Land, Borders Reemerge as Top Issues for 2013 Elections

Arrest during protest of Borei Keila forced eviction

Border markers planted inside Cambodian territories

Border sovereignty and landlessness are likely to be the two most politically important issues of this election.

07 September 2012

Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer

...the ruling party “has no real intention, no ability and no will to address the issues,” [Kem Sokha] said. “So people must change the ruling party and incumbent leaders by switching to the opposition party to hold power.”

WASHINGTON DC - With national elections less than a year away, ruling party officials have begun a publicity campaign to show they are tackling tough issues facing the country, such as border delineation and land grabs, but opposition leaders say the Cambodian People’s Party cannot claim it has solved the issues itself.

Without the opposition to push the issues, the ruling party would “sit on its hands” and not resolve national issues, said Kem Sokha, president of the Human Rights Party and soon-to-be vice president of the Cambodia National Rescue Party.

Border sovereignty and landlessness are likely to be the two most politically important issues of this election, election observers say, with both sides trying to capitalize on them.

Kem Sokha said the issues help the opposition, even if the ruling party is perceived to be handling them.

Opposition Party Leader [Kem Sokha] Observing Democratic Convention

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tExmzGyOov0

Kem Sokha is among some 300 international political leaders to be invited by the democracy advocacy group to observe the convention.

06 September 2012

Reasey Poch, VOA Khmer

CHARLOTTE - Kem Sokha, head of the opposition Human Rights Party, is in North Carolina to observe the Democratic National Convention, at the invitation of the National Democratic Institute.

Kem Sokha is among some 300 international political leaders to be invited by the democracy advocacy group to observe the convention, during which the Democratic Party will officially announce its candidate, Barrack Obama, for the presidential campaign.

The convention, which ends Thursday, was important to witness, especially the way the presidential campaign is covered by US media, Kem Sokha said.

Public Forum on "Youth and Politics" in Soul, South Korea, 23 Sept 2012

Kem Sokha invited to the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina

May 16, 2012

The Honorable Sokha Kem

LeaderHuman Rights Party

Cambodia

Dear Honorable Kem:

On behalf of the Board of Directors and the staff of the National Democratic Institute (NDI), we are pleased to invite you to attend the 2012 International Leaders Forum (ILF) during the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, September 3-6, 2012.

NDI has been asked by the Democratic National Convention Committee (DNCC) to host international visitors to every Democratic National Convention since 1984. In Charlotte, the NDI-sponsored ILF will bring together current and former government officials, parliamentarians, diplomats and senior political party leaders from over 100 countries to observe the nomination process of the Democratic Party's candidate for President and Vice-President of the United States.

Throughout convention week, NDI will hold a series of special events for the international visitors. Participants will attend morning and afternoon seminars on U.S. politics, domestic policy issues, and foreign policy issues defining the presidential election. These bi-partisan panel discussions will be led by Democratic and Republican leaders, members of Congress and other prominent elected officials, journalists and opinion makers.

Every evening, NDI will host its International Leader's Hospitality Suite, where live-television broadcasts will allow participants to view the convention proceedings at the nearby Time Warner Arena. We also expect to secure a limited number of credentials for the convention hall itself, and will provide them to program participants on a rotating basis from the hospitality suite. Credentials for the convention hall will be limited, but NDI will do it best to get delegates inside the proceedings.

Also during the week, ILF participants will be able to attend Convention-related events sponsored by NDI, the DNCC, the Charlotte in 2012 Host Committee and others. These events afford attendees a unique opportunity to informally exchange ideas with leaders and representatives of other countries throughout the world.

As you can imagine, there is great international interest in attending this year's convention, and because hotel and program space are limited, participants will be accepted on a first-come, first served basis. Please register by filling out this online form by June 8, 2012.

There will be a registration fee of $500 for the ILF program. Program participants will be responsible for funding their own travel and hotel expenses. Upon receipt of your registration information, we will provide you with a confirmation letter containing further details on the location and booking process at designated hotels, and other program information. Please note that this invitation is strictly non-transferable.

We hope you will be able to join us in Charlotte for what promises to be an exciting program.

Sincerely,

Madeleine K. Albright

Chairman

Kenneth Wollack

President

Monthly Documents Bulletin by Ta An Srok Khmer No. 30

https://www.box.com/s/efm88s7ioeu84mg7h1g4

Cambodian Opposition Leader Comes to Long Beach

Kem Sokha (left) and Sam Rainsy in Canada earlier this month.

Thursday, 30 August 2012
By Sarah Bennett
Long Beach Post

Kem Sokha will be speaking to supporters and interested residents Thursday, Aug. 30 at 6PM at La Lune Restaurant, 2801 E. Spring St. A $15 donation is requested.

