SRP claims multiple campaign violations

Wednesday, 30 May 2012
Meas Sokchea
The Phnom Penh Post

The opposition Sam Rainsy Party has produced documents it alleges prove that almost 100 employees of the part-state-owned Electricity Du Cambodge have been registered to vote twice and urged by a senior staff member to do so.

At a press conference yesterday, SRP spokesman Yim Sovann showed a list of 98 people, who he claimed were civil servants in the state/private enterprise, with separate voter registration numbers for communes in both Kampong Cham and Pursat provinces.

“This irregularity proves that Cambodian People’s Party has used civil servants in the system to serve its political interests that this act is an illegal act,” Yim Sovann said.

Yim Sovann provided a photocopied letter from a man only identified as Sovann, deputy president of the working team, that urged the people on the list to vote twice in upcoming June 3 commune elections, which he said had been leaked by a pro-SRP employee.

CPP Against Woman

2 July 2008
Op-Ed By Kok Sap
On the web at http://neokhmer.wordpress.com/

Picture means more than words. Look at the CPP brightly red blood flying dancer, a woman, was she supposed to mean something?

In just barely 5 day into the so called official election campaign, CPP own National Election Laws seem exposing its chauvinism already. Mme. Mu Sochua, a Khmer and woman MP candidate from one of the contending parties, was reported to have been assaulted by a Royal Armed Forces General who happens to be a CPP official too. She was not only nearly run over but indecently exposed in daylight too. This isolated incident makes Viet sex workers in modern Phnom Penh laugh so hard at CPP hot shots.

Speaking of fair campaign, look at General Hoc Lundi National Police Boss, an alleged 1997 coup lynch man, orders his uniformed officers to campaign for CPP since 2008 started. The same time CPP Ministers order employees to volunteer and campaign for CPP a long time ago too.

Just days before the campaign kick off, the CPP's Foreign Minister (a Killing Fields prison warden) pulled a punch below waist line on a meek journalist who merely reported what was already known. He sued then arrested and illegally imprisoned poor man. On top of that Sihanouk was told to warn his followers not to use his image during the campaigning. Imagine even killing fields God King was mistreated too. This is clearly a lèse majesté.

The contenders are already at disadvantage since CPP has state owned TV-Radio, press/media, state owned means and paid employees, tanks, planes and big guns, millions of dollar, armed guards, 4 million Viets and Kings in its pockets. Nonetheless CPP seems more panicking and wagging its tail at its opponents.

Mme. Mu Sochua assailant should be prosecuted on sexual harassment, physical abuse, and misuse state owned property to conduct personal political agendas charges.

No Serious Campaign Violence Reported ... Just the usual CPP violence, intimidation and threats, as usual

No Serious Campaign Violence Reported: NEC

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

In 22 instances of campaign irregularities reported to the National Election Committee since Thursday, none of them have included serious violence, officials said Tuesday.

This marked an improvement from 2003, election officials said.

"We've received 22 complaints up to today," NEC Secretary-General Tep Nitha told reporters Tuesday. "All of the complaints are related to violations of NEC procedures."

He cited as examples the dueling of loudspeakers between two or more parties, or the installation of a party logo on a site without permission.

"But in all the complaints, we can compromise in the [commune election committees], and some others in the [provincial election committees]," he said. "None of the complaints will affect the election process."

Provincial election committees will be holding open hearings in some cases, he said.

Some parties, however, said they had suffered many abuses.

"We face much violence, violations of the election law, threats, [and] intimidation from the [Cambodian People's Party] against the Sam Rainsy Party activities in all forms," SRP Secretary-General Mu Sochua told reporters at a separate press conference Tuesday.

Mu Sochua has alleged two attempts by vehicles to strike her, and claimed on Monday her shirt had been ripped open and her arm twisted in an altercation with a CPP supporter.

Commune police posts have banned the Sam Rainsy Party from playing loudspeakers in some communes, Mu Sochua said, and in other cases, the party has been prevented from campaigning village to village.

