UN chief greets Cambodian PM Hun Sen for July poll victory

Secretary General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon on Thursday congratulated Prime Minister Hun Sen on winning the July parliamentary election, a Cambodian senior official said. Ban made the remarks during a bilateral meeting with the premier on Thursday on the sidelines of the 23rd ASEAN Summit and related summits held in Brunei. \"His Excellency Ban Ki-moon extended his congratulations to Prime Minister Hun Sen for winning the fifth parliamentary election,\" Kao Kim Hourn, minister attached to Prime Minister Hun Sen, said at a news briefing at the Phnom Penh International Airport upon the premier\'s return from Brunei on Thursday night. \"His Excellency Secretary General also welcomed the smooth and peaceful election in Cambodia,\" he said. Sixty-eight lawmakers of the Prime Minister Hun Sen\'s ruling party on Sept. 24 approved Hun Sen\'s new Cabinet even though the opposition party\'s 55 lawmakers boycotted the session since they refused to accept the election results. Opposition leader Sam Rainsy has announced that his party did not recognize the Hun Sen-led government, claiming that the newly- formed government was a violation of the constitution. However, Hun Sen has defended that his government was \" legitimate\" since the nation\'s King Norodom Sihamoni had already given endorsement. Sam Rainsy departed Cambodia on Monday night for a two-week trip to Europe and the United States in order to seek international intervention in the political impasse triggered by disputed election. Opposition\'s lawmaker-elect Ho Vann said the party would continue to boycott the parliament until there was an appropriate solution to the political crisis. \"We want a check and balance role in parliament. Frankly I speak, we want to lead the parliament, or we will continue our boycotts,\" he told Xinhua over telephone on Thursday. He said the opposition party would call a three-day massive protest, starting from October 23, in Phnom Penh in order to submit petitions to the United Nations and 18 signatory countries of the Paris Accord to seek their intervention in the dispute.