Senior opposition party leader defects to Cambodia's major ruling party

PHNOM PENH, Oct. 7 (Xinhua) -- Keo Ramy, vice president of Cambodia's second largest opposition party, here Tuesday defected to major ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP).

"I decide to join CPP after I have opposed it for over 20 years," said the 45-year-old former leader of the Human Right Party (HRP). "We have opposed CPP for our whole lives, but we will not win CPP."

"We can see that through the general election on July 27. CPP won 90 of the 123 seats at the National Assembly. More (and more) people support CPP and I follow the decision of people," he added.

During the election, HRP won three seats, but Ramy failed to secure a seat as candidate for the Phnom Penh electoral constituency.

Ramy once served the co-ruling Funcinpec Party and the major opposition Sam Rainsy Party and later joined his friends to establish HRP.