Cambodia’s disbanded opposition has asked Indonesia to convene the parties of a 1991 peace agreement to restore democracy in the country, just as Phnom Penh’s envoy in Jakarta sought to discredit the publicity move and threatened incarceration.

Speaking at a press conference in Jakarta, vice president of the outlawed Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) Mu Sochua said she was looking to set up a meeting with Indonesian officials to look at the implementation of the Paris Peace Agreements, co-initiated by Indonesia and France to bring an end to the Cambodia-Vietnam conflict and set the country on the path to democracy.

“I am here in Indonesia for a very clear purpose, to again express our deepest gratitude to Indonesia — to the people of Indonesia — for their vision that your former foreign minister Ali Alatas had in putting together with France [...] the peace conference for Cambodia, which then led to the Paris Peace Accord of 1991,” she said in response to a question from The Jakarta Post.

“I have written a letter to the Foreign Minister of Indonesia to ask for a meeting and to express our wish for Indonesia to convene the signatories of the Paris Peace Accord to look at [its] implementation.”

Wednesday’s event came to a head when Cambodian Ambassador to Indonesia Hor Nambora barged in unannounced with security personnel in tow, insisting the press conference was illegal and that Sochua had violated her tourist visa, which prevents her from speaking to the media.

“[The organizer has] invited a criminal to speak in Jakarta. Between Cambodia and Indonesia, we have close cooperation on transnational crime; there are rules of law to follow,” he said.

“As a criminal and fugitive, I will not allow her to speak and damage my government’s policy.”

But Sochua hit back, saying that she would proceed with the briefing unless the ambassador could provide evidence that a violation of Indonesian regulations had occurred.

“We have kept this process of returning to Cambodia for democracy very open and transparent; we have nothing to hide,” she said, prompting the diplomat to sit down among the audience. “We are risking our lives, we will go to Cambodia with bare hands.”

When he was eventually given an opportunity to speak, the ambassador proceeded to talk down the opposition party and insisted that Indonesia should respect the government’s wishes.

“Yes, Indonesia is the most democratic country among ASEAN countries and I do appreciate that and we’ll learn from Indonesia. But [it] also must stand by the rule of law, especially to respect Cambodian law,” he said.

In a statement circulated after the press conference, the Cambodian Embassy underlined that its government had requested all ASEAN member states to arrest and deport Sochua “if she arrives in their countries”.

“It is unfortunate that Indonesia, a fellow member state of ASEAN, allowed Ms. Mu Sochua to enter in Indonesia despite [sic] of her arrest warrant and conduct anti Cambodian Government activities in Jakarta,” the statement reads.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Teuku Faizasyah refused to comment but indicated that Sochua might have breached her visa status.

Asked to weigh in on the incident, the French Embassy in Jakarta also refused to comment.

Amnesty International Indonesia research manager Papang Hidayat said Indonesia should not accept Cambodia’s request to deport Sochua based on the non-refoulement principle, an international law principle that forbids countries from repatriating people who are likely to be in danger of persecution.

“It is time for Indonesia, which has injected human rights and democratic values into its constitution and regulations, to actively apply these values to its foreign policy,” he said.

The commotion comes as the CNRP mounts its latest challenge to the government in Phnom Penh, which has cracked down on the opposition in anticipation of a return by the party’s exiled leader Sam Rainsy just in time for Independence Day celebrations Saturday.

A total of 60 opposition activists have been arrested this year, accused of plotting to overthrow the government before Rainsy’s homecoming.

“We have called on the international community to come with us to report and to witness our return home [...] to avoid arrest and detention, which is why we have [been] talking to signatories of the Paris Peace Accord; to acknowledge the vision and principles and obligations of the signatories,” Sochua said.

During an interview with the Post last year, Rainsy said Indonesia bore a responsibility to keep Cambodia’s democracy from backsliding, legally conferred under the 1991 agreement that stipulates how the country must “follow a system of liberal democracy on the basis of pluralism” with periodic, genuine and fair elections. (tjs)

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