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Norodom Ranariddh
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===Conflicts within the government=== [[Image:Ranariddh 1990s.jpg|200px|right|thumb|The official portrait of Norodom Ranariddh used while he was the First Prime Minister]] In October 1994, Ranariddh and Hun Sen dropped [[Sam Rainsy]] as Finance Minister during a cabinet reshuffle.<ref name="Peou192">Peou (2000), p. 192</ref> Rainsy had been appointed by Ranariddh in 1993, but both prime ministers became uncomfortable working with Rainsy, because of his pursuit of allegations of government corruption.<ref>Peou (2000), p. 191</ref> Rainsy's dismissal upset Norodom Sirivudh, who resigned as Foreign Minister the following month.<ref>Mehta (2001), p. 107</ref> In March 1995, during an academic forum on corruption in Cambodia, Rainsy publicly questioned Ranariddh's acceptance of a [[Fokker F28 Fellowship|Fokker 28 airplane]] and a US$108 million commission from Ariston Berhad.<ref>{{cite web |author=Matthew Grainger |url=http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/hun-sen-steals-show-corruption-forum |title=Hun Sen steals show at corruption forum |date=10 March 1995 |access-date=7 January 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924120548/http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/hun-sen-steals-show-corruption-forum |archive-date=24 September 2015 |work=Phnom Penh Post |url-status=dead }}</ref> This angered Ranariddh, who expelled him from FUNCINPEC in May 1995.<ref name="Peou192"/> The following month, Ranariddh introduced a [[Motion (parliamentary procedure)|parliamentary motion]] to remove Rainsy as a member of parliament (MP).<ref>Widyono (2008), p. 180</ref> In 1995, Ranariddh made calls for capital punishment by calling for murderers and drug traffickers to be executed by the state.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/why-capital-punishment-bad-idea-cambodia|title = Why capital punishment is a bad idea for Cambodia}}</ref> From January 1996 onwards, Ranariddh's relations with Hun Sen began to show signs of tension. Hun Sen submitted a government circular to reinstate 7 January as a national holiday, the anniversary of Phnom Penh's liberation from the Khmer Rouge by Vietnamese forces. Ranariddh added his signature to the circular, which incurred the ire of Sihanouk and several FUNCINPEC leaders. A few days later, apparently to tone down dissatisfaction from party members,<ref>Widyono (2008), p. 212</ref> Ranariddh publicly accused the [[People's Army of Vietnam|Army of Vietnam]] of encroaching into the territories of four Cambodian provinces bordering it. As Widyono saw it, Ranariddh intended to test Hun Sen's response to his accusations, of which the latter chose to remain quiet.<ref>Widyono (2008), p. 213</ref> During a closed-door FUNCINPEC meeting in the later part of January 1996, party members criticised Hun Sen and the CPP for monopolizing government power, and also chided Ranariddh for being too subservient to Hun Sen.<ref name="Widoyono214"/> In February 1996, Ranariddh expressed concern over repeated delays in the construction of the resort-cum-casino complex at Sihanoukville, for which he had signed an agreement with Ariston in January 1995.<ref name="Jason1996">{{cite web |author1=Jason Barber |author2=Imran Vittachi |name-list-style=amp |url=http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/cdc-caught-red-light-politics |title=CDC caught in "red light" politics |date=3 May 1996 |access-date=6 February 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150702224843/http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/cdc-caught-red-light-politics |archive-date=2 July 2015 |work=Phnom Penh Post |url-status=dead }}</ref> Ariston blamed the lack of a governmental authority in Sihanoukville for the delay. At the end of April 1996, the government formed the Sihanoukville Developmental Authority (SDA) to oversee regulatory affairs and facilitate development.<ref>{{cite web|author=AFP|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1309&dat=19960505&id=b4laAAAAIBAJ&sjid=fxUEAAAAIBAJ&pg=1389,1918606|title=Cambodia sets up new body to ease Ariston's work|page=25|date=5 May 1996|access-date=6 February 2015|work=New Straits Times}}</ref> At a conference in May 1996, Ranariddh charged that CPP-controlled ministries were deliberately delaying the paperwork needed to complete the approval of Ariston's project.