 0:01:53When our parliamentarians are kept in jail, more are arrested,

0:01:53 > 0:02:00more intimidation, more threats, and possibly more killings.

0:02:00 > 0:02:02So we're not there yet, but you are not...

0:02:02 > 0:02:08You are at the moment boycotting the National Assembly.

0:02:08 > 0:02:20There has been some suggestion that you will go back.

0:02:20 > 0:02:21Is the boycott over?

0:02:21 > 0:02:24No, as long as our parliamentary immunity is not respected.

0:02:24 > 0:02:26I'm talking about National Assembly members from the opposition.

0:02:26 > 0:02:31As long as even our physical security is not guaranteed,

0:02:31 > 0:02:40it will be very difficult for us to resume our normal work.

0:02:40 > 0:02:45So the boycott of the National Assembly continues, regardless

0:02:45 > 0:02:48of what some people have said.

0:02:48 > 0:02:53Not least some of your own, senior members of your party.

0:02:53 > 0:02:57Son Chhay said that the CNPR would return to the Assembly to promote

0:02:57 > 0:03:02dialogue with the government.

0:03:02 > 0:03:05We keep some kind of dialogue, even though it is rather

0:03:05 > 0:03:11fruitless dialogue.

0:03:11 > 0:03:14But we continue to meet at the level of technical committees,

0:03:14 > 0:03:20but not at the plenary sessions.

0:03:20 > 0:03:21So the boycott continues.

0:03:21 > 0:03:25Nobody in your party is arguing that you should go back into the National

0:03:25 > 0:03:25Assembly?

0:03:25 > 0:03:30Yes, when it comes to plenary national sessions of

0:03:30 > 0:03:33the National Assembly, we are not going to take part

0:03:33 > 0:03:39as long as there is no comprehensive solution to the crisis.

0:03:39 > 0:03:43But you will know that Hun Sen, the Prime Minister, has said

0:03:43 > 0:03:46of the demonstrations, "You can never threaten us

0:03:46 > 0:03:47with the demonstrations.

0:03:47 > 0:03:50If I ever enter into such negotiations, I would be

0:03:50 > 0:03:52nothing short of a dog."

0:03:52 > 0:03:55He makes the point that the only venue for talks is

0:03:55 > 0:03:57the National Assembly, but since you have walked away,

0:03:57 > 0:03:59there is nowhere else to meet.

0:03:59 > 0:04:02Yes, but in the past when we were at the National Assembly,

0:04:02 > 0:04:19he did not do anything to help us to fulfil our duty as elected

0:04:19 > 0:04:20members of the National Assembly.

0:04:20 > 0:04:25On the contrary, he let his henchmen attack us, beat us, some have

0:04:25 > 0:04:28been sent to hospital.

0:04:28 > 0:04:35He also created charges, politically motivated charges,

0:04:35 > 0:04:38to arrest a National Assembly member, a senator, and threatening

0:04:38 > 0:04:43many others with arrest.

0:04:43 > 0:04:46So you are not going to take part in the National Assembly,

0:04:46 > 0:04:48you are not calling for mass demonstration.

0:04:48 > 0:04:52What changes?

0:04:52 > 0:04:55We look forward to the next elections.

0:04:55 > 0:04:58Regional, local election next year, and national election

0:04:58 > 0:05:05the following year.

0:05:05 > 0:05:11This is the only chance for Cambodia to achieve a democratic transition.

0:05:11 > 0:05:17So we call for all friends of Cambodia to support

0:05:17 > 0:05:19the democratic process, meaning the holding of free and fair

0:05:19 > 0:05:33elections in one to two years.

0:05:33 > 0:05:36You, though, went to Tunisia a couple of years ago

0:05:36 > 0:05:38to study their revolution, and you described it

0:05:38 > 0:05:41as an inspiration for the whole world, especially countries under

0:05:41 > 0:05:43dictatorships such as Cambodia, awaiting a "Lotus Revolution"

0:05:43 > 0:05:44with the same historical result.

0:05:44 > 0:05:46Have you changed your mind about that?

0:05:46 > 0:05:49No, I still believe in a peaceful solution to the crisis,

0:05:49 > 0:05:55and I still believe that in the end the will of the people will prevail.

