No Return Without Royal Pardon: Ranariddh
Prince Norodom Ranariddh said Thursday he would not return from exile without a royal pardon from the king, despite an invitation from 
Exiled Prince Norodom Ranariddh said Thursday he will notreturn to Cambodiawithout a royal pardon from King Norodom Sihamoni, despite a public invitationfor him to return by Prime Minister Hun Sen earlier this week. "I'm sincerely grateful to Samdech PM for his speechand for allowing me to return to Cambodia,"the prince said in a text message sent to VOA Khmer from Kuala Lumpur. "I'll be back only AFTERthe royal pardon [is] granted to me by HM the King." Prince Ranariddh faces an 18-month prison sentence and afine of $150,000 on a breach of trust conviction that was upheld by the SupremeCourt in July. The suit was brought by Funcinpec Secretary-General NhiekBunchhay following the sale of the party's headquarters when Prince Ranariddhwas the president. The Norodom Ranariddh Party has requested a royal pardonfrom the king, but royal cabinet officials have said the king has sought agreementfrom Hun Sen. Hen Sen said Wednesday the prince was free to return, but aspokesman said no request for the suspension of his guilty verdict had beenmade. Norodom Ranariddh Party spokesman Suth Dina said Thursdaythe party was preparing another request to the prime minister to accept a royalpardon, but they were waiting to send the letter until after the new governmentswears in later this month. The reluctance of the prince to return without a pardonfollows correspondence with Hun Sen on Thursday. The invitation to return was a show of"reconciliation," the prince wrote to Hun Sen on Thursday, but he didnot say whether he would accept it. Lao Monghay, a researcher at the Asian Human RightsCommission, said the invitation of Hun Sen to suspend the prince's guiltysentence was an extrajudicial, political step outside the mandate of theexecutive branch of the government. Without a royal pardon, the prince must serve at leasttwo-thirds of his sentence before it can be suspended by law, Lao Monghay said.