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| Opposition Leader Sam Rainsy (Bloomberg) |
Exiled Cambodian politician Sam Rainsy says authorities are using a double standard to bar him from taking part in next year's election.
2012-11-28
RFA
Exiled opposition leader Sam Rainsy accused Cambodia’s election officials on Wednesday of practicing double standards by barring him from the electoral process on the grounds of his criminal conviction while including others with more notorious criminal records.
Sam Rainsy’s National Rescue Party (NRP) said the National Election Committee’s decision to remove him as a voter and disallow him from standing as a candidate in next year’s general election was part of a plan to secure the vote for Prime Minister Hun Sen’s ruling party.
The decision was made earlier this month on the grounds that the NRP president has been convicted—on charges he denies and says are politically motivated—for incitement and damaging property while leading a 2009 Vietnam border protest, among other crimes.
Sam Rainsy said that according to an investigation conducted by his party, others convicted of crimes, including prominent criminals, have not faced the same restrictions.
For example, a former police chief serving a 103-year prison sentence following convictions for murder and kidnapping is on the voters’ list, according to the NRP.
“My case is unique. The National Election Committee never deletes any criminals’ names, only mine,” Sam Rainsy told RFA’s Khmer service, speaking from Cote D’Ivoire where he is attending an NRP meeting.
“This is a set-up for only me. This is not about the law because the law would apply to people equally,” he said. “This is just a joke.”
On Hun Sen's orders
The National Election Committee removed Sam Rainsy’s name from the lists on Nov. 5, and an appeal against the decision was rejected by the Constitutional Council last week.
NRP leaders issued a statement on the party’s investigation saying that Sam Rainsy had been singled out by the election committee on the orders of Hun Sen, whose Cambodian People’s Party has swept elections for years.
“Hun Sen is trying, by eliminating Sam Rainsy from the political scene … to unfairly secure another victory at next year’s elections in order to cling on to power for at least another five-year term,” the statement said.
The statement by the party, which was formed this year as a coalition between the country’s two largest opposition parties to challenge the Cambodian People’s Party, accused Hun Sen of trying to avoid a “fair fight” in the July 2013 election.
Exiled leader
Sam Rainsy, who is living in exile in Paris and has vowed to return to Cambodia to run against Hun Sen, said he still has hope that he will be able to participate in the election.
“We have eight months; we have time,” he said.
He faces up to 11 years in prison if he returns to Cambodia, for damaging property during the Vietnam border protest and various other offenses.
Earlier this month, he filed an appeal against the sentence, which he received in absentia.
Even if he gets the conviction overturned or receives a royal pardon between now and the national election, he still may not be able to participate in the vote if he is not on the voters’ list.
But the voter registration period for the election has already passed, having ended on Oct. 12.
Under Cambodian law, a person who is not registered to vote is also not allowed to stand as a candidate.
Criminals on voter lists
According to the NRP, Sam Rainsy’s name had been removed from the voters’ list even though there is no provision in Cambodia’s election law that says someone who has been convicted of a crime must have their names deleted from the list.
Among the well-known criminals who do appear on voter list, the party said, is Heng Pov, the former Phnom Penh police chief who is currently serving a 103-year prison sentence on charges including murder, attempted murder, kidnapping, and extortion.
Also on the lists are Pheng Kunthea Borey, the senate president’s former chief of protocol who is serving four years in jail for forgery and fraud, a former government bodyguard who is serving ten years, a former provincial prosecutor serving time for corruption, and other prominent criminals, according to the party’s investigation.
“These examples explain why, after its recent decision to remove Sam Rainsy's name from the voter list, the National Election Committee has been unable to respond to a question from the press and the civil society asking it to show other instances, if any, of a convict's name being deleted from the voter list,” the statement said.
Non-governmental organizations monitoring elections in Cambodia have said recent elections, including commune-level elections in June, have been marred by irregularities in voter lists.
Reported and translated by Samean Yun for RFA’s Khmer service. Written in English by Rachel Vandenbrink.
8 comments:
there is a giant step in the right direction would be to accept the fact that you're still a bunch of sore losers ( ScamSR and the followers). History will also judge your performent according to your useless and weak agendas, and the history will be written ScamSR as a paranoid leader, cry baby, fugitive, and a bunch of psychopath opportunist waiting to take advantage of poor people. The world have watched you sore losers haven't done anything to make Cambodian proud of your records. There're not a single list of all the good things you have done in the past and now to uplift people life. My hero samdach Hun Sen will forgive your sorry asses if you joined the CPP for this up comming election. You potato diggers made lots of painful mistakes in the past by dividing Cambodia apart, which is shame on you sore losers. It certainly that we (CPP) would forgive you if your leader ScamSr come back to Cambodia and serve his sentences and futher improve his image as a strong leader not the fugitive one. If he didn't dare to come back than stop begging for forgiveness from my hero Hun Sen, maybe it would be wise to seek counseling from Pi Anh.hahahaahah
We've known already about the puppet government’s tactics to win the election.
What is the opposition party's tactics to counter attack and prevail over it?
For instance, the opposition party has requested an overhaul of the NEC, but the puppet government flatly refused to do it.
Time goes by so fast and the election date is approaching.
To increase the chance of winning, the CNRP must have a clear strategy.
