Sam Rainsy lodges complaint contesting election body fine

Thursday, 26 February 2009
Written by Meas Sokchea
The Phnom Penh Post

The complaint comes one day after Hun Sen threatened to strip opposition leader of parliamentary immunity if he did not pay.

OPPOSITION leader Sam Rainsy lodged a complaint Wednesday with the Constitutional Council asserting that a fine levied against him by the National Election Committee and later upheld by the council was illegitimate.

The president of the Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) was recently fined 10 million riels (US$2,400) by the NEC for making derogatory comments about Cambodian People's Party leaders during last year's national election. That decision has since been upheld by the Constitutional Council and the Phnom Penh Municipal Court.

Sam Rainsy has repeatedly claimed that the matter is a penal one and can only be ruled on by the courts.

Also Wednesday, 17 SRP parliamentarians wrote to the council supporting Sam Rainsy's complaint.

The complaint comes one day after Prime Minister Hun Sen warned Sam Rainsy that he would be stripped of his parliamentary immunity unless he paid the fine. Speaking at the National Institute of Education Tuesday, Hun Sen said lifting Sam Rainsy's immunity - which requires a two-thirds vote in the National Assembly - would pose no problem for the CPP, which holds 90 of 123 parliamentary seats.

Jurisdiction

Referring to the council, the letter written by the SRP parliamentarians states: "The CC did not send the lawsuit, which was not under its jurisdiction, to the body that has jurisdiction." This amounts to a constitutional violation, the letter states.

Pit Taing San, secretary general of the council, declined to comment on the case beyond saying that the ruling of the council upholding the fine was final and could not be appealed.

Tep Nytha, secretary general of the NEC, said the NEC is allowed to levy fines against election law violators.

But Heang Rithy, president of the Cambodian National Research Organisation, said Sam Rainsy's claim that the case should be decided by the courts is correct.

Court Opens Case in Opposition Assault Suit

By Chiep Mony, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
09 September 2008

Click here to listen to the Khmer audio program

The Kampot provincial court on Tuesday began proceedings in a suit against a military official brought by Sam Rainsy Party Deputy Secretary-General Mu Sochua.

A court prosecutor said he questioned Mu Sochua in court Tuesday morning, declining further comment.

Mu Sochua, who brought a suit against Brig. Gen. San Sman, who she claims assaulted her during a dispute in Kampot ahead of July's national election.

Mu Sochua said Tuesday she had filed three complaints against San Sman: assault, sexual harassment and attempted murder.

"My request is to urge the court to have a hearing in this case very soon," she said.

During an argument, "the army general assaulted Mu Sochua and her shirt became undone, leaving her half-naked in front of a crowd of men," the party said in a statement ahead of Tuesday's proceedings.

In Cambodian courts, a prosecutor determines whether a case goes on to an investigating judge. Kampot prosecutors must now question San Sman, according to procedure.

San Sman denied the accusation in a brief comment Tuesday.

"If I had rancor with her, it would be right to accuse me of attempted murder," he said. "But she and I never knew each other."

He called the case a "political issue" and declined further comment.

Last day of the 2008 election campaign ... in John Vink's stunning photos

25 July 2008
By John Vink
Ka-set
Unofficial translation from French by Tola Ek
Click here to read the original article in French
Click here to read the original article in Khmer

Phnom Penh, 25 July 2008 - Sam Rainsy Party activists in a parade during the last day of the election campaign (All photos: John Vink/Magnum)

SRP activists displaying the photo of Sam Rainsy, their leader
Activists of the ruling CPP party are holding a photo of Prime minister Hun Sen
A (Chinese) funeral procession was blocked by the CPP parade
Funcinpec parade
Princess Arun Rasmey, Funcinpec MP candidate, is greeted by party activists
Kem Sokha, HRP president, greets the crowd during his party parade
The HRP parade crossed path with a Funcinpec parade.

NEC: Cambodia ends election campaign with smooth, free process

PHNOM PENH, July 26 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia has ended the election campaign with smooth, free and fair process, a senior official of Cambodia's National Election Committee (NEC) said here on Saturday.

The overall situation of this parliamentary election campaign is smooth, free and fair, and the campaign had been conducted for a month and ended Friday according to election schedule, Tep Nytha, General Secretary of NEC, told reporters at a press conference.

The process of the election campaign is better than previous elections, he said.

He added that although 11 criminal cases occurred during the election campaign, they were not involved with "political crimes".

Some cases are being investigated by the police, he said, adding that others were road accidents and family violence.

"We had 191 complaints from political parties and the number decreased three times comparing with the previous election," he said.

