Cambodian Opposition Party Ends Boycott of Parliament

Cambodia's main opposition party ended a months-long boycott of the country's National Assembly on Tuesday so it could attend a meeting about the 2017 national budget, local media reported.

    The Cambodian National Rescue Party (CNRP) began its boycott in May over what it said was increased harassment from the government, which included the prosecution of leaders Sam Rainsy and Kem Sokha on charges that it regarded as politically motivated, according to the (dpa).

    Son Chhay, chief whip of the CNRP, told dpa he was at the National Assembly but declined to comment further. Rainsy is in self-imposed exile in France while Sokha has spent months hiding in his party's Phnom Penh headquarters. 

    Political tension in Cambodia is increasing as the country prepares to hold elections for provincial leaders in 2017 and for the national leadership in 2018.

    Prime Minister Hun Sen's Cambodian People's Party has been in power since 1997, although he has headed Cambodia under various titles for over thirty years.

Source: QNA