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Members of the Nation Power Party (NPP) tried to deliver a letter to King Norodom Sihamoni on Friday asking for a royal pardon for party adviser Rong Chhun and the restoration of his political rights, party officials said.
About 50 NPP members walked to the Royal Palace in the capital and handed the letter to officers from the Royal Palace Protection Police Unit after being told palace staff would not accept it directly.
Kim Vutha, head of Daun Penh district security guards, told the group and reporters that they should have notified the palace’s cabinet in advance.
“The cabinet will not come out to receive it because you did not inform them in advance,” he said. “You can drop it in the mailbox or hand it to a police officer.”
Phon Sophea, head of the NPP’s youth wing, said the letter was a routine administrative request that required only an official to sign for it.
“We only want to submit a letter on behalf of the party,” he said. “There should not be any obstacle to receiving it.”
NPP member Pich Lina said she hoped the king would intervene on behalf of Rong Chhun, whom she described as unfairly convicted, and lift a ban on his political activities.
The Supreme Court in June upheld Rong Chhun’s 2025 incitement conviction over public remarks about the country’s online scam industry and its border with Vietnam. The court suspended his four-year prison sentence, placed him under judicial supervision and cut his lifetime political ban to five years.
“We want King Norodom Sihamoni to intervene and restore his political rights, and we hope the King will do so,” Lina said.
Royal Palace Minister Kuy Sophal declined to comment, saying he was in a meeting.
Chhun petitioned the Justice Ministry earlier this month for a retrial and restoration of his political rights, and said he has not received a response. He told CamboJA News he plans to send a follow-up letter to the ministry at the end of July.
Justice Ministry spokesperson Pe Phalika could not be reached for comment.
The letter comes as opposition figures and activists in Cambodia continue to face legal restrictions. Earlier this year, Kem Sokha, the former leader of the dissolved Cambodia National Rescue Party, received a partial royal pardon that erased the remainder of his 27-year treason sentence but left a five-year travel ban and a permanent ban on political activity in place.