In addition, Tep Nytha said that Cambodia is ready for this parliamentary election although "we still have border tension with Thailand".

"People still pay attention to the election," he said, adding that NEC decided to set two polling stations for soldiers deployed near the Preah Vihear Temple.

Saturday is a silent day for the election with no election campaign.

More than 10 million ballot papers have been printed for the nation's 8.1 million eligible voters, with around 32,000 bottles of indelible ink supplied to 15,255 polling stations nationwide, according to NEC figures.

Polling date of the fourth ever general polls of the kingdom falls on Sunday. Altogether 11 political parties are running for the 123 seats at the Cambodian National Assembly.

The preliminary results will be announced on July 28, a statement from NEC said.

Opposition makes headway in Cambodia

Opposition leader Sam Rainsy campaigning in Santuk (Photo: SRP)

Saturday, July 26, 2008
ABC News (Australia)

Cambodia's long-ruling Prime Minister Hun Sen looks set to notch up another election victory tomorrow.

He is expected to take more seats in the national parliament.

Hun Sen is still popular even after 23 years in power. But the main opposition party is making headway.

The Cambodian People's Party (CPP) boasts that it has five million signed up members.

That is impressive when there are only eight million registered voters.

With so much flag waving and patriotic music, electioneering in Cambodia can feel like a big street party, but for many, campaigning is dangerous.

Sam Rainsy is the leader of the main Opposition party that bears his name.

At a campaign stop in Sang Ke District in the western province of Battambang, he finds himself literally unable to go on.

"They are deliberately blocking our way," he said.

Mr Rainsy says the CPP are trying to block change in the country it has ruled for 23 years.

"They don't want us to spread our message," he said.

"They are afraid of our message. They don't want the Cambodian people to hear the message of change from the Opposition."

Election violence

At least 12 people have been killed in this election campaign, including an Opposition journalist.

The president of the Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association (ADHOC), Thun Saray, worries about a general rise in lawlessness at this time, because government officials, the military, and police are engaged in campaigning.

"We observed in the recent week there were also the increasing robbery, the ordinary crime, killings, something that is happened," he said.

"We worry about people who be frightened by this atmosphere."

While his supporters have been out in force, Prime Minister Hun Sen has done little in the way of campaigning.

His Government is being criticised for the huge spike in fuel and food prices and cannot shake corruption allegations relating to misuse and abuse of public land and forests.

But foreign investment is strong and the Government is benefiting from a wave of nationalistic pride because of its tough stance in the Preah Vihear Temple dispute with Thailand.

The ABC was denied an interview with the Prime Minister, but Cheam Yeap from the Central Committee of the Cambodian People's Party did speak to us.

Mr Cheam says that Sam Rainsy's push for change is a trick on the people.
Based on a report by Karen Percy for AM

Hun-hin-who? (No pun intended!)

Royalist FUNCINPEC party leader Princess Norodom Arun Rasmey, daughter of King Sihanouk, greets her supporters during their last rally in Phnom Penh July 25, 2008. Cambodia is due to hold a general election on July 27. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea
Royalist FUNCINPEC party leader Princess Norodom Arun Rasmey, daughter of King Sihanouk, greets her supporters during their last rally in Phnom Penh July 25, 2008. Cambodia is due to hold a general election on July 27. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea
A truck carrying supporters of Royalist FUNCINPEC party rally in Phnom Penh July 25, 2008. Cambodia is due to hold a general election on July 27. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea
Supporters of Royalist FUNCINPEC party wave as they hold party logo flags during their last rally in Phnom Penh July 25, 2008. Cambodia is due to hold a general election on July 27. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea
The Royalist Funcinpec Party supporters wave the party flags during the last day of national election campaign in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Friday, July 25, 2008. Cambodians go vote for national election on July 27, 2008. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

Parties Wrap Up Election Campaigns

Young Funcinpec supporters rallied in the capital Friday, along with the last-minute campaigning by other major parties.

By Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
25 July 2008

Parties competing in Sunday's election took advantage of the final day of the campaign season Friday, with marches, parades and motorcades in the capital and the provinces.

Thousands of supporters rallied around their parties, waving flags, sporting shirts and caps and taking one last shot at drawing voters to the polls.

The Cambodian People's Party is widely expected to dominate the election Sunday, but other parties continued to campaign Friday, battling for their share of the 123 National Assembly seats up for grabs.

In Phnom Penh, supporters of the CPP, Sam Rainsy, Human Rights, Funcinpec and Norodom Ranariddh parties moved around town in trucks and on foot, banging drums, shouting slogans and blaring loud theme music.