0:05:55 > 0:05:59Because in Tunisia, in Cambodia, in many parts of the world,

0:05:59 > 0:06:02we have the same ingredients for a peaceful change.

0:06:02 > 0:06:07Because the population is very young...

0:06:07 > 0:06:10But what happened in Tunisia was a revolution, not waiting

0:06:10 > 0:06:16for elections for a change of power.

0:06:16 > 0:06:26Because there were no elections in Tunisia at that time,

0:06:26 > 0:06:29but in Cambodia we have the chance to take part in elections

0:06:29 > 0:06:34in the very near future.

0:06:34 > 0:06:37So this is a real and rare opportunity.

0:06:37 > 0:06:40So you're confident, are you, that as a result of the reforms

0:06:40 > 0:06:43that the Prime Minister has undertaken of the electoral rules,

0:06:43 > 0:06:45the elections next year and the year after will be fair?

0:06:45 > 0:06:48It will be better than the previous elections.

0:06:48 > 0:06:50In 2013, in spite of massive irregularities, the opposition came

0:06:50 > 0:06:54neck and neck with the ruling party.

0:06:54 > 0:07:01But this time, with the formation of a new electoral commission,

0:07:01 > 0:07:07more balanced in its composition and more credible, we believe

0:07:07 > 0:07:10that the election will be better, it will be more credible,

0:07:10 > 0:07:22and therefore it will lead to credible results.

0:07:22 > 0:07:23It's strange though, because here you are,

0:07:23 > 0:07:26the Leader of the Opposition, and there are more

0:07:26 > 0:07:29than a dozen opposition figures who are in prison.

0:07:29 > 0:07:31We have the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights expressing concern

0:07:31 > 0:07:34about the escalating atmosphere of intimidation of opposition

0:07:34 > 0:07:36politicians, supporters, civil society and peaceful demonstrators.

0:07:36 > 0:07:39The US House Foreign Affairs Committee has approved a resolution

0:07:39 > 0:07:42calling for Hun Sen, the Prime Minister, to end

0:07:42 > 0:07:45harassment and intimidation.

0:07:45 > 0:07:49The European Parliament has adopted a resolution deploring the worsening

0:07:49 > 0:07:52climate for opposition politicians.

0:07:52 > 0:07:57And you are saying here, "Look, it's going to be OK."

0:07:57 > 0:08:00Yes, I am confident, as much as Hun Sen is panicking.

0:08:00 > 0:08:02The prospects of free and fair elections, better elections,

0:08:02 > 0:08:06next year and the following year, make Hun Sen very afraid.

0:08:06 > 0:08:08It is why he is trying to derail the election process.

0:08:08 > 0:08:20He has adopted a strategy of violence, of provocation,

0:08:20 > 0:08:23in order for him to suspend or postpone the election.

0:08:23 > 0:08:25On the contrary, the democratic opposition wants that

0:08:25 > 0:08:39election to take place.

0:08:39 > 0:08:42Yet here you are, the two of you, and you have been leader

0:08:42 > 0:08:45of various opposition parties for so long, for decades.

0:08:45 > 0:08:51He has been in power for decades.

0:08:51 > 0:08:54And many people look on and just say, nothing is changing.

0:08:54 > 0:09:00There is a political blogger, Ou Ritthy, who said, who told us,

0:09:00 > 0:09:04that, "For the last 20 years Hun Sen has been the cat, and Sam Rainsy

0:09:04 > 0:09:05has been the mouse.

0:09:05 > 0:09:06It's an old game.

0:09:06 > 0:09:09It's time to become more strategic and break the cycle."

0:09:09 > 0:09:11I think the world has changed.

0:09:11 > 0:09:15The Cambodian people has changed.

0:09:15 > 0:09:18The will of the people has changed.

0:09:18 > 0:09:24The Hun Sen regime that has been in power for more than 30 years has

0:09:24 > 0:09:30become more and more anachronistic.

0:09:30 > 0:09:35Hun Sen is the longest serving Prime Minister in the world,

0:09:35 > 0:09:42and his party has been in power for 37 years.

0:09:42 > 0:09:45All the young people, the young generation,

0:09:45 > 0:09:48since they were born, less than 37 years ago,

0:09:48 > 0:09:52they have seen nothing else but Hun Sen and his ruling party -

0:09:52 > 0:09:56a former Communist party.

