Sunday, June 23, 2013

Cambodia’s Opposition Fights Back

Sochua Mu at a CNRP demonstration in Phnom Penh. Credit: Courtesy Charlotte Pert

PHNOM PENH, Jun 20 2013 (IPS) - The violence that defined Cambodia during the years of the Khmer Rouge (1975-1979) may have been relegated to the realm of history, but the actions of the ruling party ahead of the Jul. 28 election smack of the dirty politics that once ruled this Southeast Asian country.
Observers and analysts predict that the ruling coalition of the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) and the FUNCINPEC Party will win, thereby adding another five-year term to Prime Minister Hun Sen’s 28-year reign.
But that has not stopped an ugly face-off between the CPP and its main competitors, the Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) and the Human Rights Party (HRP), which last year consolidated their power under the umbrella of the Cambodian National Rescue Party (CNRP) and now hold 27 out of 123 parliamentary seats.
In response, the 12-member permanent committee of the National Assembly, whose members all hail from the ruling CPP, decided on Jun. 5 to strip 29 legislators, 27 of whom belong to the opposition, of their political power, citing a constitutional clause that bans lawmakers from “party hopping” in order to form mergers.
Within days the ruling coalition had also launched a smear campaign against Kem Sokha, current acting president of the CNRP, claiming that he had denied the existence of the infamous Tuol Sleng prison where over 20,000 Cambodians were executed during the Khmer Rouge years.
CPP politicians claim to have a digital recording of Sokha calling the prison, which doubled up as a torture chamber, a hoax cooked up by the Vietnamese.

Local media outlets quickly ran with the story, but the CNRP vehemently denies the allegation.
“Kem Sokha, more than anybody else, knows about the reality of the Khmer Rouge as both his parents were killed by them,” Mu Sochua, president of SRP Women’s Wing and CNRP’s public relations executive, told IPS.
According to Sochua, the recording is a fabrication, designed to frame Sokha and weaken the growing strength of the opposition coalition, which has been drawing scores of supporters to its rallies, including most recently a 2,000-strong demonstration in the capital, Phnom Penh, and a 3,000-strong march in the northwestern city of Battambang.
Initial reactions to the allegation suggested that the attempt to discredit the opposition was working: on Jun. 9 the ruling coalition amassed 6,000 people at a protest in Phnom Penh’s Freedom Park against Sokha’s so-called “denial” of Khmer Rouge rights abuses.
But Tola Moeun, a lawyer with the Community Legal Education Centre (CLEC) who witnessed the event first-hand, said he talked to demonstrators who had been offered five dollars each to attend, a small fortune in a country where 49 percent of the population of 14 million people live on two dollars a day or less, and 26 percent lack adequate food and nutrition.
Moeun told IPS that other so-called demonstrators admitted to joining the protest simply because they had been promised a tour of the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum in the capital, and not due to any loyalty towards the CPP.
Election observers say it will take more than a smear campaign to derail the opposition, whose strong human rights platform and support of labour and land struggles parallels burgeoning nationwide grassroots movements.
Land has become a pivotal issue in a county where 80 percent of the population is involved in subsistence farming but 20 percent of agricultural families are landless, due in part to the government’s scheme of leasing millions of hectares of agricultural land to mammoth multinational corporations.
Land rights activism is on the rise: the Cambodian Grassroots People’s Assembly (CGPA) that emerged in response to lack of civil society representation at the 2012 ASEAN Summit has collaborated with the internationally renowned Boeung Kak lake activists to mobilise thousands.
The civil society group Licadho noted that 2012 was a particularly bad year for human rights. Labour violations topped the list after a provincial governor shot three factory workers during a strike in the town of Bavet, all of them members of the growing Free Trade Union.
While activist networks are careful to avoid political affiliations in order not to be seen as “anti-government”, the strength of people’s movements has not been lost on the ruling coalition, whose decision to disempower the opposition came just a few days after a major demonstration by 3,500 workers at a Nike factory in the southeastern province of Kampong Speu.
Besides their obvious popularity among activists, the CNRP has also attracted a growing number of youth, as a quick look at social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter indicates.
According to Thida Khus, executive director of SILAKA and representative of the Cambodia Women’s Caucus, youth now comprise 36 percent of the population, representing a sizeable demographic and a crucial vote bank.
The opposition has also made good use of social media to circumvent a virtual monopoly over the dissemination of information, said Sochua.
According to Freedom House, “All television and most radio stations, the main sources of information for the two-thirds of the population who are functionally illiterate, are owned or controlled by either the CPP or Prime Minister Hun Sen’s family and associates. Opposition outlets are often denied radio and television frequencies.”
But SRP has capitalised on this media blackout: as of Jun. 18, Sam Rainsy, currently in exile due to pending prison charges that human rights groups say are fabricated, was leading the social media race with 80,000 “likes” on Facebook, compared to the premier’s 68,465.
While social media has not previously been seen as a strong indicator of public opinion, Internet penetration has grown tremendously since the last National Assembly election held in 2008, and now represents a reported 2.7 million Cambodians, according to the ministry of posts and telecommunication.
Still, Khus is concerned for the safety of CNRP members, particularly since there are “no international observers for the election,” she told IPS.
Being stripped of their status as members of parliament means the opposition lawmakers have not only lost their salaries but also their parliamentary immunity, which could impact their ability to safely speak to international press against the ruling party.
On Jun. 10, a coalition of 15 civil society groups representing labour and land rights issued a joint statement condemning the ruling party’s actions, just as the U.S. Department of State made a statement calling the move a “threat to democracy.”
The CNRP meanwhile filed a complaint on Jun. 17 with the Constitutional Council that the ruling party’s actions violate Cambodia’s constitution, adding that the CNRP is considering boycotting the election if the matter is not resolved.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