What is your next step to force the puppet government to reform the NEC?
Your mind cannot be idling and hoping the puppet government to give in to your demands.
Be proactive and react properly to the problems and take the next step that you have prepared. What is your net step? Or your plan B?
My suggestion:
Since this puppet government is under Vietnam’s control, the CNRP should ask the main primary importers countries of Vietnam to help you. If those main importers say something, Vietnam has to listen to them.
Likewise for the countries that import Cambodia’s products. They will have political clout over Vietnam and Cambodia.
So, finding an efficient way to communicate with them might help the CNRP to achieve some goals
So far, I don't hear anything from the CNRP after the government refused to its request.
Bun Thoeun
hey shit anh if the SR joined the CPP in the election why would you have election anyway!!!! get it moron. PUT IT THIS WAY, YOU JOIN KI-MEDIA AND I FORGIVE YOU. Still don't get it hahahaha the way its going.
Ah Ping Ang, this is a giant step for your Youn brain that you still cant read. HAHAHAH. How much is your Youn CPP boss paying you to be here?
Hun Sen : Mr Sam Rainsy! What is your qualification so far?
Rainsy : I just have a few Samdach!
Hun Sen: Can you show me, Rainsy?
Rainsy: Ok!
Business Administration (Master of Business Administration from INSEAD - Fontainebleau - France) - 1980.
Accounting (Diplôme d'Etudes Comptables Supérieures issued by the French Ministry of Education) - 1979.
Economics (Maîtrise + Diplôme d'Etudes Supérieures de Sciences Economiques de la Faculté de Droit et des Sciences Economiques de Paris) - 1973.
Political Science (Diplôme de l'Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris) - 1971.
Hun Sen: That’s ok, I’m much better in term of academic, Just look at mine as below PhD qualifications:
1991, an Honorary Ph.D. in Political Science, the National Political Academy, Hanoi.
1995 an Honorary Ph.D. in Politics, the Southern California University for Professional Studies, USA.
1996, an Honorary Ph.D. of Law, Iowa Wesleyan College, USA.
On April 10, 2001, an Honorary Ph.D. in Political Science, Graduate School of Dankook University, South Korea.
On November 15, 2001, an Honorary Ph.D. in Political Science in the field of Foreign Relations, the Ramkhamhaeng University, Thailand.
On April 10, 2004, an Honorary Ph.D. in Political Science, the Irish International University of the European Union, Cambodia.
On September 15, 2004, Hun Sen has been accepted and sworn in as a member of the Bar Association of Cambodia.
On March 21, 2006, an Honorary Ph.D. in Political Science, the Soon Chun Hyang University, Seoul, received during his official visit to the Republic of Korea.
On June 28, 2006, an Honorary Ph.D. in Education for Locality Development, Bansomdejchaopraya Rajabhat University, Thailand.
On January 29, 2007, an Honorable Ph.D. in Education, the Ministry of Education and Training of Vietnam, along with the Hanoi National University of Education.
On September 21, 2007, an Honorary Fellowship of Companion of Commercial Diplomacy, the Association of Certified Commercial Diplomats (ACCD), England.
July 2008, the Honorable Professor of Diplomatic and International Relations, the Universidad Empresarial de Costa Rica, Costa Rica.
On 7 January 2009, an Honorary Ph.D. in Economic, the Woosuk University of the Republic of Korea.
On 3 June 2009, an Honorary Doctoral Degree in Political Science, Korea University of the Republic of Korea.
Ah chhkuot pi anh euy, lmom chhub vil khuor tam ah kvang hoey.
Why Sam Rainsy is singled out?
Because Sam Rainsy is the only Cambodian who dares to officially criticize Vietnam for using the following illegal treaties to annex Cambodian territory:
Treaty of July 7. 1982 on historical water agreement in which Cambodia lost 30,000.00 square kilometers of sea water and many island including Kas Tral;
Treaty of July 20, 1983 on principle of resolution of border issues which recognized the free crossing of Cambodian borders and the surge of illegal Vietnamese immigrants and settlers( to date about 4,000,000.00 illegal Vietnamese in Cambodia);
Treaty of December 27, 1985 on border delimitation which recognized new Vietnamese settlement on the demarcation of land borders between the two countries from Nord to South along 1,230 km of border length;
Treaty of 2005 is a supplemental treaty which legitimize the illegal treaty of 1985.
Therefore to prevent Sam Rainsy entering Cambodia, he used the nonindependent court to indict him with 12 years prison term.
Hun Sen and his Vietnamese boss desperately want to put Sam Rainsy in Prey Sar Prison, to break his moral and fighting spirit against Hun Sen and Vietnam Imperialist.
We, Cambodian patriots support wholeheartedly the decision of Sam Rainsy not to enter into Cambodia without security guaranteed by international communities and Hun Sen government
Samdach Hun Sen gave Cambodia the freedom to live the way they thought best. Under CPP, There is no persecuttion in Cambodia, its people enjoy freedom of speech and liberty. There are lots of forests, animals, water, and rich farmland for all Cambodia to be used and prouded of. In addition of peace and prospirity, Cambodia now a day welcome all foreigners included Youn to live and work in Cambodia. ScamSR and his followers might have to sit down and creat an other party name after Pi Anh.ahahahahahahha
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