In a statement Tuesday the Norodom Ranariddh Party condemned a death threat to one of its activists and the prevention of the party from installing signs on some locations.

The party also accused 10 unidentified men of setting up a roadblock and throwing stones at activists in an attempt to dissuade the party from campaigning in Battambang province.

Human Rights Party Vice President Keo Remy said the party also experienced violence and destruction, including the ripping up of photos of party president Kem Sokha and concerted damage to party signs and leaflets in Phnom Penh.

Tep Nitha said Tuesday most irregularities were reported in Battambang and Phnom Penh, as well as Svay Rieng and Prey Veng provinces.

Prey Khmom CPP deputy village chief attempted to run over SRP candidate Mu Sochua with his motorcycle

Mrs. Mu Sochua campaigning in Kampot province (Photo: SRP)

Source: SRP

PRESS STATEMENT CPP Deputy Village Chief Attempts to Cause Bodily Harm to Mu Sochua, SRP Candidate in Kampot

Place: Prey Khmom Village, Kampot
Time: 28 June 2008

Mu Sochua, Deputy Secretary General of the Sam Rainsy Party and the party's first candidate in Kampot for the 2008 elections, narrowly escaped danger after an encounter with the CPP deputy village chief of Prey Khmom village, Kampot province, on 28 June 2008, the third day of the official campaign period.

While campaigning, Mu Sochua observed that the commune police chief of Stung Keo was riding on the back of a moto-cycle driven by the deputy village chief, who was wearing a hat with a CPP logo. Rules and regulations clearly state that the neutrality of village chiefs and their deputies must be strictly enforced during the campaign period and election day.

Mu Sochua stopped the moto-cycle and introduced herself in order to address the violation of the election rules and regulations. After a brief argument, the deputy village chief verbally threatened to run over Mu Sochua, who was blocking him from leaving. He immediately accelerated at full speed, with Mu Sochua narrowly escaping serious bodily harm or even death. The deputy village chief later confessed to a Radio Free Asia reporter that his true intention was to run over Mu Sochua.

A complaint will be filed with the Kampot court by the SRP against the deputy village chief for pre-meditated intention to cause bodily harm. An additional complaint regarding the violation of the election rules and regulations will also been filed at the Commune Election Committee.

General Secretariat Sam Rainsy Party
28 June, 2008

Thank Lord Buddha! A one-month reprieve from Hun Sen's invectives

PM distances himself from CPP electoral campaign

Thursday, 05 June 2008
The Mekong Times

“Don’t beat other people’s head until their heads are fractured” - Hun Sen's advice to CPP members

Prime Minister Hun Sen, the deputy president of the Cambodian People’s Party (CCP), announced yesterday that he will not join the Jun 26-Jul 25 electoral campaign as he wants to avoid “confrontation.”

“From Jun 26, my voice will be no longer heard,” he said at a speech in Takeo province, “[I want] to avoid confrontation with other [leaders].”

He added that he was unafraid of criticism from other politicians. “To win or lose is one thing, and we want to gain victory. But what’s more important is that the election must be held freely, justly, and non-violently.”

Hun Sen appealed to CPP members to avoid causing any problems with other parties. “Please, CPP members, adhere to a [Buddhist] Dharma of patience. People have the right to have their own beliefs and support their own party’s leadership.”

“Don’t beat other people’s head until their heads are fractured,” advised the premier. “File a legal complaint instead.”

The Cambodian government must act against violence

Opposition SRP sign painted over (Photo: SRP)

9/5/2008
Ch. Narendra
MyNews.in (India)

The court of Phnom Penh has not so far acted upon the lawsuit filed by Ho Vann, a SRP Member of Parliament. Yet the same court has acted upon a criminal lawsuit against Sam Rainsy, the SRP leader, and has issued a summons for Sam to appear before it soon after the lawsuit had been filed.

Preparations are now under way for the next general election scheduled for 27 July 2008. Although the electoral campaign cannot begin until 30 days prior to the polls, political parties are already conducting a flurry of activities to challenge one another to score points and win votes. These activities include various measures to enlist more party members and supporters so as to deny them to rival parties.

