By Taing Sarada, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
13 June 2008
US Ambassador Joseph Mussomeli expects a peaceful transition of power following free and fair elections in July.
Critics maintain that the ruling party continues to buy off or otherwise persuade activists from competing parties and to buy votes through gifts to the poor.
Mussomeli told VOA Khmer in Washington the election was likely to be peaceful and orderly.
That may be true, but the ruling party continues to buy off activists and buy votes through gifts to the poor, Kem Sokha, president of the Human Rights Party said.
"The ruling party is buying or persuading the other political parties’ activists or offering gifts to poor people in the rural countryside in order to get their ballots,” he said. "Since my Human Rights Party was established, I've received so many threatening cases and more than 200 party signs were abolished."
Om Yintieng, a senior advisor to Prime Minister Hun Sen, said Cambodia's political environment had gotten "better and better" since elections in 1993.
"I don't think it can satisfy everybody in the world, but we are proud for our country to be able to improve the election process," he said.
Koul Panha, executive director of the Committee for Free and Fair Elections, said he was concerned for the election process, which has already seen eight murders and 20 cases of intimidation.
Critics maintain that the ruling party continues to buy off or otherwise persuade activists from competing parties and to buy votes through gifts to the poor.
Mussomeli told VOA Khmer in Washington the election was likely to be peaceful and orderly.
That may be true, but the ruling party continues to buy off activists and buy votes through gifts to the poor, Kem Sokha, president of the Human Rights Party said.
"The ruling party is buying or persuading the other political parties’ activists or offering gifts to poor people in the rural countryside in order to get their ballots,” he said. "Since my Human Rights Party was established, I've received so many threatening cases and more than 200 party signs were abolished."
Om Yintieng, a senior advisor to Prime Minister Hun Sen, said Cambodia's political environment had gotten "better and better" since elections in 1993.
"I don't think it can satisfy everybody in the world, but we are proud for our country to be able to improve the election process," he said.
Koul Panha, executive director of the Committee for Free and Fair Elections, said he was concerned for the election process, which has already seen eight murders and 20 cases of intimidation.
13 comments:
cambodian 1000 year-old budh damnay or ancient buddhist prophecy often mentioned overwhelmingly overcoming all obstacles or difficulties, despite rhetorics, bickerings, disagreements, arrogants, threatenings, etc... in modern cambodia political arena, plus all to do with reforms and changes in cambodia to come. god bless cambodia and her beautiful khmer poeple and everyone who loves and cares for cambodia. justice will prevail in cambodia !!!
No matter what. This guy US Ambassador Joseph Mussomeli to the Cambodia, I bet he is more corrupted than any Cambodian folks. You think US citizen or other nationalities doen't like to be corrupted but when they come to Cambodia they all know how. I bet HUN SEN pays alot of money to this Ambassador guy to make up thing and say good thing about Cambodia.
2:23 AM
In fact, this guy (U.S. ambassador) was and is one of the biggest losers and corrupted among his colleagues, which is why he'll be replaced by a woman in the not-too-distant future.
Ah Hun sen will lose the election big time!
Down and Out ! ah Hun Sen, a third-year- elementary-school- educated Prime Minister with 29 years of holding power, is the Criminal against humanity in Cambodia and is a former Khmer Rouge soldier in Khmer Rouge Regime, from CPP (Communist Pro youn Party)
Yep.. They buy people.
Still, don't use this argument to get vote.
You try to fool us that you're a liberal party.
So why don't form a democratic alliance like mm mam sonando and ok socheat have proposed?
The answer is you and sam rainsy are so selfishes and not working for our poor cambodians...
That's the bottom line!
Khmer Canadian
Don't blame Mussomili.
It is the US foreign Policy.
Economy of China rises all over the world in Africa especially.
If African now learn and speak Chinese and why not in Asia?
The US won't want to make enemy with Cambodia, so that is what we see.
Wonder why King Sihanouk hates American. ;)))))
China's economy boom because of U.S entreneurs and other western alliances moved their business to china to exploit for cheap labors.If those companies were pull out, china will go down to ZERO again, therefore China is no way an economy superpower.
Why sihanouk hate America ,because he is an idiot.
When sihanouk was in house arrest during POPOT'S era, China did not give a damn about it .
So? China's economy booms, no need to argue.
That is the stupidest excuse I ever heard off. Buy off activist? Why didn't the CPP did that long ago? The truth of the matter is those people who defected Ah Scam Rainxy party was because they know the party is a fake.
And no one defected to others paries from CPP because to do so it mean DEATH. All the defectors from SRP will learn their FATE right after the election.They will be kicked out from CPP because they are untrusworthy, and they did not worth a shit.
12:58 AM
The defectors will be thrown in the crocodiles pits.
Well, it has been over 30 years now, and no one has been fed to the croc. Crocks are only reserved for Ah Khmer-Yuon because they are the crock favorite food.
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