Six officials have filed a complaint to the Phnom Penh Municipal Court asking for their Funcinpec membership to be reinstated after they were removed from the party by its leader, Prince Norodom Ranariddh, at the end of last month.

Meach Samroul, Kan Vudthy, Soung Phally, Kim Ravy, Nop Phorn and Seng Haksrun – along with Pheap Pheach, who did not sign the complaint – were dismissed after Haksrun requested that two other senior officials be booted from the party for nepotism. In response, Ranariddh dismissed Haksrun and the six others.

In a letter submitted to the court on February 6 and circulated on local media on Monday, the group complained that their sacking “violated the party statute”.

“[The decision] impacts our interests and dignity, and is very unjust to us,” they wrote.

“As a result we would like the ... Phnom Penh Municipal Court to make a decision to reinstate our party membership and provide justice for us.”

Kan Vudthy, Funcinpec’s former senior chief of administration, said the group had filed a complaint to the court after receiving no reply from Ranariddh to a letter they sent to him on January 30.

“If we made mistakes, the disciplinary committee should call us to educate us... The termination letter is abnormal. They don’t tell us the reasons,” he said, adding he had worked for the party since 1980. “I don’t understand why, whether they are very jealous of us having working there long. I know lot of things there; I am the oldest staff.”

Party spokesman Nheb Bun Chhin could not be reached yesterday.