As in past elections, all these activities are accompanied by a degree of violence, different kinds of government restrictions and also legal action against opponents. All these troubles hit almost exclusively the opposition parties. Interestingly, the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP), formerly a communist party, is free of such problems.

So far, lured by offers of public offices by the ruling party and unhappy with their party, six Members of Parliament and many members of the opposition Sam Rainsy Party (SRP), the second largest party, have recently defected to the CPP. Opposition parties have banner signs dismantled or painted over, and their members have received threats and intimidation and have even been beaten. According to an election monitoring report dated March 2008, in 2007, there were altogether 51 cases of threat against all non-ruling parties, mostly against SRP (29), and 12 sign dismantling cases, creating a climate of fears among opposition activists. Such troubles are not expected to decline this year at the approach of the polls.

On 22 March 2008, a district security force of some 20 men went to put down an SRP banner sign in Phnom Penh and allegedly beat a SRP Member of Parliament named Ho Vann who was trying to protect the sign. Two days later, Ho filed a criminal lawsuit to the court of Phnom Penh against the perpetrators for battery and destruction of property with all evidence in support.

More recently, on 3 May, Noeu Noeuy, who is chief of Banteay Chhmar South village, Banteay Chhmar commune, Thmar Puok district, Banteay Meanchey province and also the CPP village committee chairman kicked and beat Hem Poeu who is chief of a group of houses in the village, when Hem refused to join CPP. This incident happened after Noeu had made a CPP membership card for Poeu with Poeu’s photo on it as if to force the latter to join CPP. After this discovery Poeu loudly told Noeu he would not “walk along the wrong path… I will not walk with you, the communist lot”. Poeu was the supporter of another party. When he walked away after this encouter, Neou kicked him from behind and beat his head and neck.

In all incidents affecting the opposition parties so far, the police and the courts of law, widely known as under political control of the ruling party, did not show any diligence in their investigations, and no perpetrator has been apprehended and brought to justice so far.

The court of Phnom Penh has not so far acted upon the lawsuit filed by Ho Vann, a SRP Member of Parliament. Yet the same court has acted upon a criminal lawsuit against Sam Rainsy, the SRP leader, and has issued a summons for Sam to appear before it soon after the lawsuit had been filed.

On 22 April Hor Nam Hong, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and also a leading CPP member, filed this criminal lawsuit for defamation and disinformation at the court of Phnom Penh after Sam Rainsy had made a public speech Hor has alleged to have affected his name.

Sam made that speech on 17 April at a ceremony to commemorate the seizure of power by the Khmer Rouge and the beginning of their massacres of the Cambodian people on that day in 1975. Sam said that two ministers of the current government had been Khmer Rouge cadres. He mentioned that one minister, Senior Minister for Economics and Finance, had been Khmer Rouge Leader Pol Pot’s secretary and translator, and the other minister, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, had been chief of the Khmer Rouge prison at Boeung Trabek in Phnom Penh.

Earlier, in March, the court of Kompong Thom Province also acted promptly at the behest of Prime Minister Hun Sen, the CPP Vice-Chairman. On 17 March 2008, in a public speech, Hun Sen ordered with insistence investigations into alleged criminal offences against three persons who were working for CPP.

The first person named Tim Norn who was a woman commune councilor of Pong Ror commune, Baray district, Kompong Thom province. It was alleged Tim’s fellow SRP members had confined her against her will so as to prevent her from defecting to CPP. An SRP member named Tuot Sarorn, who was chief of Pong Ror commune, was soon arrested and has been in jail since. The other two persons were living in Takeo province. Both have allegedly received death threats through their phones while they were working to enlist support for CPP.

Violence against opposition parties, the absence of action against such violence together with restrictions on their activities not only mar the electoral process but also put these parties at a serious disadvantage compared with the ruling party. When opposition parties are placed in such difficult circumstances, it cannot be expected that the election will be free and fair.

The Cambodian government cannot ensure such a free and fair election as prescribed by the country’s Constitution without ending this violence, taking action against it without any discrimination, and creating a climate whereby all parties can conduct their political activities in security and freedom, and voters can freely exercise their choice.

