Report: Cambodians have 'no knowledge' of Khmer Rouge tribunal

Wed, 21 Jan 2009
DPA

Phnom Penh - A report released in Cambodia on Wednesday said 85 per cent of Cambodians had little or no knowledge of the UN-backed tribunal currently putting former Khmer Rouge on trial. According to the survey - which was conducted by the University of California's Human Rights Centre in September and October - 39 per cent of respondents said they had no knowledge about the tribunal, while 46 per cent said they had "a little" knowledge about the court.

The findings led the report's authors to call on the Cambodian government, the tribunal and non-governmental organizations to improve their public awareness campaigns.

"One of the main objectives of this report is to ensure victims of the Khmer Rouge are given voice and are brought to the table in the trial process," co-author Eric Stover told media at the report's launch in Phnom Penh.

The survey put a range of questions about the Khmer Rouge and the tribunal to 1,000 randomly selected Cambodians is all the country's provinces.

The report recommended that the government and the tribunal immediately investigate and resolve allegations of corruption on the Cambodian side of the court, which surfaced last year, and appoint a public education officer to the court.

Tribunal spokeswoman Helen Jarvis said the court welcomed the report but said much of the data collected was "open to interpretation."

"This data shows that 15 per cent of respondents had a moderate or higher knowledge of the tribunal, so it could also be understood as showing that 61 per cent had at least some knowledge," she said.

"This also contradicts an International Republican Institute report that 72 per cent of people had knowledge about the court," she added.

The Khmer Rouge tribunal was established in 2006 after a decade of negotiations between the Cambodian government and the UN.

Five former Khmer Rouge leaders are facing trial for their roles in the deaths of up to 2 million people though execution, starvation and overwork during the ultra-communist regime's rule between 1975 and 1975.

On Monday the court announced the long-awaited trial of former S-21 torture facility chairman Gaing Kak Ev - known by his revolutionary name, Duch - would begin on February 17.

No dates have been set for the four other detainees' trials.

Sam Rainsy says he is not furious at the IRI, unlike Hun Sen's claim

Friday, May 30, 2008
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

Opposition leader Sam Rainsy rejected Hun Sen’s claim saying that he (Sam Rainsy) is furious at the IRI for publishing a survey result indicating that 77% of the people say that Cambodia is moving in the right direction. Sam Rainsy told The Cambodia Daily on Thursday that his party has no intention of being furious with the IRI, however, he said that the results of the survey does not truly reflect the opinion of the population. Sam Rainsy said that this survey does not represent the entire population, snd that the population does not like the CPP. Sam Rainsy added that people answering the survey may feel scared of those who were conducting the survey. Sam Rainsy also said that the SRP does not have the power to destroy the country, and that it is the government’s duty to build the country. Sam Rainsy also said that the government’s duty also includes the construction of infrastructure because it receives money from the public and from donor countries. He said that the CPP is mixing up this party with the government, he stressed that there should be separation between the CPP as a party and the government, and that the government and the party have separate function from one another.

Controversial unpublised IRI election survey results - Hun Sen erroneously claims CPP election victory prediction?

Two months to the election, a survey puts the CPP in the lead

29 May 2008
By Ky Soklim
Cambodge Soir Hebdo
Translated from French by Tola Ek

A survey conducted by the International Republican Institute (IRI), two months ahead of the general election indicated the intention of Cambodian voters. These results were not made available to the public, but were provided to various parties.

Prime minister Hun Sen said that the results were provided to Sok An, his vice-prime minister, “in the presence of USAID representatives.” The CPP claimed that 50% of the people surveyed indicated that they would “surely vote” for him, where 25% had answered “may vote” for the CPP.

On the Sam Rainsy Party side, Kong Korm, the deputy president of the party, reported that, according to the IRI, 19% of Cambodians replied they would “surely vote” for the SRP, and 39% “may vote” for the SRP. He also showed his optimism by saying: “From now until the election, more than 50% will vote for us.”

The actual results will be found out on 27 July.
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KI-Media Note: On Thursday, The Mekong Times reported: “Prime Minister Hun Sen yesterday erroneously claimed the organization had predicted a resounding victory for his Cambodian People’s Party (CPP). ‘IRI said that about 50 percent of surveyed people will vote for the CPP and 25 percent may vote for the CPP,’ he said yesterday at a meeting of the Cambodian Development Council, adding that from the 25 percent he claims are undecided he hopes to claim some 10 percent, meaning his party would easily win the election.”

