Cambodian Coup Leader Now Favors Mediation

An about-face by strongman Hun Sen on mediation in Cambodia’s troubles raised hopes Wednesday of a breakthrough in the crisis sparked by the ouster of the country’s royalist co-premier.

Last week, Second Prime Minister Hun Sen rejected a proposal for mediation by the Assn. of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN. Hun Sen, who ousted First Prime Minister Prince Norodom Ranariddh in a July 6 coup, said foreigners should stay out of Cambodia’s business.

He had earlier rejected a mediation offer by King Norodom Sihanouk, the prince’s father.

But Cambodian Foreign Minster Ung Huot said Hun Sen was now in favor of mediation by ASEAN. He spoke from the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur, where he attended an ASEAN foreign ministers’ meeting as an observer. “We have . . . decided that we want ASEAN to be a mediator,” Ung Huot told reporters.

The Foreign Ministry in Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s capital, also released a statement saying Hun Sen supports regional mediation efforts.

Cambodia was due to join ASEAN on Wednesday, but the group suspended admission plans indefinitely following the coup against Ranariddh. Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, and Laos joined ASEAN on Wednesday, and Cambodia will join eventually, the group said.

Diplomats in Phnom Penh said they were waiting to hear Hun Sen announce the policy shift.

“It’s a statement to make peace again with ASEAN, but it would be more credible if Hun Sen acknowledged it himself,” one diplomat said. “It’s a step forward for whatever it’s worth,” he said.

Another diplomat said Ung Huot was possibly making a last-ditch push for Cambodia to be allowed into ASEAN.

“It was a move to get ASEAN to reconsider. Hun Sen probably told him to say whatever he had to say,” the diplomat said.