22 August 2006
By Sam Borin
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Socheata
The director of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR) said that his organization will protest with the Ministry of Information to demand for the voting registration of Cambodian people from Kampuchea Krom so that they have the same voting right as the general Cambodian public.
Kem Sokha told RFA about his protest plan after he observes several irregularities which are occurring during the first step of the preparation of the 01 April 2007 commune election.
Kem Sokha said: “From my visits along the National Road no. 1 from Phnom Penh to Neak Leung, I went to meet people at three places. We observe that the preparation for the commune election is:
(1) There is discrimination in the distribution of registration information: the village chiefs are in charge of distribution and they are all CPP members, so they distribute the registration information to people from their party only. In Phnom Penh city for example, a village group leader mistakenly gave a registration form to a member of the opposition party, the group leader was summoned by the village chief and was chastised and warned for this action, this is one type of discrimination.
(2) The name that appears on the registration information form contains a lot of typos, some shows drastically wrong age.
(3) The distribution of the registration information is difficult to understand.
(4) There are a lot of problems with address changes, sometimes they lost the registration form, when the voter went to ask at their old places, they were told that their names have already been erased, and when they come back to ask at their new place, they were told that they have not been registered yet and are asked to register again.
Kem Sokha added: “Another issue is related to Khmer Kampuchea Krom people who are living in Cambodia currently, I met about 20 of them who told me that they cannot register to vote. They were not able to register in 2002, not in 2003, and now they still cannot register to vote. To the contrary, some of the Vietnamese people can register to vote, but for these Khmer people, Khmer Krom people, whom I personally met, they are dark skin, their talking, their behaviors are all Cambodian, and even some of the commune council members vouch for them that they are indeed Khmer Krom people, but still they are not allowed to register to vote.”
Kem Sokha told RFA about his protest plan after he observes several irregularities which are occurring during the first step of the preparation of the 01 April 2007 commune election.
Kem Sokha said: “From my visits along the National Road no. 1 from Phnom Penh to Neak Leung, I went to meet people at three places. We observe that the preparation for the commune election is:
(1) There is discrimination in the distribution of registration information: the village chiefs are in charge of distribution and they are all CPP members, so they distribute the registration information to people from their party only. In Phnom Penh city for example, a village group leader mistakenly gave a registration form to a member of the opposition party, the group leader was summoned by the village chief and was chastised and warned for this action, this is one type of discrimination.
(2) The name that appears on the registration information form contains a lot of typos, some shows drastically wrong age.
(3) The distribution of the registration information is difficult to understand.
(4) There are a lot of problems with address changes, sometimes they lost the registration form, when the voter went to ask at their old places, they were told that their names have already been erased, and when they come back to ask at their new place, they were told that they have not been registered yet and are asked to register again.
Kem Sokha added: “Another issue is related to Khmer Kampuchea Krom people who are living in Cambodia currently, I met about 20 of them who told me that they cannot register to vote. They were not able to register in 2002, not in 2003, and now they still cannot register to vote. To the contrary, some of the Vietnamese people can register to vote, but for these Khmer people, Khmer Krom people, whom I personally met, they are dark skin, their talking, their behaviors are all Cambodian, and even some of the commune council members vouch for them that they are indeed Khmer Krom people, but still they are not allowed to register to vote.”
4 comments:
Khmer Krom are Khmer, if they live in Cambodia they are Cambodian just like any Khmer. Why step down on your own kind and let the minorities have rights?? The government of Cambodia is very dysfunctional.
Follow Vietnam's ideas, Hun Sen knowed that Khmer Krom will support to oppostion Party, so he did not allow to registre Khmer Krom into the electoral list.
I still waiting to see what happen when Hun Sen lose power. Should be his families and his perties will no place to live.
Who said AH HUN SEN black lip is not a racist! His Vietcong people can vote but for Cambodian people they can't vote! AH HUN SEN is pouring gasoline on fire!
ALL KHMER BROTHERS AND SISTERS. WIPE YOU TEARS, UNITED AND STAND UP FOR YOUR RIGHTS.
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