When Kem Sokha last visited Long Beach in 2002, he was a human rights activist in his war-torn, dictator-ruled homeland of Cambodia. Today, he returns as an even brighter beacon of hope in the country's quest for democracy and will be meeting with local supporters and residents at a community event similar to the ones he is famous for having started in Cambodia.

"I try any which way I can to promote democracy in our country," says Tippana Tith, a Cambodian-American activist who organized the event. "Right now the government is still using the system to suppress people. The world is changing, people are standing up and there is not that much dictatorship anymore. Why does our Cambodian country still have a dictatorship?"

Sokha represents the future of what Tith and many others hope will a political power shift in Cambodia come next July's elections. Not only is Sokha the founder and president of Cambodia's Human Rights Party, but as of July of 2012, he is also the vice president of the Cambodia Democratic Movement for National Rescue—a movement formed by the consolidation of Sokha's party with the Sam Rainsy Party, the country's other oppositional party.

Invitation to meet Mr. Kem Sokha in Long Beach, California on 30 August 2012

Cambodian politician [Kem Sokha] set to speak to supporters in Long Beach

Kem Sokha

August 29, 2012
By Greg Mellen
Staff Writer
Long Beach Press Telegram

Former Cambodian human rights advocate and now political opposition leader Kem Sokha will meet with supporters and interested residents Thursday.

The 59-year-old activist- turned-politician is the leader of the Human Rights Party in Cambodia. Recently, Sokha's party and the opposition Sam Rainsy Party submitted an application to the Ministry of Interior to form a new party called Cambodia National Rescue Party in order to compete in the general election in July next year.

The consolidated party hopes to make inroads against the ruling Cambodia People's Party, which holds majorities in both the Cambodian National Assembly and Senate.

Meetings with Kem Sokha in Houston, Texas on 31 August 2012

Democratic Movement for National Rescue open forum

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_HGTEOrCt4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEJhbjNPS6A

Mr. Mao Ratana left the NRP to joing the Democratice Movement for National Rescue

Mr. Tim Tithika left the NRP to join the Democratic Movement for National Rescue

Prince Sisowath Chakreynupul left the NRP to join the Democratic Coalition for National Rescue

Reminder: NSP reception in Tacoma, Washington on 24 August 2012

New Opposition Party Registers With Government

Opposition leaders Sam Rainsy and Kem Sokha in VOA Studio In Washington, DC.

The party officially filed with the government on Monday, paving the way for national parliamentary elections next year.

20 August 2012

Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer

PHNOM PENH - The Cambodia National Rescue Party, a new collaboration among Cambodian’s political opposition, officially filed with the government on Monday, paving the way for national parliamentary elections next year.

Pol Ham, who is the deputy chair of the party’s steering committee, told reporters Monday the registration with the Ministry of Interior had gone smoothly and now the ministry has 15 days to respond with concerns.

Ministry officials could not be reached for comment.

Som Niyeay Phorng - Op-Ed by Angkor Borei News

https://www.box.com/s/f53a569cd40a9c053651

Invitation to meet with Mr. Kem Sokha in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on 18 August 2012

Mr. Kem Sokha's visit to Washington State

"Failure is not an option" – A story for Cambodian civil rights fighters

"Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate": "Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country."

Contributors: Dr. Gaffar Peang-Meth

Memories, emotions, and inspiration followed my every step as I walked through the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Florida last month – "a place where dreams do come true," to quote American Astronaut Robert Crippen.

This article is about how Americans have made those dreams come true for their nation. Many lives were lost in training and during space flights. The work that brought America the success in space of which the nation is justifiably proud was undertaken by men and women who worked hard, sacrificed much, took great risks, solved unimaginable technical problems. What astronauts did, and many still do, I find truly remarkable and inspirational.

I am writing this article at a time opposition Cambodian democrats have joined forces and launched their new united "Cambodian Democratic Movement for National Rescue" to "create a true 'people's movement' that caters to all sectors of Cambodian society . . . for change and capability to build a better society."

Democrats' unity is a great step forward. If history is a guide, many problems await the CDMNR, now the National Salvation Party, which must be innovative, creative, and smart. No problem is unmanageable. The future is not preordained. People make the future. The motto of the US space program is one the leaders of the CDMNR may want to post: "Failure is Not an Option!"

To the CDMNR, I dedicate this article.

I remember

I was a small kid from Russey-keo village. I rode an old bike with determination, trying to keep up with an older schoolmate from Phnom Penh riding a shiny bike. As he pedaled, he spoke knowingly of the state radio's broadcast about a Russian satellite, Sputnik, the size of a basketball, that was orbiting the Earth every 98 minutes. It was in October 1957. I was full of curiosity and imagination. I stole nights away from my father's routine nightly lecture on schooling and living to look up into the sky in search of that tiny light that moved amidst the stars.

HRP and NSP reception in Tacoma, Washington, on Friday 24 August 2012