By Lim Pisith
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Socheata
The Poipet commune council will hold a hearing on the protest from 2 citizens in the commune representing 680 other citizens who could not register to vote during the upcoming commune election, even though the National Election Committee (NEC) had indicated that it will not allow for an extension of the registration process.
Hay Nam Heng, Poipet SRP commune chief, told RFA in the morning of Saturday 28 Oct that he will do all he can so that these citizens will receive the authorization to register to vote by the NEC: “Tomorrow I will send another invitation letter, and on Monday, I will hold a hearing.”
The protests by the people lasted 3 days and ended on 27 Oct, the protests follow the end of the voting registration for the entire country at 5:00 PM on 24 Oct 2006.
Poipet commune councilors belonging to the CPP and Funcinpec, as well as the NEC officials in the Banteay Meanchey registration offices, said that at the close of the registration process, there were about 200 forms 1018 and 1919 left, but there were nobody who showed up to register to vote.
However, according to 34-year-old Khun Chanty who represents 70 citizens from the Palelay village who were not able to register to vote yet because they were only able to fill forms 1018 and 1019, but not 1022, the commune secretary closed the office at 7:00 PM on 24 Oct, he refused to continue the vote registration process. Khun Chanty said: “A lot of people were waiting to register to vote, they could not sustain the long waiting period, they sent the form through representatives.”
Regarding the hearing on the request to allow 680 citizens to register to vote, Tep Nytha, the NEC secretary-general, indicated that: “If they showed up at the registration office in the afternoon of 24 Oct, when the office was closed, the door was closed to all those who are outside the registration office, but for those who were already inside the office, they were all registered. This means that these citizens were not inside the office, that was why they were denied the registration.”
It is noted that form 1018 is a document to register those who do not have any proof of residency. Form 1019 is used for those citizens who have a valid ID but who moved to live the commune where they are registering to vote. Those who meet the two criteria above will need to fill form 1022, a last document which would allow them to vote.
Furthermore, Poipet is a commune in O Chreuv district, Banteay Menachey province, where a mix of 80,000 people coming from all over Cambodia, had come to live currently.
Hay Nam Heng, Poipet SRP commune chief, told RFA in the morning of Saturday 28 Oct that he will do all he can so that these citizens will receive the authorization to register to vote by the NEC: “Tomorrow I will send another invitation letter, and on Monday, I will hold a hearing.”
The protests by the people lasted 3 days and ended on 27 Oct, the protests follow the end of the voting registration for the entire country at 5:00 PM on 24 Oct 2006.
Poipet commune councilors belonging to the CPP and Funcinpec, as well as the NEC officials in the Banteay Meanchey registration offices, said that at the close of the registration process, there were about 200 forms 1018 and 1919 left, but there were nobody who showed up to register to vote.
However, according to 34-year-old Khun Chanty who represents 70 citizens from the Palelay village who were not able to register to vote yet because they were only able to fill forms 1018 and 1019, but not 1022, the commune secretary closed the office at 7:00 PM on 24 Oct, he refused to continue the vote registration process. Khun Chanty said: “A lot of people were waiting to register to vote, they could not sustain the long waiting period, they sent the form through representatives.”
Regarding the hearing on the request to allow 680 citizens to register to vote, Tep Nytha, the NEC secretary-general, indicated that: “If they showed up at the registration office in the afternoon of 24 Oct, when the office was closed, the door was closed to all those who are outside the registration office, but for those who were already inside the office, they were all registered. This means that these citizens were not inside the office, that was why they were denied the registration.”
It is noted that form 1018 is a document to register those who do not have any proof of residency. Form 1019 is used for those citizens who have a valid ID but who moved to live the commune where they are registering to vote. Those who meet the two criteria above will need to fill form 1022, a last document which would allow them to vote.
Furthermore, Poipet is a commune in O Chreuv district, Banteay Menachey province, where a mix of 80,000 people coming from all over Cambodia, had come to live currently.
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