<ref name="Jason1996"/> According to [[Tioulong Saumura]], the former deputy governor of Cambodia's Central Bank (and Sam Rainsy's wife), the delays were part of Hun Sen's strategy to undermine projects associated with Ranariddh.<ref name="Jason1996"/> In an apparent act of retaliation,<ref name="Aristonpolite">{{cite web |author=Tricia Fitzgerald |url=http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/ariston-we-can-no-longer-be-polite |title=Ariston: "We can no longer be polite" |date=31 May 1996 |access-date=18 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160605095341/http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/ariston-we-can-no-longer-be-polite |archive-date=5 June 2016 |work=Phnom Penh Post |url-status=dead }}</ref> Ranariddh directed FUNCINPEC's co-minister of the interior, [[You Hockry]] to close down all casinos in the country, citing the absence of authorising legislation.<ref>Widyono (2008), p. 201</ref> Ranariddh also proposed the cancellation of Ariston's contracts due to the delays.<ref name="Aristonpolite"/> Hun Sen responded by meeting with Mahathir, and assured him that agreements which Ranariddh had previously approved would be honoured.<ref>{{cite web |author=Imran Vittachi |url=http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/hun-sen-dines-mahathir |title=Hun Sen dines with Mahathir |date=14 June 1996 |access-date=6 February 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150702221631/http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/hun-sen-dines-mahathir |archive-date=2 July 2015 |work=Phnom Penh Post |url-status=dead }}</ref> At a FUNCINPEC congress in March 1996, Ranariddh expressed unhappiness over his relationship with Hun Sen and the CPP. He likened his position as prime minister, and those of the FUNCINPEC ministers, to "puppets". He also questioned the CPP over their delays in appointing FUNCINPEC local officials as district chiefs. Ranariddh threatened to dissolve the National Assembly before the end of 1996, should FUNCINPEC's concerns remain unresolved.<ref name="Widoyono214"/> Several FUNCINPEC MPs, including Loy Sim Chheang and Ahmad Yahya, called on Ranariddh to reconcile with Sam Rainsy and work with the newly formed [[Sam Rainsy Party|Khmer Nation Party]] (KNP) in the forthcoming general election.<ref>{{cite web |author=Jason Barber |url=http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/ranariddh-warms-rainsy-cpp-keeps-its-cool |title=Ranariddh warms to Rainsy; CPP keeps its cool |date=22 March 1996 |access-date=7 January 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924122709/http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/ranariddh-warms-rainsy-cpp-keeps-its-cool |archive-date=24 September 2015 |work=Phnom Penh Post |url-status=dead }}</ref> On 27 April 1996 Ranariddh, while vacationing in Paris, attended a meeting with Sihanouk, Rainsy, Chakrapong and Sirivudh. A few days later, Sihanouk issued a declaration praising Hun Sen and the CPP, while also stating that FUNCINPEC had no intention of leaving the coalition government. According to Widyono, Sihanouk's statement was an attempt to defuse the tension between Ranariddh and Hun Sen.<ref name="Widoyono222">Widyono (2008), pp. 222β23</ref> Hun Sen rejected the king's conciliatory overtures, and responded by publishing several public letters attacking Sihanouk, Ranariddh and FUNCINPEC.<ref name="Widoyono222"/> At a CPP party meeting on 29 June 1996, Hun Sen chided Ranariddh for not following through on his March threat to leave the coalition government and called him a "real dog".<ref name="HunSenBarber" /> At the same time, Hun Sen urged provincial governors from the CPP not attend Ranariddh's rallies.<ref name="HunSenBarber">{{cite web |author=Jason Barber |url=http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/hun-sen-takes-hard-line-party-summit |title=Hun Sen takes hard line at party summit |date=26 July 1996 |access-date=6 February 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924120609/http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/hun-sen-takes-hard-line-party-summit |archive-date=24 September 2015 |work=Phnom Penh Post |url-status=dead }}</ref>
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