CPP officials said they gathered nearly 30,000 supporters, led by Phnom Penh Governor Kep Chuktema, who called out to supporters: "A vote for CPP is a vote for development and poverty reduction" and "Vote for the CPP for a prosperous future for children and youth."

His calls were met with cries from the crowd: "Long live the CPP for the country of Cambodia!"

The Sam Rainsy Party meanwhile gathered nearly 10,000 supporters in a march through the city.

The opposition leader, who was campaigning in Kampong Cham Friday, recorded remarks to be broadcast to supporters through loudspeakers.

"Hun Sen now does not resolve the high price of goods," Sam Rainsy said. "If Hun Sen continues to lead Cambodia, goods will increase in price."

Activists shouted, "Vote for the Sam Rainsy Party to decrease the high price of goods, to have a proper job, and [medical] treatment without charge."

The Human Rights Party estimated 8,000 supporters joined in marches around the capital. Before marching, the top leaders of the party, including its president, Kem Sokha, addressed a crowd of supporters.

"Vote for the Human Rights Party to change the current leadership," Kem Sokha said. "Vote to change the leader of toad-stepping policies and the leader of corruption."

Supporters shouted back, "Vote for the Human Rights Party for change, change, change."

"You change?" supporters called to each other. "We change, we change," came the response.

The self-named party of exiled Prince Norodom Ranariddh was able to gather 4,000 supporters in Phnom Penh, officials estimated.

"Party No. 1 helps the nation," called Muth Chantha, a Phnom Penh candidate for the party, referring to his NRP's position on Sunday's ticket.

"The absence of Prince Norodom Ranariddh has not made us defeated before the betrayers," Muth Chantha said. "On 27 July we will vote for Prince Norodom Ranariddh."

Funcinpec, meanwhile, estimated 3,000 supporters in the capital.

Secretary-General Nhiek Bunchhay, who is a candidate for Battambang province, said in a recorded message a "vote for Funcinpec is a vote for development and for the king and for security for human rights and the rule of law."

BBC Day in pictures: SRP election campaign

Supporters of Cambodia's Sam Rainsy Party wave flags during a campaign rally in Phnom Penh for the upcoming general election.

Cambodian parties make final push for votes

Cambodian opposition party leader Sam Rainsy

KAMPONG CHAM, Cambodia (AFP) — Cambodian politicians began their final push for votes on the last day of campaigning Friday for an election Prime Minister Hun Sen's ruling party is expected to dominate.

Soaring nationalist sentiments have powered the campaigns, fueled by a 10-day military standoff with neighbouring Thailand over a small patch of disputed land near the ruins of the 11th-century Preah Vihear temple.

The most frenetic campaigning took place in Kampong Cham province, home to one million of Cambodia's eight million voters.

Just after dawn Friday, thousands of opposition supporters waved flags and rode through the town of Kampong Cham on the backs of trucks and motorcycles, blaring party policies from speakers.

"Sam Rainsy! Sam Rainsy!" chanted several hundred people calling the name of the opposition leader, while wearing white shirts and caps bearing the party's candle logo.

But few expect voters to oust the Cambodian People's Party (CPP), which has ruled since the fall of the genocidal Khmer Rouge nearly three decades ago.

Hun Sen has held the top job for 23 years, and voters are widely expected to hand him another five-year term.

His party loudly touts recent economic growth in Cambodia, one of the world's poorest countries, which has averaged 11 percent over the last three years, according to some estimates.

The controversy over Preah Vihear has only enhanced his standing, helping CPP portray itself as the defender of the nation.

"The voters realise we did a lot -- building roads, schools, health care, and especially the economy. Preah Vihear is the latest thing," Phnom Penh's provincial governor Kep Chuktema told an early CPP rally in the capital.

"We saved the lives of Cambodian people from the genocide. We gave people lives. From zero in 1979, Phnom Penh now has everything. From ghost city, now Phnom is a very good city," he said, with music blaring as CPP supporters filled a riverside boulevard with a carnival atmosphere.

Although it appears assured of victory, the CPP has mounted a massive campaign, parading in shiny new vehicles while covering the country with posters and the airwaves with promises of further development.

"The CPP campaigns are much fancier than those of other parties...The CPP outsmarts other political parties because those parties haven't achieved much at all," said Neang Sovath of the election monitoring group Comfrel.

More than eight million people are registered to vote at 15,000 polling stations, under the eyes of more than 13,000 domestic and international observers, including a team from the European Union.