*យួនយៀកកុងសព្វថ្ងៃ មានទេវតាស្រី ៣៖

១-ទេវតាស្រីយួនហែកជើង.....CPP(VIETCONG)

២-ទេវតាស្រីល្ខោនមូរ សុខហួ (យួនបន្លំខ្មែរ)ច្រៀងរាំបន្លប់ខ្មែរ-ពស់ក្បាលពីរ .....CNRP(CPP)

៣-ទេវតាស្រីល្ខោនសេង ធារី(យួនបន្លំខ្មែរ)
Democrat ច្រៀងរាំ-ជក់ផឹកស៊ីពស់ក្បាលពីរ..
CNRPផង - CPP (VIETCONG)ផង

Anonymous said...

អាខ្មែរណាគំាទ្រគណបក្សយួនCPP?
គិតឃើញួយ៉ាងម៉េចទៅគំាទ្រគណបក្សប្រជាជនអោយយួនចូលស្រុកប្លន់ទឹកដីខ្មែរខ្លួនឯង?
ខ្មែរណាគំាទ្រគណបក្សប្រជាជន ដូចជាធ្វើអត្តឃាត
ជាតិឯង ពូជពង្ស ត្រកូល កូនចៅខ្លួនឯងចឹង។
ភ្ញាក់ខ្លួនឡើងខ្មែរទំាងអស់គ្នាដើម្បីសង្រ្គោះជាតិ។
កុំទទួលស្គាល់គណៈកម្មាការរៀបចំការបោះឆ្នោត
ពេលដែលវាប្រកាសលទ្ធផលអោយគណបក្សប្រជាជនឈ្នះ។យើងទំាងអស់គ្នាត្រូវតែឈ្នះពីព្រោះ
យើងជាខ្មែរមិនអាចបណ្ដោយអោយយួនលួចទឹកដី
ទ្រព្យសម្បត្តិជាតិ បញ្ចូលនិគមយួនតាមចិត្តបានឡើយ។
គណបក្សយួនCPPយកសាលារៀនជាកន្លែងបណ្ដុះមនោគមវិជ្ជា
លាងខួរក្បាលនិសិ្សតដោយអោយហ៊ុន​សែនដើរចែកសញ្ញាប័ត្រដល់និសិ្សតគ្រប់សាលា
ដើម្បីគៀងពួកគេអោយគំាទ្របក្សនយោបាយរបស់ខ្លួន ។ម្យ៉ាងទៀត នាយករដ្ឋមន្ត្រីអាយ៉ងយួនលួចលុយជាតិមកសង់
សាលារៀនបានជាច្រើនរាប់រយដោយដាក់ឈ្មោះ
ខ្លួនឯង ។វាគិតថាសាលារៀនជាកន្លែងសំខាន់
ដើម្បីទាញយកការគំាទ្រពីប្រជាជនខ្មែរពីព្រោះនរណាក៏ធ្លាប់ទៅរៀននៅសាលារៀនដែរ។
តាមពិតសិស្សសាលាគួរជាអ្នករៀនគួរជាអ្នកចេះគិតពិចារណា យល់ដឹងកិច្ចកលល្បិចនយោបាយបោកប្រាស់
របស់មេដឹកនំាដែលជាខ្ញុំបំរើយួនអោយយួនមកលេបទឹកដីលួចទ្រព្យសម្បត្តិជាតិ បញ្ចូលនិគមយួនក្នុងបំណងធ្វើអោយកម្ពុជាក្លាយជាកម្ពុជាក្រោមទី២។
សិស្សនិសិ្សតសាលាមិនចំាបាច់គិតពិចារណារឿងអំពើពុករលួយទេ វាជារឿងបន្ទាប់បន្សំទេ។រឿងសំខាន់ត្រូវដឹងថាកម្ពុជាសព្វថ្ងៃនៅក្រោមអណាចយួន ដូច្នេះត្រូវតែគិតរំដោះជាតិខ្មែរខ្លួនឯងសិនទៅ ហើយបញ្ហាផ្សេងៗទៀតនឹងដោះស្រាយបាន។
ដោយសារយើងនៅក្រោមយួនហ្នឹងហើយបបានជា
ខ្មែររហាម វេទនារាប់សិបឆ្នំា ហើយរឿងពុករលួយគឺមកពីវាលួចទ្រព្យសម្បត្តិជាតិយើង វាបំផ្លាញធនធានធម្មជាតិយើង វាលួចការងារយើង វាលួចលុយយើង វាលួចទឹកដីយើង (រំកិលព្រំដែន ដី ទឹក កោះ