0:09:56 > 0:10:00And many of the rulers are former Khmer Rouge.

0:10:00 > 0:10:13So the young people want something different.

0:10:13 > 0:10:15They compare Cambodia with neighbouring countries

0:10:15 > 0:10:18and they realise how backward Cambodia is, because we have

0:10:18 > 0:10:25a leadership that is not suitable.

0:10:25 > 0:10:27But they haven't shown that they want you.

0:10:27 > 0:10:31They could look at you and say that you are of the same generation.

0:10:31 > 0:10:37And they haven't chosen you.

0:10:37 > 0:10:40Here you are, sitting in exile, choosing to sit on the other side

0:10:41 > 0:10:41of the world.

0:10:41 > 0:10:45It is not a matter of person, it is a matter of system,

0:10:45 > 0:10:48of regime, of the society people want to live in.

0:10:48 > 0:10:51People want to live in a different society - more just, more free.

0:10:51 > 0:10:55So I may be just the symbol of the aspiration for a period of time.

0:10:55 > 0:10:57But they haven't voted for you.

0:10:57 > 0:11:00They voted for this same man, Hun Sen, who has overseen

0:11:00 > 0:11:01a politically stable country, rising incomes.

0:11:01 > 0:11:05It depends on how you look at the result.

0:11:05 > 0:11:09When I started the first opposition party in Cambodia, I was alone.

0:11:09 > 0:11:12Now I am the leader of a united democratic opposition.

0:11:12 > 0:11:17For the first time ever in Cambodia, we have a united democratic

0:11:17 > 0:11:21opposition, and we have nearly half of all the seats

0:11:21 > 0:11:28at the National Assembly.

0:11:28 > 0:11:32From zero, from scratch, we have reached half

0:11:32 > 0:11:37of the National Assembly, in spite of the massive

0:11:37 > 0:11:38irregularities.

0:11:38 > 0:11:41If the elections were a little bit better, definitely, we would want

0:11:41 > 0:11:45an overwhelming majority.

0:11:45 > 0:11:47You will know that the international observers

0:11:47 > 0:11:50from the International Conference of Asian Political Parties

0:11:50 > 0:11:52and the Centrist Asia Pacific Democrats International,

0:11:52 > 0:11:55who came to watch the elections, the former speaker of

0:11:55 > 0:11:59the Philippines who was overseeing it, said the election was, "Free,

0:11:59 > 0:12:01fair and transparent, and above all peaceful,

0:12:01 > 0:12:02non-violent and smooth."

0:12:02 > 0:12:06There are many opinions.

0:12:06 > 0:12:11I think the predominant opinion of independent observers

0:12:11 > 0:12:13was that those elections were not representative

0:12:13 > 0:12:17of the Cambodian people.

0:12:17 > 0:12:20But here you are, you are on the other side of the world,

0:12:20 > 0:12:22and you are saying we are going to win.

0:12:23 > 0:12:24And yet you are sitting here.

0:12:24 > 0:12:26Are you going to go back?

0:12:26 > 0:12:27This is not my first exile.

0:12:27 > 0:12:29It is your fourth.

0:12:29 > 0:12:32It is my fourth exile from one year to four years.

0:12:32 > 0:12:35In spite of my being away from the country, the opposition

0:12:35 > 0:12:38continues to gain ground, as I just told you, from one seat,

0:12:38 > 0:12:45we have 55 seats now.

0:12:45 > 0:12:46Are you going to go back?

0:12:46 > 0:12:48Are you going to stay here?

0:12:48 > 0:12:51I have a lot of colleagues who work on the spot,

0:12:51 > 0:12:53even though my vice president is holed up

0:12:53 > 0:13:00in the party headquarters, but we have countless colleagues.

0:13:00 > 0:13:04Indeed, but there are many people who look and speak favourably of him

0:13:04 > 0:13:07and wonder why you are here.

0:13:07 > 0:13:09Are you expecting a royal pardon?

0:13:09 > 0:13:10You've had one before.

0:13:10 > 0:13:13Are you expecting to get another one before the elections?

0:13:13 > 0:13:17This is not a matter of justice, of pardon.

0:13:17 > 0:13:21It's a matter of political will.

