Faked signatures create headache for politicians

Forged letters purportedly signed by SRP boss Sam Rainsy (left) and Prime Minister Hun Sen have been making their way around the internet . . . and local newsrooms. Photograph: from a screengrab.

Tuesday, 14 August 2012
Bridget Di Certo and Chhay Channyda
The Phnom Penh Post

Forged correspondence may be nothing new to Cambodia’s political scene, but a recent spate of letters making the rounds on the internet – and in newsroom email accounts – show the tactics are getting dirtier and more insidious, analysts said yesterday.

The recent letters, which touch on an array of political issues, have provoked outrage and denials from their intended targets, opposition and ruling party alike, after being published on pro- and anti-government websites and shared on social media sites like Facebook.

“We see things like cut-and-paste pictures on the internet used to disparage the prime minister, but these falsified official documents lately are really a kind of dirty politics,” political analyst Lao Mong Hay said yesterday.

“This kind of negative practice of creating negative rumours really affects public opinion and causes confusion,” Mong Hay said.

Kem Sokha under intense attacks from the CPP and its mouthpieces

Warning: Kem Sokha, president of the Human Rights Party, suffered intense attacks from the CPP, in particular Hun Xen and several of the CPP mouthpieces, which accused him of having several extra-marital affairs. The attacks started when the HRP's use of the song "Do roeu min Do?" (Change or not?) to question Hun Xen's grip on power. In his verbal attack against Kem Sokha, Hun Xen was very irritated that the HRP accused 07 January as a date of Vietnamese invasion. Hun Xen accused Kem Sokha of benefiting from 07 January as well. The following article is an example of the attack against Kem Sokha leveled by Kong Sambath of the Koh Santepheap newspaper, one of the CPP mouthpieces.

លេច​ឮព័ត៌មាន​ល្បី​រន្ទឺថា លោកកឹម សុខា មានប្រពន្ធ​ចុង​ច្រើន!

Wednesday, January 4, 2012
ដោយៈ គង់ សម្បត្តិ
កោះសន្តិភាព

អ្នក​ន​យោបាយ​​ដែល​នឹង​អាច​ទទួ​​ល​បាន​ជោគ​ជ័យ​ក្នុង​ការ​ទាក់​ទាញ​សំ​ឡេងគាំ​ទ្រពី​ប្រជាពល​រដ្ឋ គឺ​ជា​មនុស្ស​ដែល​មាននូវ​ភាព​​ឈ្លាសវៃ គិត​គូរអំ​ពី​ផល​ប្រយោជន៍​ជាតិ​ជាធំ​ មាន​ឧត្តម​មគតិ​ខ្ពស់​ ស្រឡាញ់​​កិត្តិ​យស កេរ្តិ៍​ឈ្មោះ​ល្អ​ ថែរក្សាវង្សត្រកូល​ និង​មិន​មាន​រឿង​អាស្រូវ​ជាប់​កាយ​ ជាពិសេស គឺត្រូវ​តែជៀសវាង​ឱ្យ​បាន​ជាដាច់​ខាត​នូវអំពើ​​លួច​មានសាហាយស្មន់ និង​​​មាន​ប្រពន្ធចុង​ច្រើន ប្រព្រឹត្តក្បត់​ចិត្តភរិយា​ ។

ប៉ុន្តែ ​នាពេល​ថ្មី​ៗនេះ​មានលេចឮនូវ​ពាក្យ​ចចាម​អារ៉ាមពី​មាត់​មួយ​ទៅ​មាត់​មួយ​ ពី​តំ​បន់​មួយ​ទៅ​តំ​បន់​មួយ ល្បី​រន្ទឺថា​ លោកកឹម សុខា ប្រធាន​គណបក្សសិទ្ធិ​មនុស្ស បាន​ប្រព្រឹត្តក្បត់​ចិត្តភរិយា ដោយ​ទៅ​មាន​ប្រពន្ធ​​ចុងលួចលាក់​​​ជាច្រើន​នាក់នៅ​ខាង​ក្រៅ​ផ្ទះ​​ ហើយ​កាលពី​ថ្ងៃទី​២០ ខែ ធ្នូ ឆ្នាំ ២០១១ កន្លង​ទៅ​នេះ​មាន​ព័ត៌មាន​ធ្លាយ​ចេញ​មក​ថា​ ​ប្រពន្ធ​ចុង​របស់​លោក កឹម សុខា ​ទើប​នឹង​សម្រាល​បាន​កូន​ប្រុស​មួយ​ថែម​ទៀ​ត​ ដែល​ជាបន្ទុក​នៃការ​ទទួល​ខុសត្រូវ​របស់​លោកកឹម សុខា​ ជាឳពុក​ក្មេង​នោះ​។

Soy Sopheap’s snitching reveals dirty politics: The royals are much involved in politics, Kem Sokha’s wavering position and Ranariddh’s subservience to Hun Xen

In spite of their denials, the royals are still very much involved in the royalist parties and Cambodia politics?

