PHNOM PENH, Oct. 7 (FN) — Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen said Friday the National Assembly works normally, although the opposition party lawmakers continue boycotting the assembly's plenary session.

"At this time, the National Assembly's session is underway, which is the normal process of the legislative body," he wrote on his official Facebook page Friday morning while attending the session.

"Even if the cock doesn't crow, sun still rises," the prime minister wrote. "(The National Assembly) is not the hostage of any group."

Friday's session was attended by sixty-seven lawmakers from the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP).

Opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) lawmakers have sat out the full National Assembly sessions since May to protest a court case brought against CNRP deputy leader Kem Sokha.

On Sept. 9, the Phnom Penh Municipal Court sentenced, in absentia, Sokha to five months in prison for "refusal to appear" in court over a prostitution case involving his alleged mistress. Sokha filed an appeal against the guilty verdict on Wednesday.

Sokha has been holed up at the CNRP's headquarters on the southern outskirts of Phnom Penh since May 26 in fear of arrest, as dozens of his loyalists have gathered at the party headquarters to protect him.

However, he briefly left the party headquarters for the first time on Wednesday morning to register for upcoming elections at a voter registration centre nearby the party.

Authorities have said they will not arrest Sokha until the appeals process is ended.

CNRP's leader Sam Rainsy has been living in self-imposed exile in France since November last year to avoid a two-year prison sentence over a defamation conviction.

The current National Assembly consists of 123 seats, including 68 from the CPP and 55 from the CNRP.