0:13:21 > 0:13:26When Hun Sen feels the pressure of the international community -

0:13:26 > 0:13:30because Cambodia depends on international assistance -

0:13:30 > 0:13:35then he will accept, and he will push

0:13:35 > 0:13:37the king to pardon me.

0:13:37 > 0:13:39But without a political will, there will be no

0:13:39 > 0:13:45pardon from the king.

0:13:51 > 0:13:53But are you expecting that to happen?

0:13:53 > 0:13:55I expect a political resolution, thanks to the pressure

0:13:55 > 0:13:57from the international community.

0:13:57 > 0:13:59OK, we will come back to what the international

0:13:59 > 0:14:01community can do in a minute.

0:14:01 > 0:14:03But will you go back without a royal pardon?

0:14:03 > 0:14:04I consider.

0:14:04 > 0:14:07Last time I went back a few weeks before the election,

0:14:07 > 0:14:08even without a pardon.

0:14:08 > 0:14:10So you will go back again without a royal pardon?

0:14:10 > 0:14:11I am considering.

0:14:11 > 0:14:15When you left the last time, when you chose to go into exile,

0:14:15 > 0:14:17the CPP spokesman, the governing party spokesman, Sok Eysan, said,

0:14:18 > 0:14:19"In simple terms, he's a coward."

0:14:19 > 0:14:22How do you respond to that?

0:14:22 > 0:14:25I think when you have to fight a dictatorship, you have first

0:14:25 > 0:14:26to consider several options.

0:14:26 > 0:14:28What is important, is the end result.

0:14:28 > 0:14:31All the options that I have chosen have led to an increase

0:14:31 > 0:14:45in the popular support for the opposition.

0:14:45 > 0:14:54So you're doing more good here than there?

0:14:54 > 0:14:57For the time being, but many people say that there is not

0:14:57 > 0:15:00only one Sam Rainsy, there are a million of Sam Rainsys

0:15:00 > 0:15:01all over Cambodia.

0:15:01 > 0:15:07This is the most important consideration.

0:15:07 > 0:15:10But in your own autobiography you wrote that any country

0:15:10 > 0:15:13would suffer from the forced absence of the leader of the

0:15:13 > 0:15:13opposition party.

0:15:13 > 0:15:16I am now in France, but we all remember that

0:15:16 > 0:15:18when France were occupied, there were freedom fighters

0:15:18 > 0:15:20who could not stay in France.

0:15:20 > 0:15:23General de Gaulle came to London for a few years to organise

0:15:23 > 0:15:25and to lead the resistance.

0:15:25 > 0:15:33Our former king, Norodom Sihanouk, went into exile.

0:15:33 > 0:15:35And thanks to his work abroad, he succeeded in pushing

0:15:35 > 0:15:38the international community to convene the international peace

0:15:38 > 0:15:40conference on Cambodia, leading to the Paris

0:15:40 > 0:15:41Peace Accords on Cambodia in 1991.

0:15:41 > 0:15:52OK...

0:15:52 > 0:15:54And this was the solution to the Cambodian crisis.

0:15:54 > 0:15:56But realistically, what difference are you making here?

0:15:56 > 0:15:59Because, as you say, it's different from your comparison

0:15:59 > 0:16:02with the Second World War and France, because you do

0:16:02 > 0:16:04have your colleagues, like your vice president Kem Sokha,

0:16:04 > 0:16:06who are back home in Cambodia.

0:16:06 > 0:16:08You are here, what difference are you making here with

0:16:08 > 0:16:14the international community?

0:16:14 > 0:16:15I must not be paralysed.

0:16:15 > 0:16:18If I am arrested, if I am prevented from doing anything,

0:16:18 > 0:16:20from saying anything, what can be useful?

0:16:20 > 0:16:23With modern technologies I can be in touch with all my colleagues,

0:16:23 > 0:16:25all over the country, any time.

0:16:25 > 0:16:39So I can organise the work of the opposition while

0:16:39 > 0:16:39remaining untouchable.

0:16:39 > 0:16:41Because the current regime uses the judiciary just

0:16:42 > 0:16:43to eliminate the opposition.

0:16:43 > 0:16:45So why should we play that game?

0:16:45 > 0:16:47The real game is the international community and international

0:16:47 > 0:17:01law, international treaty.

0:17:01 > 0:17:03Sebastian Strangio, who is the author of the book

0:17:03 > 0:17:06Hun Sen's Cambodia, describes it as, "Increasingly a losing strategy."

