Civil Society Organizations’ Joint Appeal
for
Provision of Relevant Documents to Evicted People to Enable Them to Register and Vote in the 2008 National Assembly Elections
for
Provision of Relevant Documents to Evicted People to Enable Them to Register and Vote in the 2008 National Assembly Elections
Phnom Penh, June 13, 2007
The league of below-mentioned civil society organizations would like to appeal to local authorities to speed up the provision of relevant documents, such as land titles, residence books and other identity documents, to people who have been evicted and/or resettled by Phnom Penh municipal authorities and other provincial/municipal authorities. These documents are necessary for them to be entitled to be registered as voters for the upcoming 2008 National Assembly Elections, allowing them to make their choice of representative.
The people affected include: over 1,000 families evicted from Sambok Chab ('Sparrow's Nest' Village 14, Tonle Basak commune) to Andong village (Kork Roka commune, Phnom Penh city); around 1,000 families settled in the disputed Boeung Pram area (Ampil Pramdeum commune, Bor Vel district, Battambang province); around 400 families living in Treng Troyeung commune (Phnom Sruoch district, Kampong Speu province); and others living in various locations in Koh Kong province, Sihanoukville and other provinces/municipalities. Competent authorities are responsible for preparing the relevant documents for these affected people.
Without these documents, we are very concerned that the rights of the people to vote may again be lost, as in the 2007 Commune Council Elections. The fundamental rights of these people are not being respected and protected in accordance with the 1993 Constitution of the Kingdom of Cambodia, which states in Article 34 that “Cambodian citizens of either sex shall enjoy the right to vote and to stand as candidates for the election.”
The league of civil society organizations would like also to appeal to the National Election Committee (NEC) to ease voter registration regulations: reducing the number of criteria for the issuance of other certificates is an example. The NEC shall work with the Ministry of Interior to push commune authorities to issue any certificate which allows those affected to be able to register their name and vote.
The league of civil society organizations also calls on Cambodian citizens who have moved to new locations and who have not been registered to vote, or those who will be 18 years of age as of July 27, 2008, to make haste to prepare documents for registration, which will start from September 16, 2007 and go on to October 20, 2007.
The upcoming 2008 National Assembly Elections are crucial to changing and improving livelihoods and the prosperity of our country. Hence, every Cambodian citizen should feel an obligation to vote.
COMFREL, NICFEC, YCC and other concerned civil society organizations will continue to monitor and intervene in pushing for the registration of these people.
For further information, please contact:
The people affected include: over 1,000 families evicted from Sambok Chab ('Sparrow's Nest' Village 14, Tonle Basak commune) to Andong village (Kork Roka commune, Phnom Penh city); around 1,000 families settled in the disputed Boeung Pram area (Ampil Pramdeum commune, Bor Vel district, Battambang province); around 400 families living in Treng Troyeung commune (Phnom Sruoch district, Kampong Speu province); and others living in various locations in Koh Kong province, Sihanoukville and other provinces/municipalities. Competent authorities are responsible for preparing the relevant documents for these affected people.
Without these documents, we are very concerned that the rights of the people to vote may again be lost, as in the 2007 Commune Council Elections. The fundamental rights of these people are not being respected and protected in accordance with the 1993 Constitution of the Kingdom of Cambodia, which states in Article 34 that “Cambodian citizens of either sex shall enjoy the right to vote and to stand as candidates for the election.”
The league of civil society organizations would like also to appeal to the National Election Committee (NEC) to ease voter registration regulations: reducing the number of criteria for the issuance of other certificates is an example. The NEC shall work with the Ministry of Interior to push commune authorities to issue any certificate which allows those affected to be able to register their name and vote.
The league of civil society organizations also calls on Cambodian citizens who have moved to new locations and who have not been registered to vote, or those who will be 18 years of age as of July 27, 2008, to make haste to prepare documents for registration, which will start from September 16, 2007 and go on to October 20, 2007.
The upcoming 2008 National Assembly Elections are crucial to changing and improving livelihoods and the prosperity of our country. Hence, every Cambodian citizen should feel an obligation to vote.
COMFREL, NICFEC, YCC and other concerned civil society organizations will continue to monitor and intervene in pushing for the registration of these people.
For further information, please contact:
- Mr. Thun Saray, First Representative of COMFREL and President of ADHOC, 016 880 509
- Dr. Kek GALABRU, Chairwoman of Board of Directors of NICFEC, President of LICHADO 012 802 506
- Mr. KOUL Panha, Executive Director of COMFREL, 012 942 017
- Mr. Puthea HANG, Executive Director of NICFEC, 012 959 666
- Mr. MAK Sarath, Coordinator of YCC, 012 992 401
- Mr. SOUN Sareth, Executive Secretary of Cambodian Human Rights Action Committee, 012 830 422
2 comments:
Hun Sen government is not only conducting its absolute denial strategies to the international human right representatives' reports. They haven't only blasted this independent world association(UN) inside Cambodia, they have also sent their representative to oppose in the UN's office. As interviewed by Radio French in Khmer language, thise Hun Sen's missionary started by using illogical argument to blash UN's representatives as more ignorant than him.
His speech is not different from Hun Sen's and shows the same nature of communist nature.
He said "those international NGOs try to work in Cambodia in order to get salary(money) for their own pocket". Yes it is true that they have some money from foreigners' tax to work for the benefits and dignity of Cambodian people. They don't use money from Cambodian people's taxation. In contrast Hun Sen's colleagues receive huge salary from their taxation but oppress them by using fake law, authority and plunder their assets...etc
This including this one guy who shout at UN's office illogically and ignorantly. He use money from Cambodian people taxation, but he doesn't have intention to improve their lives with fundamental human rights respect.
He said "all Cambodian human rights NGOs in Cambodia work nothing for Cambodians." So it is logically that Hun Sen government is human rights NGOs in his statement.
KY
Do the people in the government care. No they don't. Whatever it takes to keep them in power, they will do. We should all get it by now.
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