By Voha Cheat
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by KI-Media
Commune council members from the Funcinpec and SRP parties in L’beuk commune, Chhouk district, Kampot province, have boycotted the vote to select village chiefs on 05 June.
Mrs. Tri Chhuon, the Adhoc human rights group official from Kampot province, said by telephone on 5 June that the boycott on the vote of the selection of village chief happened after Oum Nan, a Funcinpec commune councilor, was threatened by the CPP to prevent him from voting to support his Funcinpec party’s candidate.
Try Chhuon said: “The victim was threatened that if he were to provide his support to his own party, the CPP will have to deal negatively with him, therefore, the other two parties (Funcinpec and SRP) started the boycott.”
Oum Nan could not be reached on 05 June, however, Mrs. Kem Sokhom, the first deputy councilor also from the Funcinpec party, said that Oum Nan had informed her that there is a policeman who threatened him and told him to vote to support the candidacy of the village chief from the CPP, he should not vote for the Funcinpec party. Right now, Oum Nan is scared and he is no longer talking about it.
Mrs. Kem Sokhom said: “I asked him who was the person who threatened him, but he does not dare say the name. Considering that they came to threaten us like that, we believe that we will lose, why should participate in the election?”
Kem Sokhom said that there are 7 commune councilors in L’beuk commune: 3 from the CPP, 3 from Funcinpec, and 1 from SRP.
Tep Vann, the SRP commune councilor, said that Oum Nan may abandon his political aspiration because of the threat: “They threatened that if Oum Nan will vote to support his own Funcinpec party’s candidate, they will remove his son from his position as a custom agent at the border in Battambang. His son earns upward of 8 million riels (US$2,000) per month. Therefore, Oum Nan’s is willing to forego his monthly salary of 70,000 riels ($17.50) so that his son can remain in his position, and he is willing to quit Funcinpec.”
Ngam Set, the Chhouk district governor, and Neuv Sok, the commune chief of L’beuk, both from the CPP, denied the allegations.
Ngam Set said: “The village chief is of no use … there was no threat.”
Neuv Sok said that the election for village chief on 05 June cannot be conducted because the other 2 parties did not participate: “They boycotted … it’s up to the ministry of Interior to take care of it.”
According to the directive issued by the ministry of interior on 01 March 2006, ordinary citizens cannot vote to select a village chief, only commune councilors has the right to vote. Furthermore, the village chief must receive a majority of votes from the commune councilors.
Koul Panha, Comfrel director, said that in Cambodia, there are about 13,000 villages. He criticized the voting method to select village chief because if caused a lot of frictions with the CPP, and it does not serve the need of the people because they cannot participate in the vote.
Mrs. Tri Chhuon, the Adhoc human rights group official from Kampot province, said by telephone on 5 June that the boycott on the vote of the selection of village chief happened after Oum Nan, a Funcinpec commune councilor, was threatened by the CPP to prevent him from voting to support his Funcinpec party’s candidate.
Try Chhuon said: “The victim was threatened that if he were to provide his support to his own party, the CPP will have to deal negatively with him, therefore, the other two parties (Funcinpec and SRP) started the boycott.”
Oum Nan could not be reached on 05 June, however, Mrs. Kem Sokhom, the first deputy councilor also from the Funcinpec party, said that Oum Nan had informed her that there is a policeman who threatened him and told him to vote to support the candidacy of the village chief from the CPP, he should not vote for the Funcinpec party. Right now, Oum Nan is scared and he is no longer talking about it.
Mrs. Kem Sokhom said: “I asked him who was the person who threatened him, but he does not dare say the name. Considering that they came to threaten us like that, we believe that we will lose, why should participate in the election?”
Kem Sokhom said that there are 7 commune councilors in L’beuk commune: 3 from the CPP, 3 from Funcinpec, and 1 from SRP.
Tep Vann, the SRP commune councilor, said that Oum Nan may abandon his political aspiration because of the threat: “They threatened that if Oum Nan will vote to support his own Funcinpec party’s candidate, they will remove his son from his position as a custom agent at the border in Battambang. His son earns upward of 8 million riels (US$2,000) per month. Therefore, Oum Nan’s is willing to forego his monthly salary of 70,000 riels ($17.50) so that his son can remain in his position, and he is willing to quit Funcinpec.”
Ngam Set, the Chhouk district governor, and Neuv Sok, the commune chief of L’beuk, both from the CPP, denied the allegations.
Ngam Set said: “The village chief is of no use … there was no threat.”
Neuv Sok said that the election for village chief on 05 June cannot be conducted because the other 2 parties did not participate: “They boycotted … it’s up to the ministry of Interior to take care of it.”
According to the directive issued by the ministry of interior on 01 March 2006, ordinary citizens cannot vote to select a village chief, only commune councilors has the right to vote. Furthermore, the village chief must receive a majority of votes from the commune councilors.
Koul Panha, Comfrel director, said that in Cambodia, there are about 13,000 villages. He criticized the voting method to select village chief because if caused a lot of frictions with the CPP, and it does not serve the need of the people because they cannot participate in the vote.
1 comment:
Do it again Jack!
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