Sinatoons No. 14: CPP Spy

Cartoon by V. Sina

Opposition infiltration

Sunday, 30 January 2011
Meas Sokchea and Sebastian Strangio
The Phnom Penh Post

Prime Minister Hun Sen has apparently signed off on a strategy to recruit spies in the opposition Sam Rainsy Party in a bid to undercut its support ahead of next year’s commune council elections, according to a leaked document from his cabinet.

In a letter dated December 21 and posted today on the antigovernment news blog KI-Media, Ngor Sovann, one of Hun Sen’s advisers, allegedly recorded that the ruling Cambodian People’s Party had successfully recruited SRP officials as double agents in Kampot and Takeo provinces.

The letter noted that 16 SRP members had been recruited as spies in Kampot, in exchange for 100,000 riels (US$24.60) and a $5 prepaid phone card per month.

“We were successful in our work in a short period, with the collection and building of 16 forces as secret agents in the commune councils,” Ngor Sovann stated.

He noted, however, that since November, CPP activists had postponed their attempts to woo SRP turncoats in Kampot, saying opposition activists “seemed to suspect” the presence of secret agents.

CPP secret document bearing Hun Xen's annotation: The CPP resorts to buying SRP activists for $30/month a piece

Dear Readers,

Please find below a secret CPP document penned by Ngo Sovann, a former SRP defector to the CPP, detailing the CPP secret activities to buy SRP activists in various provinces. The cost of the buyout? About $30/month each (100,000 riels in cash, ~$25, and $5 in phone call card).

With the CPP boasting its popularity in the entire country, one has to wonder why does it need to buy these SRP activists? Strange isn't it? What is most amazing is the fact that these activities are fully known by Hun Xen, the boast-in-chief himself.

There's always something new to wonder in this Kingdom of Wonderfully corrupt CPP politicians ...

KI-Media team

Click on each page to zoom in

From championing for the victims' cause to serving the oppressors

The defectors claim that their former parties are no good

Monday, February 11, 2008
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

At the approach of the general election season, there are always talks about high-ranking political party officials defecting to join another party. The majority of these defectors always attack their former party leaders, calling them bad people, weak people, and clannish people. This is the case of two former SRP MPs who defected to the CPP last week, they are now praising the party which they just joined while attacking the party which was their previous home for many years. Ngo Sovann, the former SRP MP who defected to the CPP, told RFA about the reason behind his defection, he claimed that the CPP leaders are good, and they brought progress to the country, that is the reason why he decided to join the CPP, and he also accused the SRP of being clannish and lacks fairness. In the past two weeks, 3 SRP MPs: defected their party to join the CPP, Ahmad Yahya, Sok Pheng and Ngo Sovannthey all talk badly about their former party while praising the CPP which they just joined.

More Defections Plague Opposition

By Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Original report from Washington
08 February 2008

A long-time opposition parliamentarian quit his party Friday, adding to the pre-election woes of an opposition that has seen a number of defections in recent weeks.

Ngor Sovann, who represented the Sam Rainsy Party in the National Assembly for 11 years, said he left due to internal conflicts in the party and petitioned to join the Cambodian People’s Party.

“I submitted my resignation today, and, approved or not, it’s not important,” Ngor Sovann said.

He applied to a position as deputy chief of Kandal Province, he said.

Ngor Sovann’s resignation follows moves by several other opposition members last week.

Sam Rainsy said Friday the defections would clear room for grassroots supporters.

Opposition concerned about law allowing foreigners to buy and own land properties

Monday, January 21, 2008
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

SRP MPs expressed their concerns about the National Assembly plan to amend the law to allow foreigners to buy lands in Cambodia, and privately own them. Ngo Sovann, Svay Rieng SRP MP, told RFA on Saturday that he and the SRP do not support any amendment to the law governing land ownership because he said that this law could be a serious danger to the Nation. “If we allow foreigners to buy lands in Cambodia, we are concerned about foreigners, such as Vietnamese businessmen coming to buy lands in Cambodia. If they (Vietnamese businessmen) could buy a lot of lands along the border, after a while, this lands become theirs,” Ngo Sovann said. However, Nuth Narang, the secretary of state of the minister of Land Management, Urban Planning & Construction told The Phnom Penh Post newspaper that this amendment to the law will be made with the intention of attracting foreign investors, and it will not make Cambodia lose anything at all, it will serve the Cambodian economy also.