Monday, October 23, 2006

SRP to hold a press conference on voter registration on 23 Oct 2006 in Andaung village

October 22, 2006

PRESS CONFERENCE ON VOTER REGISTRATION

On Monday, October 23, 2006, opposition leader Sam Rainsy will hold a press conference in Andaung village, Kauk Roka commune, Dangkao district, on the outskirts of Phnom Penh.

There are 1,865 families now living in Andaung village who were brutally chased from their homes in Sambok Chab village, Tonle Bassac commune, in downtown Phnom Penh, on June 6, 2006.

Those 1,865 families represent approximately 3,600 eligible voters. However, the Kauk Roka commune authorities refuse to register them as voters. After losing their homes, those victims of evictions and land grab are now losing their voting rights. This is the reason why the Sam Rainsy Party calls on all human rights defenders and justice-loving people to help defend the civil and political rights of those most destitute people in Andaung village.

The press conference will be held in Andaung village at 10:30 am.

At 8:30 am, on the same day, Sam Rainsy will go first the Boeng Raing commune office in downtown Phnom Penh to get registered as voter in that commune. He previously lived in nearby Chey Chomneas commune.

The law says that any citizen with an ID card can get registered as voter in any commune provided he/she can produce two witnesses to certify that he/she resides in that commune. The commune chief must then issue a certificate of residency (Form # 1019) to the concerned citizen. With no certificate of residency, a citizen who has recently moved from one commune to another cannot get registered and will lose his/her voting right at the forthcoming elections.

At 9:30 am, on the same day, Sam Rainsy and a number of other SRP Members of Parliament will arrive at the Phnom Penh Thmei commune office, Ruissei Keo district, Phnom Penh municipality, where the commune authorities refuse to issue certificates of residency to thousands of citizens suspected of being not supportive of the ruling party. See October 19, 2006 news with video clip titled "Sam Rainsy faces CPP officials to defend citizens' voting right", by clicking at http://www.ki-media.blogspot.com

SRP Cabinet

012 364 555
012 990 988

No comments: