Officials from 2 parties are defecting

Saturday, February 02, 2008
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by KI-Media

2 officials from the Funcinpec party and one from the SRP defected their parties to join Hun Sen’s CPP. The Koh Santepheap newspaper reported that Sin Pin Sen and So Victor, both high-ranking Funcinpec officials, have decided to leave their party to join the CPP. Ahmed Yahya, SRP MP, also defected from the SRP to join the CPP also. Mrs. Mu Sochua, SRP Deputy Secretary-general, told Koh Santepheap that indeed, Ahmed Yahya left the SRP. She said that this was his decision, and there should be no problem within the SRP. Prince Sisowath Thomico blamed the defection of high ranking Funcinpec officials on the bad governance of current Funcinpec party leaders. The prince said that, in the past, people criticized the weak leadership of Prince Ranariddh, but he said that now, (the new party leaders) could not even stop the party bleeding.

SRP MP opposes Thailand accusations

11 June 2007
By Khim Sarang
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy

One SRP MP supported the reaction of Prime Minister Hun Sen opposing the accusations made against Cambodian Muslims for their (alleged) involvements with JI terrorists in southern Thailand.

In a statement dated 11 June, MP Ahmed Yahya said that Cambodian Muslims are traveling across Thailand to look for work in Malaysia only. He said that the majority of them returned back to Cambodia by plane, whereas a number of others travel by land across Thailand without proper documents.

Recently, General Sothornchai, the commander of Thailand’s special border unit, reported that statistics of the Thai ministry of foreign affairs show that, since 2005, almost 20,000 Cambodian Muslims legally crossed the border into Thailand at Sakeo border gate, and they continued on to southern Thailand. Among those, only 10% returned back to Cambodia.