Left to Right: Hun Xen - Ranariddh - Kem Sokha

09 Dec 2010

KI-Media Editorial

Excerpt from Soy Sopheap's snitching report to Hun Xen

A- The prince [Ranariddh] would like to receive Samdach’s [Hun Xen] opinion as he wants to return to politics with the aim of gathering royalist supporters in order to unite with Samdach in the government following the 2013 election, based on Samdach’s unification plan.
B- The prince said that Mr. Kem Sokha met him in person and promised to unite with the prince, he told the prince that he has no plan to form an alliance with Sam Rainsy because Sam Rainsy cannot move forward.
C- The prince will not lead the Funcinpec-Nationalist Party alliance, even King-Father [Sihanouk] and Queen-Mother [Monineath Sihanouk] do not agree about that (the prince learned about this through sources closed to the two royals).
D- The prince will decide to use the Norodom Ranariddh Party instead for this problem. The two royals [Sihanouk and Monineath Sihanouk] are pleased with that, and the lower party members will support as well, and the party will be opened to members from both parties to join in (for this case, [the prince] asks to obtain Samdach’s opinion.
E- The reason [for the prince] not to lead the Funcinpec-Nationalist Party alliance, because [this alliance] has no popularity left.
F- The evaluation reveals that, if the royalists can be gathered, [the prince] could obtain 8 to 10 seats [at the National Assembly] and the SRP will see a decreasing number of seats.

It is quite interesting to read Soy Sopheap’s snitching report to Hun Xen based on his meeting with Prince Ranariddh. We are also quite amazed by the candid revelations made by Soy Sopheap. If his allegations are true, he is essentially accusing King-Father Sihanouk and Queen-Mother Monineath Sihanouk of direct involvement in politics – a No-No in Cambodia – especially their behind-the-scene manipulation and influence on the royalist parties. We are in fact surprised that the royal palace did not issue any denial to Mr. Soy Sopheap’s report, nor does it plan to sue Mr. Soy Sopheap for potential defamation and disinformation. But, as we all know, such lawsuit will entail bringing Prince Ranariddh to the forefront and forcing him to confess that he was the one who revealed his parents’ dirty secrets.

Among the dirty tidbits revealed by Soy Sopheap, is the indication that Mr. Kem Sokha would be willing to jump in bed with a new political coalition partner to reach new political climax, as well as his willingness to ditch the SRP at the first opportunity. With such mentality, can anybody trust Mr. Kem Sokha’s political sincerity? Mr. Kem Sokha’s suicidal approach stresses his lack of political judgment, especially with his willingness to ally with a partner whose political future is dim at best.

Even though the election campaign for the 2013 general election has not even started yet, it is quite clear from Soy Sopheap’s revelations, that the number of seats at the National Assembly is already pre-determined, a clear indication that the voting in Cambodia is merely a rigging exercise to hide the cracked façade of Hun Xen’s make-believe democracy.

Nevertheless, one constant parameter that all Cambodians already know about is the fact that Ranariddh is nothing more than a willing pawn for Hun Xen. Blames for the demise of the royalist party must be squarely shouldered by this incompetent prince who is more interested in power than the future of his country and his people. The prince should be ashamed of himself and his credibility is now at sub-zero level.

Kem Sokha refuses to reply to a thuggish clown wearing a PM hat and acting unlike one

Kem Sokha (L) and Hun Xen (R)

Kem Sokha refuses to respond to PM criticisms

25 Jan 2009
By Sary Rath Radio Free Asia Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy

The president of the Human Rights Party refused to reply to the comments made by the prime minister who attacked him but did not name him directly. However, it is likely that the person being attacked by Hun Sen is a leader of an opposition party in Cambodia.

Kem Sokha, HRP President, said that he is not paying attention to Hun Sen’s comments: “I don’t pay attention, nor value these issues because I don’t pay attention to them, I have the appropriate source on these issues.”

In a statement made in Oddar Meanchey province last Tuesday, PM Hun Sen attacked an opposition party leader who criticized him for begging for foreign aid.

Hun Sen said: “About (“Ah muoy” – a derogatory designation in Khmer) this guy, I call him “ah muoy” because he is too rude, “ah neung” (this guy) he came to discuss with me, asking my opinion on whether to continue his work with a NGO or forming a political party? He begged money from others, he told me: ‘Now, I cannot form [the party] yet, I lack money, I will go to the US first to look for funding, when I get it then I will form the party, please Samdach understand me because I cannot form a party before the commune election.’ Now he is teaching me, [saying that] if I am strong, there’s no need for me to beg for foreign aid, but when he formed a party, [or] a NGO, he can go beg from foreign countries, but when I seek aid from foreign countries to build roads, schools, hospitals, dikes, he said that if I am brave, I shouldn’t go beg from foreign countries. Hey, if you are crazy, just be one by yourself, ‘Ah Lop’ (cussing word for “crazy guy”).”

Hun Sen said that parties that proclaim themselves to be independent, they all ask aid from him.

Hun Sen added: “Mister, you talked with me on the phone, I taped everything already. In fact, I was the one who helped you form that party! I even sent an opposition MP [Keo Remy] to serve as the [HRP] party vice-president. I even helped to provide the Olympic Stadium for you to meet also. You asked me, I helped, after I helped form the party, you now say that you are independent? What independence? Those who claim to be independent, they always ask from Hun Sen for this and that. Even on the day of the National Assembly inauguration, you ask for a deputy-president position, ask for the chairmanship of 4 NA committees: 3 for this party, and 1 for the other party, otherwise, you’ll go to Europe. I did as you requested, may your mission be successful in Europe and at the UN.”

No immediate reaction was made by lawmakers from the opposition parties to clarify the democratic progress at the NA.