Political Cartoon: Th-I-R-I direction

Cartoon by Sacrava (on the web at http://sacrava.blogspot.com)

IRI predicts 75 percent turnout for election [-Hang Puthea raised concerns the IRI survey may not meet international standards]

Thursday, 29 May 2008
Touch Yuthear
The Mekong Times

The International Republican Institute (IRI) predicted in a recent survey that this year’s July 27 national election will see a 75 percent turnout of Cambodia’s 8 million voters, a figure which has been confirmed by political observers.

The IRI is a US government funded political organization staffed mainly by members of the Republican Party.

The survey, which questioned 2,000 Cambodian voters, found 22 percent of respondents were undecided if they would have voted if polling was taking place the day they were interviewed. Two percent said it was unlikely, and one percent said they definitely would not have.

Hang Puthea, executive director of electoral watchdog the Neutral and Impartial Committee for Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia (NICFEC) said the survey’s findings are in line with the data gathered by his own organization.

But Hang Puthea raised concerns the IRI survey may not meet international standards. “Surveys conducted in developed and stable countries seem to have more reliable results… The survey will be less correct than in more developed countries,” he said.

Though the recent IRI survey did not cover which party voters will choose, Prime Minister Hun Sen yesterday erroneously claimed the organization had predicted a resounding victory for his Cambodian People’s Party (CPP).

“IRI said that about 50 percent of surveyed people will vote for the CPP and 25 percent may vote for the CPP,” he said yesterday at a meeting of the Cambodian Development Council, adding that from the 25 percent he claims are undecided he hopes to claim some 10 percent, meaning his party would easily win the election.

But the prime minister also criticized the survey’s accuracy. “IRI conducted the survey on a number of people who it had selected. I don’t think all the surveyed citizens have their names in the election list,” he said.

Tep Nytha, deputy secretary general of the National Election Committee (NEC), said the IRI’s data was valuable. “We welcome all surveys, but I would like to remind any such groups that surveys are banned within 5 days of election day,” he added.

He said that the turnout for the nation’s first elections in 1993 was around 89 percent, in the 1998 election 93 percent and in the 2003 election 83 percent. Turnout for last year’s commune elections was much lower, at just 68 percent.

Everything's moving in the right direction in the Land of Corruption and Kingdoom of Land-Grabbing

77% think Cambodia moving in right direction: IRI survey

Wednesday, 28 May 2008
By Touch Yuthea
The Mekong Times

Most Cambodians are happy with the way Cambodia is being run, an International Republican Institute (IRI) survey has claimed, with 77 percent of those asked responding that Cambodia is moving in the right direction and 20 percent saying it was moving in the wrong direction.

The survey, taken Jan 27-Feb 26, asked 2,000 eligible voters from across the Kingdom the simple question: “Is Cambodia generally headed in the right direction or the wrong direction?” said IRI Director John Willis during a press conference yesterday.

The IRI asked respondents to give reasons for their answer, he said.

Road building was the most popular reason for saying Cambodia is moving forward, with 77 percent of people seeing this as a major achievement. School construction came next, with 63 percent, 23 percent plumped for health clinic construction, 20 percent for pagoda construction, 17 percent for bridge building, 14 percent for irrigation and 10 percent for “other”. Better living conditions were a reason why Cambodia is generally headed in the right direction, thought 11 percent of those surveyed, while 7 percent cited peace. Just 9 percent said a good business environment was helping Cambodia develop.

Of reasons why Cambodia is moving in the wrong direction, high goods prices was the most popular at 32 percent, corruption at 30 percent, poverty at 22 percent, energy prices at 20 percent, “business poor” at 15 percent, nepotism at 13 percent, “low, low prices” at 12 percent, “land threat” at 12 percent, the environment at 9 percent and poor infrastructure at 9 percent.

Human Rights Party president Kem Sokha cast aspersions on the IRI’s report, saying that the sample size was too small to be reliable.

“Most Cambodians people do not like the [the present government’s] leadership because it is heading in the wrong direction in all sectors — politics, economy, and society,” he argued. “A more accurate figure would be around 20 percent saying [Cambodia is generally headed] in right direction and more than 70 percent saying the wrong way.”