The campaign has seen fewer irregularities than in the past, monitors say, partly because the nation is more stable, with double-digit economic growth from garment exports and tourism helping pull Cambodia from the ashes of civil war.

Hun Sen's CPP expects to expand its control over parliament, hoping to add eight seats to the 73 it already holds, which would cement Hun Sen's ruthless drive to secure his grip on power.

He lost Cambodia's first elections, backed by the United Nations in 1993, but bargained his way into a power-sharing deal and then reasserted total control in a 1997 coup.

Hundreds of people were killed in the run-up to elections the following year. Protests against the CPP victory were put down violently.

The last national election in 2003 was less violent but plunged the kingdom into a year of political stalemate that resulted in a coalition with the royalist Funcinpec.

The royalists have since imploded over internal scandals, while Sam Rainsy is expected to win few votes outside the capital.

Most election monitors say defeating the CPP is nearly impossible since the party controls virtually all broadcast media while maintaining a vast network across rural Cambodia, where most voters live.

Cambodian campaign relatively peaceful

Friday, July 25, 2008
ABC Radio Australia

Foreign observors have been keeping a close eye on campaigning and will be out at polling stations on Sunday.

Presenter: Sen Lam
Speaker: Roderick Brazier,Country Representative for The Asia Foundation in Cambodia

BRAZIER: The atmosphere is pretty good. I think we always have to remember in Cambodia that elections in the mid '90s were accompanied by hundreds-and-hundreds of deaths. Your earlier report mentioned intimidation and violence, but on a very much reduced scale from earlier election campaigns, which I think is a marker of progress here.

LAM: It's progress by Cambodian standards though, isn't it?

BRAZIER: Well absolutely, if you compare Cambodia with advanced democracies, there is still a lot to go. But I would argue that even compared to some democracies in the neighbourhood, like Thailand and the Philippines. The violence is relatively minor concern, compared to the overall picture of progress here.

LAM: Rod, what kind of monitoring is in place to see that the election is free and fair?

BRAZIER: There will be quite significant monitoring undertaken by local NGOs, Comfrel and Nicfec, the two major local election organisations and they will have literally thousands of individuals at polling stations. There are international agencies that will have both local and international monitors at polling stations across the country.

LAM: And when I was in Phnom Penh earlier this month, I noticed CPP posters pasted up everywhere, but, very few for the opposition parties. Have they been able to get their message out to the people?

BRAZIER: The opposition parties they are a little constrained. I would argue that the main constraint is financial. The CPP is very wealthy and can afford to print millions of posters and place hundreds of ads on television and radio. I think the opposition parties simply don't have as much money.

There are some other constraints which your report alluded to, some opposition rallies are disrupted or impeded by CPP supporters, but as your report mentioned, that's mainly been in non-violent disruptive ways so far.

LAM: So from your observation, you think that the CPP actually does have a fair amount of popularity out there amongst the masses?

BRAZIER: The CPP is very popular here in Cambodia. It's something of a puzzle to Western observers, because this is a party with a chequered past. But from an ordinary Cambodians point of view, they have never been so wealthy, they have never had so many opportunities for employment, the country has never been so stable and most of all, infrastructure is being built, sealed roads, clinics and schools are being built and used for the first time. And surveys that have been conducted by the International Republican Institute confirm that for close to 80 per cent of Cambodians, it's infrastructure that they care about the most and the CPP is smart enough now to provide that infrastructure.

Opposition leader's Sam Rainsy's appeal for Cambodians to vote

Click on the letter in Khmer to zoom in

Translated from Khmer

Message from President Sam Rainsy to Cambodian Compatriots
On the occasion of the 27 July 2008 General Election

I, Sam Rainsy, President of the Sam Rainsy Party, am calling to all our Compatriots to all go to vote on Sunday 27 July 2008.

Your vote is very important, because it is a historical event for Cambodian people to determine the destiny of our nation, and each one of us also has the opportunity to determine our own future.

Cambodia needs change, in particular, a change in leadership. If there is no change in leadership, people living at the grass root levels, in villages, communes, districts, will still remain poor. This poverty stems from the corruption of the current country leaders. Through this corruption, these leaders stole the nation and the public assets – assets that belong to all us – and appropriate them for themselves, or they administer these assets only to serve their group’s benefits. A small group of current leaders, their families, and their clan are becoming very rich and, as each day goes by, their wealth keeps on increasing. But, for us, the ordinary citizens, we still remain poor, and we are getting even poorer. Wherever there is corruption, injustice is also present, and this led to the oppression of ordinary citizens who can no longer escape poverty. In order to escape poverty, we must get rid of corruption. In order to get rid of corruption, and to bring true prosperity to the nation, we must change the current leaders by voting for the Sam Rainsy Party.

