24th March 2008By San Suwit
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Khmerization
on the web at http://khmerization.blogspot.com
The President of the Human Right Party (HRP) indicated that the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) has returned to the old tricks of harassing political activities conducted by various political parties, as it had practiced in the past.
Mr Kem Sokha, who had a meeting with his party members at Bek Chan village, Ampil Teuk commune, Kampong Trolach district, Kampong Chhnang province on Sunday, told Radio Free Asia that his meeting has a legal permission, including a request for an intervention made to provincial officials, yet there are still harassments perpetrated by a group of people from the Cambodian People’s Party without any intervention from the authority to stop them.
Mr Kem Sokha said: “The local authority is using the same old type of harassment against political activities conducted by other political parties, such as the Human Right Party which is having a meeting with the people and they played loud music with amplified speakers about 100-metre from our meeting. The higher up, such as the prime minister, has appealed for a free and fair election, free of harassment and free of intimidations, but the local authorities are still continuing (to practice these kinds of things), so we don’t know whether what they did was trying to make their leaders lose face or whether they did these things because their leaders said one thing and asked them to do another thing. And we have contacted the provincial authority, the secretary of the Kampong Cham Municipality laughed at Mr Keo Remy who made a phone call to him. He said that he cannot do anything as today is Sunday. He just said nonsense like that, as if the top leadership asked them to organize these kinds of harassment. So, it’s like the top leadership said one thing and the local authority is doing a different thing.”
Despite many people came to his political meeting, Mr Kem Sokha has said that, according to his reports from his party members at Ampil Teuk commune, the CPP-biased local authority has forbidden many other people from joining the meeting on Sunday.
It should be noted that in the past few consecutive months at the beginning of 2008, Prime Minister Hun Sen made speeches to the people in almost every province which have been broadcast on state-owned and private media to the people throughout the country. In his speeches, other than indirect attacks on the leaders of other political parties, the prime minister has also declared about his stance in relation to the election results, including his appeals for a free, fair and acceptable election.
The prime minister said: “I will transfer power at the new Office of the Council of Ministers to a new power-holder (election winner) in order to preserve the political stability and after that I am free to travel. No problem, I can play golf. There won’t be any problem. But I don’t think the situation will be that bad. But it will depend on the will of the people. We will leave it to the people to decide, but don’t say that I am campaigning for the election. But I wanted to take this opportunity to appeal for a free, fair, transparent, violence-free and acceptable election. And any action that was hatched out of violence and intimidation is an action that destroys the good reputation of the royal Cambodian government and the people of Cambodia, as well as destroying the hard-earned achievements of the royal government.”
Mr Kem Sokha, who had a meeting with his party members at Bek Chan village, Ampil Teuk commune, Kampong Trolach district, Kampong Chhnang province on Sunday, told Radio Free Asia that his meeting has a legal permission, including a request for an intervention made to provincial officials, yet there are still harassments perpetrated by a group of people from the Cambodian People’s Party without any intervention from the authority to stop them.
Mr Kem Sokha said: “The local authority is using the same old type of harassment against political activities conducted by other political parties, such as the Human Right Party which is having a meeting with the people and they played loud music with amplified speakers about 100-metre from our meeting. The higher up, such as the prime minister, has appealed for a free and fair election, free of harassment and free of intimidations, but the local authorities are still continuing (to practice these kinds of things), so we don’t know whether what they did was trying to make their leaders lose face or whether they did these things because their leaders said one thing and asked them to do another thing. And we have contacted the provincial authority, the secretary of the Kampong Cham Municipality laughed at Mr Keo Remy who made a phone call to him. He said that he cannot do anything as today is Sunday. He just said nonsense like that, as if the top leadership asked them to organize these kinds of harassment. So, it’s like the top leadership said one thing and the local authority is doing a different thing.”
Despite many people came to his political meeting, Mr Kem Sokha has said that, according to his reports from his party members at Ampil Teuk commune, the CPP-biased local authority has forbidden many other people from joining the meeting on Sunday.
It should be noted that in the past few consecutive months at the beginning of 2008, Prime Minister Hun Sen made speeches to the people in almost every province which have been broadcast on state-owned and private media to the people throughout the country. In his speeches, other than indirect attacks on the leaders of other political parties, the prime minister has also declared about his stance in relation to the election results, including his appeals for a free, fair and acceptable election.
The prime minister said: “I will transfer power at the new Office of the Council of Ministers to a new power-holder (election winner) in order to preserve the political stability and after that I am free to travel. No problem, I can play golf. There won’t be any problem. But I don’t think the situation will be that bad. But it will depend on the will of the people. We will leave it to the people to decide, but don’t say that I am campaigning for the election. But I wanted to take this opportunity to appeal for a free, fair, transparent, violence-free and acceptable election. And any action that was hatched out of violence and intimidation is an action that destroys the good reputation of the royal Cambodian government and the people of Cambodia, as well as destroying the hard-earned achievements of the royal government.”
8 comments:
Once again, I can't help myself but laughing (very hard) when I see this UN-trained poodle to have made inroads and foray into political arena, at the same time, expect people to vote for him. I think this guy plays footsie with his ignorance and intolerance.
I think the HRP will do better than the SRP in this election, and Kem Sokha sounds like a fair guys to work with as opposition.
Thus, the local should stop disturbing their campaign and allow them to raise up some votes.
The CPP's old dirty tricks. When Kem Sokha tried to hold his meetings when his was chairman of Cambodian Center for Human Rights they disturbed him with the same old tricks-using loud speakers to disrupt his meeting. Now it is the same again.
Even if Kem Sokha beats SRP, Kem Sokha is nothing. Even if SRP beats Kem Sokha SRP is nothing. The votes have been fracture now. They won't be as meaningful. CPP wons majority and will continue to win majority. You think what is left over matters who get a bigger portion?
Only matter if one party gets a a whole big portion then they can challenge Hun Sen.
Kem Sokha make it hard for Cambodia progress, his pride is going to kill Cambodia. As well as Randrarid who thinks because he is a prince he should have a say so in politic and everyone needs him.
Kem Sokha and SRP must join if they are to offer any meaningful challege to the CPP period.
True, but it doesn't look like the two can join, and the obstacle is Sam Rainsy is not willing to nominate other people as PM candidate but himself. On the other hand, if Kem Sokha can't win the election, his party will nominate new face with new idea and all to try to win the election, which is how things supposed to work, and that is why I am in favor of having HRP as true opposition. Furthermore, for those in SRP who want future opportunity, they should defect to join with HRP if they can't hack CPP. It is stupid to stay in the same place with no hope.
6:11, it is not CPP trick as a whole. Each local is difference, and they have the right to decide how to run their town. All we can do is ask them to not to play trick but we can't tell them how to run their town. It is not right because we don't live there.
It looks the author of the article gets his news second-hand and then writes mostly scathing op-eds. He may be an engaged compatriot but it looks like he is one of those armchair politicians or barroom debaters. He must have a big ego and I am wondering whether he would put the same energy into doing something worthwhile in Cambodia rather than commenting from afar. According to his blog he lives in Australia. What about his own experiences in Cambodia, if he has any, which I really doubt.
As for Khem Sokha, I don't think any threats need to directed at him or his party of how many members, 2 or 3? This man does not pose any danger or risk to the CPP at all, so why bother?
Wake up, you babbling amateur pseudo-journalists or politicos.
Pay no attention to the Gorilla Fucker (Author), mate. He doesn't what he's talking about half of the times.
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