HRP Condemns Destruction of Party Signs

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

The Human Rights Party assailed commune authorities nationwide Monday for allowing the destruction of party signs in the provinces.

Forty HRP signs have been destroyed across Cambodia since the founding of the party in July 2007, party officials said.

"The destruction is political discrimination against the Human Rights Party and violates the Cambodian constitution and violates the people's rights and political rights," said Keo Remy, vice president of the party.

"Those destroying the party signs are the commune councils from various parties, not only the ruling party," he said. "They are worried about the party's increasing popularity."

The destruction of signs is one form of intimidation that appears prior to most elections. A party statement requested the Ministry of Interior to take "strong action" to condemn the authorities or anyone else who destroys political signs and to end discrimination against the Human Rights Party.

"We permit the Human Rights Party to set up party signs all over the country, but the party must make a good relation and cooperation with the local authorities, for protection of each sign," Interior Ministry spokesman Lt. Gen. Khieu Sopheak said.

Sometimes parties set up signs on the private land of people who don't want them, he said.

"We aren't going to allow broken party signs to become a big problem," he said.

HRP to choose party’s PM candidate [-It looks like Kem Sokha may be the only candidate]

Saturday, February 23, 2008
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

Kem Sokha’s HRP plans to hold an extraordinary congress on 27 February 2008, to select a PM candidate for the party. This congress will be held at the party’s headquarters in Boeung Kak 2 commune, Tuol Kok district, Phnom Penh. Ou Chan Roth, the HRP secretary-general, told the Rasmei Kampuchea that, based on the principle of democracy, the party requested its 3 committees (the steering committee, the executive committee, and the rule committee) to provide their respective candidates to the premiership candidacy. However, up until now, nobody has come up to announce their candidacy yet. Ou Chan Roth said that the party steering committee led by Son Soubert, who is also a party vice-president, is judged as a potential candidate after the candidacy of Kem Sokha. Ou Chan Roth added that, nevertheless, Kem Sokha was the only one who made it known that he wants to be the party’s PM candidate in the upcoming 2008 general election.