0:17:06 > 0:17:08He says that because, "Despite frequent expressions

0:17:08 > 0:17:11of concern by foreign governments, there are few signs they will

0:17:11 > 0:17:13actively intervene in Cambodian affairs unless things get

0:17:13 > 0:17:23a great deal worse."

0:17:23 > 0:17:25I think Cambodia has reached a critical point,

0:17:25 > 0:17:28because over the last few years the situation has

0:17:28 > 0:17:43never been so tense.

0:17:43 > 0:17:46And this is the first time that we can see the international

0:17:46 > 0:17:48community speaking with one voice.

0:17:48 > 0:17:50Recently, 39 countries have condemned the Hun Sen

0:17:50 > 0:17:52regime, and have called for the democratisation process

0:17:52 > 0:17:54to be put back on track.

0:17:54 > 0:17:56But realistically, what are they going to do?

0:17:56 > 0:17:59They don't do anything about other countries in the region who have far

0:17:59 > 0:18:00worse human rights records.

0:18:00 > 0:18:03So what are they actually going to do about Cambodia apart

0:18:03 > 0:18:10from saying, you know, "Could be better?"

0:18:10 > 0:18:13I think that when they start to speak with one voice,

0:18:13 > 0:18:15they can do a lot more than before.

0:18:15 > 0:18:17Because Cambodia depends heavily on the international community,

0:18:17 > 0:18:32international assistance, international loans,

0:18:32 > 0:18:32international markets.

0:18:32 > 0:18:34So Cambodia cannot ignore the will of...

0:18:34 > 0:18:38But so long as they carry on trading, and there are a huge

0:18:38 > 0:18:39amount of trade done between international...

0:18:39 > 0:18:42Between foreign countries and Cambodia - and you have called

0:18:42 > 0:18:45for a boycott of clothes, or a restriction on the amount

0:18:45 > 0:18:48of clothes that are bought from Cambodia, but that would only

0:18:48 > 0:18:49hurt the workers, wouldn't it?

0:18:49 > 0:18:55No, it is the trade unions who have asked the same thing,

0:18:55 > 0:18:58to put pressure on the buyer to improve the working

0:18:58 > 0:18:59conditions of the worker.

0:18:59 > 0:19:02So I call on the international community also to put pressure

0:19:02 > 0:19:05on the Cambodian government in all fields, in social fields,

0:19:05 > 0:19:07in economic fields, to improve the living conditions and the human

0:19:07 > 0:19:16rights of the Cambodian people.

0:19:16 > 0:19:19But that's not going to make any difference to the government.

0:19:19 > 0:19:21You will see, because pressure is building up.

0:19:21 > 0:19:24Especially pressure for the holding of free and fair elections that

0:19:24 > 0:19:26Hun Sen wants to avoid.

0:19:26 > 0:19:33But the international community looks at Cambodia and sees

0:19:33 > 0:19:36a politically stable country, that is one of the fastest-growing

0:19:36 > 0:19:39economies in Asia with 7% last year, which is typical

0:19:39 > 0:19:40of the last few years.

0:19:40 > 0:19:43Hundreds of thousands have been lifted out of poverty.

0:19:43 > 0:19:53Why would they intervene?

0:19:53 > 0:19:56I think this is an out of date conception of stability.

0:19:56 > 0:19:58Before, you can have stability and a dictatorship.

0:19:58 > 0:20:02But now I think the new definition of stability is a stability based

0:20:02 > 0:20:04on democracy and the respect of human rights.

0:20:04 > 0:20:06And secondly, the Cambodian population is mature enough now,

0:20:06 > 0:20:07they are determined.

0:20:07 > 0:20:10So what the opposition is calling for, is just to allow them

0:20:10 > 0:20:32to express their will freely and to have their will respected.

0:20:32 > 0:20:34You say it's outdated, but the World Bank has said that

0:20:34 > 0:20:37Cambodia has exceeded the millennium development goal targets,

0:20:37 > 0:20:39one of the best performers in poverty reduction worldwide.

0:20:39 > 0:20:41This is a very superficial look at the situation.

0:20:41 > 0:20:45When you talk about the economy and growth, you should consider,

0:20:45 > 0:20:47how is it sustainable, and how is it equitable?

