One of Cambodia’s nascent political parties, Mam Sonando’s Beehive Social Democratic Party (BSDP), was thrown into a messy squabble recently amidst talk that one of its senior officials was dismissed.

In an interview with local media published yesterday, Heang Rithy, the vice president of the BSDP, said the party’s other vice president, Harry Sam Ath, had been expelled for gathering members to defect to another minority party.

However, party president Mam Sonando in an interview yesterday completely dismissed Rithy’s allegations, explaining that Rithy and Sam Ath remained in the party even though they were long-time enemies.

“Those two are children,” he said, declining to comment on the source of their dispute. Sonando said he didn’t think their quarrelling would affect his party, but conceded the timing was unfortunate, with the BSDP yet to officially register. “We haven’t started anything and they’re already butting heads.”