Kem Sokha resigns [from CCHR] to enter politics10 March 2007
By Mayarith
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy
Click here to listen to RFA's report in Khmer
Kem Sokha, Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR) president, said that he will resign from his position at CCHR to enter politics in view of the 2008 legislative election.
Kem Sokha said that he will resign from CCHR at the end of April and that he plans on becoming the president of a yet to be formed political party which, he claims, has received support from Cambodian people both inside and outside the country.
Kem Sokha’s decision to resign from CCHR coincides with the accusations made against him of being involved with corruption in the spending of aid funds from the US, and the ending of funding from other countries to CCHR, a center for education of democracy and human rights.
Kem Sokha denied these accusations, and he said that his resignation was decided only to allow him to re-enter politics: “These problems (accusations) are total lies, and the aid provider, the IRI, has declared that it audited and reviewed all the problems already, and found nothing. Furthermore, my resignation issue is such that when I leave, the contract (with aid donors) stipulated in the yearly contract that they will review the budget (for their aid) again. Now I told them that I will be resigning on the last day of April. It’s because people from all over the place are asking me to join the political party they formed, and they ask me to help them, and I will. Now, they are sending a lot of thumbprints from different areas, they are sending their numerous requests to me, therefore, I decide to enter politics.”
Kem Sokha, is a former politician, he was linked to the Khmer National Liberation Front Party (KNLFP) belonging to Son San. He later joined the Funcinpec party, and then resigned from political life for work for the CCHR supported by the US.
The new party in which Kem Sokha plans to present his candidacy to become the party president, has not announced its name yet, however, source close to Kem Sokha indicates that the new party will be called the Sereypheap (Freedom) Party.
Kem Sokha said that the new political party will receive support from people both inside and outside the country: “…[from] people inside the country and outside the country, the majority of whom are from the US, Canada, France and Australia. Before I made the decision, I have everything I need already, unlike other parties which decided to form the party [first], and then go around asking for support. I am not like that, I am different from other parties in the sense that it was the people who asked me to enter politics and it was not me who asked people for support … Other parties, they decide to form a party on their own, just like the Sam Rainsy party, they removed him, so he decided to form a party…”
Kem Sokha said that he will resign from CCHR at the end of April and that he plans on becoming the president of a yet to be formed political party which, he claims, has received support from Cambodian people both inside and outside the country.
Kem Sokha’s decision to resign from CCHR coincides with the accusations made against him of being involved with corruption in the spending of aid funds from the US, and the ending of funding from other countries to CCHR, a center for education of democracy and human rights.
Kem Sokha denied these accusations, and he said that his resignation was decided only to allow him to re-enter politics: “These problems (accusations) are total lies, and the aid provider, the IRI, has declared that it audited and reviewed all the problems already, and found nothing. Furthermore, my resignation issue is such that when I leave, the contract (with aid donors) stipulated in the yearly contract that they will review the budget (for their aid) again. Now I told them that I will be resigning on the last day of April. It’s because people from all over the place are asking me to join the political party they formed, and they ask me to help them, and I will. Now, they are sending a lot of thumbprints from different areas, they are sending their numerous requests to me, therefore, I decide to enter politics.”
Kem Sokha, is a former politician, he was linked to the Khmer National Liberation Front Party (KNLFP) belonging to Son San. He later joined the Funcinpec party, and then resigned from political life for work for the CCHR supported by the US.
The new party in which Kem Sokha plans to present his candidacy to become the party president, has not announced its name yet, however, source close to Kem Sokha indicates that the new party will be called the Sereypheap (Freedom) Party.
Kem Sokha said that the new political party will receive support from people both inside and outside the country: “…[from] people inside the country and outside the country, the majority of whom are from the US, Canada, France and Australia. Before I made the decision, I have everything I need already, unlike other parties which decided to form the party [first], and then go around asking for support. I am not like that, I am different from other parties in the sense that it was the people who asked me to enter politics and it was not me who asked people for support … Other parties, they decide to form a party on their own, just like the Sam Rainsy party, they removed him, so he decided to form a party…”