0:20:47 > 0:20:49The Cambodian growth is neither sustainable nor equitable.

0:20:49 > 0:21:06OK, but you must recognise that there were various things

0:21:06 > 0:21:09that you put forward - a 7-point plan at the last election

0:21:09 > 0:21:12- and this government has taken on many of those reforms

0:21:12 > 0:21:12and implemented them.

0:21:12 > 0:21:15You should look at the reports by Human Rights Watch,

0:21:15 > 0:21:17by Amnesty International, see how human rights are violated.

0:21:17 > 0:21:21How a small group of people get richer and richer while the vast

0:21:21 > 0:21:31majority of the Cambodian people remain destitute.

0:21:31 > 0:21:35OK, so we get to the next election, you say that it will be fair enough

0:21:35 > 0:21:38for Hun Sen to be kicked out and for the opposition

0:21:38 > 0:21:49to be elected.

0:21:49 > 0:21:53I think many things have to be put right in Cambodia.

0:21:53 > 0:21:56You should look at the report of Global Witness, based in London,

0:21:56 > 0:21:58and they have decried the massive deforestation...

0:21:58 > 0:22:00OK, but I'm asking you a different question.

0:22:00 > 0:22:02Yes.

0:22:02 > 0:22:05You are confident that the elections will come, that they will be fair,

0:22:05 > 0:22:07and that you will be elected?

0:22:07 > 0:22:13They will be better, because we have a better electoral

0:22:13 > 0:22:13commission.

0:22:13 > 0:22:16And the outcome will be that Hun Sen is thrown out

0:22:16 > 0:22:18and you will be elected?

0:22:18 > 0:22:21The outcome will be that there will be a democratic change.

0:22:21 > 0:22:22And your party will be elected?

0:22:22 > 0:22:24Possibly, but this is not the most important.

0:22:24 > 0:22:27The most important is to ensure a democratic change for Cambodia.

0:22:27 > 0:22:31And Hun Sen has warned of civil war if the opposition wins

0:22:31 > 0:22:31the next election.

0:22:31 > 0:22:34All dictators warn of civil war, of catastrophe,

0:22:34 > 0:22:45if they are not kept in power.

0:22:45 > 0:22:48The political analyst Ou Virak, though, says -

0:22:48 > 0:22:50he is president of Future Forum, which is a policy research

0:22:50 > 0:22:53institute in Cambodia - and he said that, "The pattern

0:22:53 > 0:22:56of politics in Cambodia, the way it works, the violence,

0:22:56 > 0:22:58bogus criminal charges on the one hand, exile protests,

0:22:58 > 0:23:02boycotts on the other side - your side - it's an obstacle

0:23:02 > 0:23:04to devising policy solutions to the worst

0:23:04 > 0:23:04of Cambodia's problems."

0:23:04 > 0:23:07He said, "It's time for a changing of the

0:23:07 > 0:23:08guard on all sides."

0:23:08 > 0:23:09Is he right?

0:23:09 > 0:23:10I think everything has an end.

0:23:10 > 0:23:14Our dictatorships will end, after 37 years of the same ruling

0:23:14 > 0:23:17party, of the same dictatorship, I think the Cambodian people deserve

0:23:17 > 0:23:34a better leadership.

0:23:34 > 0:23:35And it will end peacefully?

0:23:35 > 0:23:36It will end peacefully...

0:23:36 > 0:23:40We will do our best to ensure that it will end peacefully,

0:23:40 > 0:23:43but the international community must help ensure that there is a peaceful

0:23:43 > 0:23:44and democratic election process.

0:23:44 > 0:23:46Sam Rainsy, thank you for coming on HARDtalk.

0:23:46 > 0:24:24Thank you.

0:24:24 > 0:24:24Hello there, good morning.

0:24:24 > 0:24:28An area of low pressure is heading towards the south-west of the UK.

0:24:28 > 0:24:30It will spread its way northwards.

0:24:30 > 0:24:32For many places it will turn increasingly wet and windy

0:24:32 > 0:24:33through the day today.

0:24:33 > 0:24:35But maybe not for all.

0:24:35 > 0:24:38As you can see on the satellite sequence, a fairly extensive area

0:24:38 > 0:24:40of cloud fast approaching the south-west, bringing