I am asking all our Compatriots to vote for the Sam Rainsy Party. The SRP is determined to defend your votes and prevent them from being cheated through any dishonest activities. To this end, the SRP has fanned our party agents in all polling and vote counting stations in the country. SRP party agents are alert and courageous, they do not fear threat, they cannot be bought, and they are determined to faithfully protect the ballots as expressed by the voters, and they will prevent any ballot cheating.

I am praising and thanking in advance the alertness and the faithfulness of SRP party agents to the people and the nation, by constantly abiding to integrity, truth and justice.

I am confident that the good will prevail over evil. In order to obtain justice, in order for our livelihood to be prosperous, in order for our lands to be preserved, I am asking all our Compatriots to vote for the Sam Rainsy party. Vote for the SRP in order to get decent jobs with decent pay, in order to lower the price of goods, in particular the price of gasoline, fertilizer, and in order to obtain free healthcare.

Only the SRP has a 12-year record of fighting and we have strong support all over the country to win over the current ruling party.

I am asking all our nationalist and justice-loving Compatriots to put to their votes to good use, and provide their support by voting for the Sam Rainsy Party only in order to guarantee victory over the corrupt officials of the dictatorial regime, lackey of the foreigners. A victory for the Sam Rainsy Party is a victory for all the Cambodian people.

The Sam Rainsy Party bears the number 9 and it is represented by a candle light logo.

Thank you!

Done in Phnom Penh, 24 July 2008

(Signed) Sam Rainsy
SRP President

Parties Hone Messages in Campaign Push

By Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
24 July 2008

Click here to listen to the Khmer audio program

During a monthlong election campaign, 11 political parties announced their messages to more than 8 million voters in an effort to gain their support. They promised reform, the elimination of poverty and a return of social justice. They promised to fix inflation, solve land-grabs and sweep away corruption.

But Friday is the last day of the campaign, and in the final hours the nation's five major parties now must consider their most important messages.

You Hockry, Norodom Ranariddh Party secretary-general, said his party was most focused on ending land disputes.

"The Norodom Ranariddh Party must eliminate land disputes to promote people's living standards," he said. "Our party policy is not to increase poverty, but to reduce poverty. So Prince Norodom Ranariddh mainly focuses on policies to give people the right to have land that belongs to them."

The CPP said it was focusing on the issue of natural environment, while the Sam Rainsy Party was focusing on the high prices of goods in the market.

Coalition partner Funcinpec was promoting the reform of the judiciary, by giving full power to the king over the courts.

The Human Rights Party, meanwhile, was focused on anti-corruption legislation and cleaning up corruption "from the top," as well as the declaration of assets.

Progress giving Cambodia's ruling party edge ahead of vote [... this is why Cambodians must vote to bring in change]

Jul 24, 2008
By Bronwyn Sloan
DPA

Phnom Penh - Scarcely a month goes by without a human rights group decrying something about Cambodia under the country's dominant Cambodian People's Party (CPP) of Prime Minister Hun Sen.

The Berlin-based anti-graft watchdog Transparency International ranks Cambodia as one of the most corrupt countries in Asia - a view shared by donors the country still relies heavily upon.

And yet no one is predicting that the CPP would emerge from national parliamentary elections scheduled for Sunday with anything but a handsomely increased majority. Voters, it seems, just don't care.

'I can't eat human rights,' said CPP voter Si Nuon, 29, a housekeeper in Phnom Penh. 'When the CPP says they are going to do something, they do it.'

Indeed, just 10 years ago, dusty, potholed roads led past ragged parks, and gunfire was a common sound. While Cambodia remains one of the world's poorest countries, sports utility and luxury vehicles now crowd smooth thoroughfares on their way to swank shopping centres and manicured public spaces where families picnic in the evenings.

Construction is everywhere, crowned by the site in the heart of the capital of Gold Tower 42, scheduled to be Cambodia's first skyscraper.

The International Monetary Fund said last month that economic growth would drop from 10.4 per cent to a still impressive 7 per cent through 2008 but praised the government on its measures to help protect the poor from rising inflation.

'Economic activity in Cambodia remains robust,' it concluded.

But the CPP certainly hasn't been harmed by the antics of its opponents, either.

Once voters equated royalty with stability. Prince Norodom Ranariddh's Funcinpec party, for example, won the first post-Khmer Rouge elections in 1993.