លួចដីតាមរបៀបដីសម្បទាន លេបដីខ្មែរដោយ
បញ្ចូលនិគមយួនរាប់លាននាក់.....)។

Anonymous said...

ឱ! អ្នកដឹកនាំដ៏អាក្រក់ 7:33AM!
មានតែសារនរយោបាយជេរសម្លុតគំរាមកំហែង បំភិតបំភ័យប្រជាពលរដ្ឋខ្មែរ
ទៅវិញ ៕
ត្រង់នេះអាចបញ្ជាក់ថា តើអាគាត់ឯងស្រឡាញ់ជាតិ ប្រជាជន ទឹកដី សន្តិភាពដែរឬទេ?
កណ្ដួយម៉ែវា! ហាស! ហា!!

Anonymous said...

អាពួកអ្នកធ្វើជាជេរពួកអា​យួន ហ៊ុនសែន:
(ម្តងសម្ដេច!....ម្តងអាខ្វាក់!....)

-អាសាន សុវិទ្យ.......(វិទ្យុស្មែរ ពិភពលុយ)
-អាឡឺម ពិសិត........(សម្ដេច-សម្ដេច)
-អាអ្នកស្រែ អៀ ចាន់ណា (សម្ដេច-សម្ដេច)
........ល

Anonymous said...

To believe wether Tuol Sleng prison fabricated by Vietnam or a real Khmer rouge prison,is only a civil matter. By saying ANYTHING does it hurt Tuol Sleng prison?. Obviously it is not. Yuon is not happy although it is not in their own territory,but it makes khmer and international communities track down more, to serek more truth about the killingfield and its extensive secrecy.
Thus RGC's reaction is just to serve the demand from Vietnam.
Vietnam gets really uncomfortable about its involvement and killing in Cambodia.Vietnam even tried to smear its 7 January 79 as salvation,in order to confuse khmers due to gratitude in Buddhism.
Since Eastern border has border agreement and unfair posts, Vietnam now sneaking into sea invasion instead. Expansion of Koh Tral towards to Koh Kong and Kampot,old Ko Chin Sin statue has been erected at Boko by Sok Kong,branded as Yeay Mao.
Many ways,Vietnam continues to falsify anything to achieve its target of invasion.
Please wake up to reality all cambodians of all factions before your action and reation become too late.

Angkor

Anonymous said...

Thank you! above comment was interesting.