Sam Rainsy, opposition leader and President of the Sam Rainsy Party (Photo: RFA)28 Oct 2006
By Rik Chor
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy
The Sam Rainsy Party said that more than 30,000 citizens from all over the country could not register to vote because the authority did not recognize them as they do not have an identification card.
Sam Rainsy, SRP President, told RFA by phone on 28 Oct afternoon that several tens of thousands of Cambodian people want to vote during the upcoming 2007 election to select their commune councilors in their localities, however, these people were prevented by the commune authorities and the secretaries of the commune registration offices from registering because the authorities claim that these people did not have an identification card or are involved in land disputes.
Sam Rainsy said: “For example, in Kauk Roka commune, there are about 3,000 people whom the local authorities, namely the commune chief of Kauk Roka, Dangkao district, Phnom Penh city, refused to recognize and did not allow them to register. In Bavel district, Battambang province, at the Ampil Pram Deum commune, there are thousands of people who are not recognized because the authorities said that there is a land dispute [where those people are currently living on]. In Kompong Speu province, Phnom Sruoch district, Treng Trayoeung commune, Chamkar Chek Thmey village, there are several thousands of people also who have been prevented from registering to vote because of land dispute.”
Sam Rainsy added that in order to help the people who have lost their rights to participate in the voting process, SRP had provided help to these people by bringing their claims and protest letters to their local commune authorities in order for these local authorities and the officials of the National Election Committee (NEC) to help resolve this issue for the people concerned so that they can vote in 2007.
Sam Rainsy, SRP President, told RFA by phone on 28 Oct afternoon that several tens of thousands of Cambodian people want to vote during the upcoming 2007 election to select their commune councilors in their localities, however, these people were prevented by the commune authorities and the secretaries of the commune registration offices from registering because the authorities claim that these people did not have an identification card or are involved in land disputes.
Sam Rainsy said: “For example, in Kauk Roka commune, there are about 3,000 people whom the local authorities, namely the commune chief of Kauk Roka, Dangkao district, Phnom Penh city, refused to recognize and did not allow them to register. In Bavel district, Battambang province, at the Ampil Pram Deum commune, there are thousands of people who are not recognized because the authorities said that there is a land dispute [where those people are currently living on]. In Kompong Speu province, Phnom Sruoch district, Treng Trayoeung commune, Chamkar Chek Thmey village, there are several thousands of people also who have been prevented from registering to vote because of land dispute.”
Sam Rainsy added that in order to help the people who have lost their rights to participate in the voting process, SRP had provided help to these people by bringing their claims and protest letters to their local commune authorities in order for these local authorities and the officials of the National Election Committee (NEC) to help resolve this issue for the people concerned so that they can vote in 2007.
3 comments:
If the 30,000 voters are spread all over the country as SRP claims, then perhaps the impact would be minimal on the count in each electorate.
Why spending so much resources on such insignficant factor?
SiS
A count is a count. Who else would care about the real democracy and voting? Most peopel are content with free bow or bag of rice and most politians are busy forming their parties. They couldn't careless about the real procedure of producing the real ballot.
Mr. Sam Rainsey spends his most valuable time shaping up the country by strenghten the way we vote. He did the right thing. I don't see anything wrong with it. God bless him! He is the Saint.
Yes! The Saint Sam rainsey!!!!
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