Since then, the royalists have been split by the prince's philandering (he lives openly with a classical dancer with whom he has a young son) and corruption allegations that culminated in the prince being convicted in absentia for the illegal sale of his own party headquarters last year.

Ranariddh is currently in self-imposed exile in Kuala Lumpur, on the run from an 18-month jail term imposed over the sale of the multimillion-dollar party lands.

Other royals have proved just as mortal. Politician and Prince Norodom Chakrapong faced a court appearance in March last year over 1.3 million dollars in government tax debts, and his privately owned airline, Royal Phnom Penh, went bankrupt.

Of the 123 seats in the National Assembly, the CPP currently holds 73, the royalist Funcinpec 26 and the opposition Sam Rainsy Party 24.

Funcinpec continues to hope royalty translates into votes while the Sam Rainsy Party is known for its anti-Vietnamese stance and the CPP has concentrated on running a positive campaign highlighting infrastructure development.

Veteran CPP lawmaker Cheam Yeap said his party's success is partly due to other parties underestimating the voters.

'No government can avoid inflation,' said Cheam Yeap, who claimed the CPP now has 5 million members on its books in a country of 14 million people. 'The people know oil is up and, therefore, so is the price of everything, everywhere.

'No one can avoid corruption, either. However, despite this, the CPP has made the country grow and the economy develop. Pessimists will always criticize us, but the people are not stupid.'

The ability of Hun Sen, a former soldier and farmer with little formal education but a formidable grasp of politics, to speak to the people in a language they understand and his refusal to speak down to them gives him an edge, the politician said.

'In the first election in 1993, we won 51 seats, then 64 the next time, and 73 in 2003,' he said. 'Our rise is steady like a ladder. We are hoping for up to 80 seats this election.'

After Funcinpec unceremoniously dumped Ranariddh, it replaced him with Keo Puth Rasmei, the husband of Princess Arun Rasmei - a royalist connection Funcinpec is relying on.

'The people love her royal highness,' Funcinpec spokesman Ork Socheat said, 'and right now, the people's heart is in the market. I think we can win 40 seats and be the number two party.'

But even a beautiful princess finds it tough to compete against the CPP, which has visibly and steadily improved infrastructure, building hundreds of schools and pagodas across the country - often prominently branded with the names of high-ranking CPP officials.

Elections are traditionally a time of violence, but this campaign has been relatively peaceful although the shooting deaths this month of opposition journalist Khim Sambo and his son have drawn an international outcry.

But Cheam Yeap countered that voters would have their minds more on positives, such as the government's work in securing UNESCO's recent listing of the ancient Preah Vihear temple as a World Heritage Site, Cheam Yeap said.

'We will always be scapegoats for these people to blame,' he said. 'Where is their proof? Some parties know they have lost the election already so they are clutching at straws.'

Biased NEC fines Sam Rainsy 10 million riels for calling CPP thieves "thieves of the nation"

NEC Fines 20 Million Riel in Campaign Cases

By Chiep Mony, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
23 July 2008

The National Election Committee on Wednesday ruled in favor of 11 cases filed against opposition leader Sam Rainsy by ruling Cambodian People's Party officials and in favor of two Sam Rainsy Party complaints.

CPP officials had accused Sam Rainsy of defaming and insulting the CPP's top leaders as "thieves of the nation" and a "blind driver."

The NEC fined Sam Rainsy a total of 10 million riel in all 11 cases, but denied a motion by CPP lawyer Ben Sonsamay for the removal of Sam Rainsy's parliamentary candidacy.

The NEC ruled in favor of SRP Kampot candidate Mu Sochua, fining CPP provincial official San Sman 5 million riel for using a military vehicle to campaign.

The NEC fined Thin Venneth, a CPP deputy village chief, 5 million riel, for the use of a state motorcycle for campaigning.

Preah Vihear Dominates Pre-Election as Cambodia Seeks UNSC Resolution

The Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) is expected to do well in the cities and could improve its position among rural voters after heavy campaigning in the countryside. Opposition leader Sam Rainsy is seen here campaigning in Takeo province (Photo: SRP)

23 Jul 2008
Luke Hunt
World Politics Review Exclusive

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia -- Cambodian authorities have called for a special U.N. Security Council resolution aimed at resolving a border dispute with Thailand as a wave of nationalism sweeps the country ahead of national elections on Sunday.

Foreign Minister Hor Namhong said Tuesday Cambodia's ambassador in New York had sought the request, as a troop build-up around a 900-year-old temple in this country's remote northwest continues. Reports Wednesday indicated that the Security Council would discuss the issue at a Thursday meeting.