"If I go with you, it’s the wrong path. I’m not following you, the communists": Victim of CPP village chief beating for refusing to support the CPP

Man beaten up by CPP village chief for not supporting to the CPP

04 May 2008
By Ouk Sav Borey
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy

A human rights organization official claimed that a man was beaten up by his village chief because he refused to support the CPP.

Hem Pov, a group chief at the South Banteay Chhmar village, Banteay Chhmar commune, Thmor Puok district, Banteay Meanchey province, claimed that his CPP village chief used violence against him in the afternoon of Saturday 03 May 2008, after he refused to continue providing support to the CPP anymore: “I yelled that I am not following the wrong path, I want to follow the right path. He said that: ‘Don’t you regret it?’ I said that I have no regret and I left his home, as I stepped out, he beat me up. He kicked me, he beat me on my legs, my head, my neck, but, my neck is OK, but only my legs are swollen.”

Nov Neuy, the South Banteay Chhmar village chief recognized that he did some of the beating on Hem Pov, the group chief who harassed him to stop being a CPP party member. Nov Neuy claimed that Hem Pov tore other people’s documents and looked down on the CPP.

Nov Neuy said: “He defamed (the CPP) by saying that he is no longer walking along with the CPP anymore, the CPP is not developing, so I chased him out of my house, but he didn’t leave, so I pushed him down and I hit him once.”

Preoung Chamnan, the 2nd commune councilor from the Funcinpec party, indicated that Hem Pov is in fact a Funcinpec party member. When the CPP issued IDs for the party supporters, Hem Pov went in to look, then he saw his picture pasted by the village chief among the CPP supporters. Hem Pov was not pleased by this, as he claimed that he did not ask to support the CPP, and he wanted to have his picture removed from the CPP supporter list. He also asked the Funcinpec party representative to be witness about this fact.

Proeung Chamnan said: “The CPP activists asked (Hem Pov): ‘Are you going with us or not?’ Then my man (Hem Pov) said: ‘If I go with you, it’s the wrong path. I’m not following you, the communists.’ When he said that, they got angry.”

Chan Soveth, an investigator for the Adhoc human rights organization, said that the ruling party (CPP) is currently violating the right of voters to decide who they want to support. He said that the CPP is currently trying to gather support from students and voters: “Along isolated villages, the village chiefs are always taking this type of action (perpetrating violence), because this is the way the ruling party governs.”

In response to this accusation, CPP MP Cheam Yeap denied by saying: “We are prohibiting the inclusion in the (CPP) party of people belonging to other parties, and for the public in general. If they want to join (the CPP), they can join, but there is no forced adhesion to the (CPP) party by using beating.”

Nevertheless, Hem Pov indicated that he is leaving the CPP because he is not satisfied with the work performed by the CPP.

Hun Sen promised not to use violence during 2008 election, but wished that lightning would strike his opponents

Hun Sen Rebukes Opposition's Call for Unity

Seng Ratana, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
09/04/2007

Prime Minister Hun Sen scoffed Monday at the opposition's call for a united front in the 2008 National Election, saying his ruling Cambodian People's Party would be able to fend off any political attack with development—not violence.

Funcinpec, the government's coalition partner, was soundly beaten in local elections earlier this month, and opposition leader Sam Rainsy has used their defeat and his own small gains at the polls as a rallying cry to smaller parties.

In a ceremony in Siem Reap Monday, Hun Sen criticized parties who "consider themselves as mountains, while others as sand on the mountains, and others as grass on the mountains to stand against the CPP."

"They plan to do something to the CPP in 2008," he said. "Now the democrats and the royalists merge. I say this is the same thing that happened during the 1998 election, in the 2003 election, and now again in 2008. I'm joking in Siem Reap when I say if these people do not think about toppling the CPP, maybe lightning will strike them."

Sangkum Jatiniyum Front Party leader Sisowath Thomico said that royalist parties should be united first among themselves and then with other opposition.