"Thai troops with artilleries and tanks are building up along the border, constituting a very serious threat not only to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Cambodia but also to peace and stability in our region," Hor Namhong told a diplomatic and press briefing July 22.

Flanked by ambassadors and delegates from at least 15 countries, including the U.S., Britain, Australia and France, Hor Namhong warned Thai soldiers had positioned themselves among Khmers living on the Cambodian side of the border "thereby causing a volatile and tense situation" and security council intervention was necessary "to avoid armed confrontation."

He has also asked the 10-member regional bloc, the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), of which Cambodia and Thailand are both members, to help resolve the crisis, which has dominated the lead-up to the national poll.

Prime Minister Hun Sen and his ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) are widely expected to win Sunday's election outright on the back of a booming local economy and the rising tide of nationalism that followed UNESCO's July 7 decision to grant Preah Vihear temple on the disputed border with Thailand, a world heritage listing.

Bangkok had opposed the move and dispatched troops into the area on July 15. Phnom Penh countered, enlisting the help of retired Khmer Rouge soldiers, and a tense stand-off has ensued as politicians tried this week to negotiate a peaceful withdrawal.

But as far as Phnom Penh is concerned, international courts have long recognized Cambodian sovereignty over Preah Vihear.

Hor Namhong said Thailand had violated the international boundary between the two countries, which was established in 1908 between then Siam and France, the colonial rulers of Cambodia. This placed Preah Vihear 700 meters inside Cambodia.

That agreement was later challenged, with the International Court of Justice ruling in Cambodia's favor in 1962.

The U.S. Ambassador to Cambodia Joseph Mussomeli said while the U.N. Security Council would consider Phnom Penh's request, it would be preferable to see a bilateral resolution to the dispute negotiated between Cambodia and Thailand.

UNESCO's heritage recognition was successfully portrayed here as a government victory in international diplomacy. Thousands have turned out at rallies, marched, prayed and descended upon the ruins at Preah Vihear and this is expected to translate into extra votes for the CPP when the ballots are cast.

A constitutional amendment that allows a party to rule outright with 51 percent of the seats in parliament was also expected to provide the CPP with a lift.

Previously an unattainable two-thirds majority was required to effectively rule, and this often resulted in messy coalitions, political horse trading and bickering.

It took Hun Sen 12 months to forge a government after the 2003 poll.

Meanwhile, allegations of corruption and a sex scandal involving royalist party Funcinpec's former leader Prince Norodom Ranariddh have further damaged any chance the royalists had of improving on their miserable showing in the last election.

The Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) is expected to do well in the cities and could improve its position among rural voters after heavy campaigning in the countryside.

But the SRP is up against the CPP's well-oiled logistics and organizational structure, which blankets this country and is riding high on the Preah Vihear issue, and an economic boom not seen since the Vietnam War tipped Cambodia into decades of civil conflict in the early 1970s.

The current economic good times are being attributed mainly to 10 years of relative peace and stability under the CPP, and many observers and opposition politicians fear Hun Sen could completely obliterate their ranks at the weekend poll.

The standoff over Preah Vihear has also distracted attention from an election campaign that has shown some familiar and violent patterns from the past.

"Unfortunately, Preah Vihear has all Cambodians worried and all the media's attention is focused on Preah Vihear," said Kek Galabru, president of the human rights group Licadho. "People aren't receiving all the information they need to make an informed decision because of Preah Vihear."

She said suspected electoral-related killings, vote buying, and politically inspired arrests had been reported, adding: "How can you have free and fair elections when a journalist is killed, one who wrote articles that were against the government."

Khim Sambo, a journalist who wrote for a pro-SRP newspaper, and his son were shot dead while riding their motorbike home on a busy Phnom Penh street on July 11.

However, determining what constitutes electoral-related violence is difficult in a country where guns are common amid a notorious culture of impunity and some observers fear elections have even become a time to settle old political scores with violence.

Despite this, election monitors mostly agreed this year's campaign was a vast improvement on previous efforts, the first of which was in 1993, when a U.N.-sponsored poll designed to restore Cambodian democracy after decades of war was plagued by violence.

The suspected electoral-related death toll stands at 13, almost half the reported killings in 2003.

"The numbers have decreased but there should not be one killing," Galabru told World Politics Review. "Only when there is not one killing can an election be seen as free."

Luke Hunt is a Hong Kong-based correspondent and a frequent World Politics Review contributor.

SRP election campaign in Pursat province

On July 12-13, 2008, the SRP held its election campaign in Pursat province

SRP election campaign in Battambang province

On July 13-14, 2008, the SRP held its election campaign in Battambang province.

Voters Worry a Promise Is Just a Promise

By Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
22 July 2008

Click here to listen to the Khmer audio program

[Editor's note: In the weeks leading into national polls, VOA Khmer will explore a wide number of election issues. The "Election Issues 2008" series will air stories on Tuesday and Wednesday, followed by a related "Hello VOA" guest on Thursday. This is the first in a two-part series examining Cambodia's voters.]

For nearly a month, potential voters have been listening to the messages of political parties campaigning for 123 National Assembly seats. Their votes will be cast on Sunday, but many voters worry that by Monday, promises made will fade away.

In the course of the campaign, 11 parties made sweeping promises before voters, vowing to fight corruption, eliminate land-grabbing, curb inflation, reform the judiciary and protect the natural environment.

And while many of the countries 8 million voters likely heard these messages, they might not have been as convinced as parties hoped.

"I like all party platforms for the purpose of pushing Cambodian society to the rule of law, development and prosperity," Hav Cheng Sim, a 22-year-old civil engineering student said recently. "But I have little belief in those political promises."

Political observers say attitudes like these should be a reminder to political parties to remember promises they've made on the campaign trail.

"The voter's concern is a very important thing to remind the politicians and candidates, who made promises before the people, that they must respect their promises after winning the election," Ly Sothearayuth, a senior program officer for the National Democratic Institute, said.

Long Saroeun, 26, sitting with her infant on her lap outside a small wooden house in Phnom Penh, said recently she was skeptical of all political parties.

"The political promise is just a political trick and strategy by all parties to lobby voters," she said. "Politicians always break their promises, after winning.”

Views in the city and the countryside were similar among some voters.

"My family makes a very poor living, but no politician or party has come to help get my family and me out of poverty, so I do not believe in the promises by politicians or parties," Meach Phalla, a 45-year-old woman living in Kampong Cham town, said. "But I believe in myself to make a small business for supporting my family."

Sam Rainsy helps farmers plant rice during election campaign in Kampong Speu

Opposition leader Sam Rainsy helps farmers in Svay Chacheb commune, Baseth commune, Kampong Speu provicne, plant rice (All photos: SRP)
Sam Rainsy is greeted by Thmei villagers, Rung Roeung commune, Thpong district
Sam Rainsy shows a document to his supporters
Take the CPP gift but support the SRP instead!
The crowd cheers Sam Rainsy in Phnom Sruoch district
SRP supporters in Baseth district.

Media Remained Unfair in Campaign: Monitor

By Seng Ratana, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
21 July 2008

The vast majority of Cambodian media remained biased through the election campaign period, a committee of neutral observers said Monday.

In a report released Friday, the Asian Network for Free Elections said the broadcast and print media provided unbalanced stories in favor of the ruling Cambodian People's Party.

"Most [media outlets] have not been fair in broadcasting or writing news of political parties equally," the group said.

Candidates of the CPP have more possibilities for coverage in media, including images, photographs, activities and political message to voters, Somsri Hananuntasuk, executive director of Anfrel, said.

This year marked the first mission of Anfrel in observing Cambodian elections. In a three-week mission, they brought in observers from Indonesia, Bangladesh, Thailand, the Philippines, Taiwan, Nepal and India.

The observers traveled to eight provinces, including Phnom Penh, Kampong Cham, Kampot, Battambang, Banthey Meanchey, Siem Reap, Kandal and Takeo provinces.

In Cambodia, there are 24 radio and seven TK stations. Print media includes more than 300 outlets. Anfrel noted that besides, UNDP, NDI and NEC programming, non-ruling parties did not receive any coverage by these outlets, Anfrel said.

CPP lawmaker Chiem Yeap said CPP had a possibility of media coverage because it is the ruling party, and CPP rents time on both radio and television.

"CPP booked the time a year ago for broadcast during the election campaign," he said.

NEC Secretary-General Tep Nitha said he recognized the Anfrel observations, and he said the NEC has instructed the media many times to maintain professional and election standards.

However, NEC has no role to control the media, he said.

SRP lawmaker Son Chhay said the gap between ruling party and opposition party coverage were as far apart as "land and sky."

The Sam Rainsy Party has one hour per day aired on two radio stations, but the CPP uses nearly all the stations all the time, he said.

The unfair use of media is a major concern for non-governmental agencies, Hang Puthea, executive director of the Neutral and Impartial Committee for Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia, said.

Voters were not getting information from all parties joining the election, he said.

The NEC has allowed more than 24,000 local and 400 international observers from 12 countries.