Kep Chuktema bribing medical students not to join the SRP demonstration on 06 April?

Kep Chuktema tries to influence students not to join the SRP demonstration on 06 April

Friday, April 04, 2008
Rasmei Kampuchea newspaper
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

Kep Chuktema, the Phnom Penh city governor, told a group of students to stay out of the demonstration organized by the SRP which will be held on 06 April. Kep Chuktema said: “Political issues leave them to politicians.” Regarding this issue also, the Daun Penh district authority arrested three persons at different locations and brought them in to educate them because they were distributing leaflets calling on the population to join the demonstration.

In the morning of 03 April, Kep Chuktema met with 3,500 students at the University of Health Science located on Monivong Street. Heng Tay Kry, the health minister, was also present during that occasion.

During the meeting, Kep Chuktema called on all the medical students in Phnom Penh city not to fall prey to the propaganda and the call by the opposition party to join the 06 December demonstration. He said: “Please stay quiet, don’t be excited by the politicians, political issues leave them to politicians.”

Kep Chuktema said that this demonstration will not solve anything and it creates complications to the people of Phnom Penh only. Regarding the opposition party plan to hold a demonstration in the upcoming days, the city hall is thinking about it and it will take tough measures to prevent the opposition from doing anything it wants.

An official from the city hall claimed that, for the demonstration request made by the SRP for 06 April, the city hall is too busy providing security and safety for Phnom Penh city dwellers during the Cambodian New Year celebration, therefore, the city hall does not allow this demonstration to hold a march, but it is allowed to be held in one spot only: in front of the SRP party headquarters. The march held by the demonstrators will create traffic jams and cause security concerns also.

Kep Chuktema said that he trusts that the medical students are very clever now, and they will not fall prey to the propaganda, and that they will concentrate in their study. He also directed them to study hard, and seek education so that they can become a good doctor with high knowledge.

During that occasion, Kep Chuktema gave 20 million riels to the medical students to organize a party during the New Year celebration, and he also gave the students $1,900 so that they can do a research in medicine in Kampot for 2-day.

SRP will go on with its demonstration even if the authority does not allow it

Friday, April 04, 2008
The Mekong Times
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

On Thursday, the SRP announced that even without an authorization from the authority, it is still determined to organize this non-violent mass anti-inflation demonstration on Sunday 06 April.

The SRP indicated in a communiqué sent to the Phnom Penh city hall that the demonstration will be joined by 5,000 people from all walks of life, and the gathering will start at 08:00 AM at Phsar Thom Thmei. The demonstrators will march to the O’Russei market, then the Olympic market, and will continue to the park located in front of the old building of the National Assembly, located next to the Royal Palace.

According to the SRP, almost 20,000 leaflets were printed and distributed along the dwellings, markets, and along the street located in front of the SRP party headquarters in Phnom Penh. The SRP leaflets stated: “The sharp increase in the prices of goods in Cambodia is due to corruption and incompetence on the part of the government.”

On Thursday, the Phnom Penh city authority prevented and confiscated the distribution of leaflets by the SRP, and it even arrested three party activists who were distributing them in Phnom Penh. SRP MP Yim Sovann said that the distribution of these leaflets is not illegal. The holding of the demonstration is the people’s right which is stipulated in the Constitution. He also said that the arrest of SRP activists is illegal and violates the people’s right, and that this is the usual practice undertaken by a dictatorship.

Yim Sovann stressed that “The SRP is maintaining its position to lead a peaceful mass demonstration to demand that the government takes measures to lower the price of goods. The government should accept this request and it should pave the way for people suffering from price inflation to hold this demonstration.”

On Thursday, three SRP MPs met with leaders of the Phnom Penh city hall to raise this issue about the planning for the non-violent demonstration. However, the face to face discussion did not lead to any decision, and the city hall is sending the SRP request to the Ministry of Interior.

SRP MP Ho Vann who met with the city hall leaders indicated: “There were 4 questions raised during the meeting for the non-violent demonstration which will be held this Sunday. The city hall does not want the SRP to hold this demonstration, but if the SRP still insists on holding the demonstration, then the city hall imposes the condition that the SRP (demonstration) should not hold its march. The city hall also ordered the demonstrators to wear signs because it is concerned that problems may occur, such as unrest and looting may take place during the demonstration.”

The conditions imposed by the city hall were rejected by Ho Vann, and he indicated that the SRP still maintains its position to hold this anti-inflation demonstration, and to ask for a raise in the salaries of civil servants and workers commensurate with the price of goods. He added that the demand to hold the demonstration is not a threat on the activities of the merchants, but it is merely a request for the government to take measure to lower the price of goods.

SRP leaflet: Appeal to Join the Anti-inflation Mass Protest Organized by the SRP

Appeal to Join
the Mass Protest Organized by SRP Members of Parliament
to Demand that the Government Lower the Prices of Merchandises
or Provide Salary Increases for Civil Servants and Factory Workers
Commensurate with the Prices of Goods

Meeting at Psar Thmei in Phnom Penh on Sunday, April 6, 2008

The sharp increase in the prices of goods in Cambodia is due to corruption and incompetence on the part of the government.

When Sam Rainsy was Minister of Economy and Finance between 1993 and 1994, the prices of goods on the market were low and stable. At that time, the price of one liter of gasoline was only 600 riels [now 4,800 riels], and similarly one kilo of rice cost only 600 riels [now between 3,000 riels and 4,000 riels].

In order to reduce the prices of goods on the market right now, the SRP demands that the government adopt the following measures:

1- Lower taxes on gasoline and lower the profit margin made by gasoline distributors.
2- End the commercial monopolies granted to a number of cunning merchants and dishonest companies which allow them to increase the prices of goods and services as they please because of the lack of effective competition.

3- Ensure an adequate economic, financial and monetary policy so as to stabilise the riel.

4- Control the printing of bank notes so as to avoid issuing paper money in an irresponsible and disorderly manner. If the government continues to inflate the money supply, the riel will continue to depreciate and inflation will continue to accelerate.

5- Implement land reform by distributing unused state-owned lands to landless farmers or those who do not have enough land to live on, so as to increase agricultural production nationwide. For the tens of thousands of hectares of lands grabbed or stolen from the State or from the people by corrupt government officials and cunning businessmen, they must be returned back to the people so that Cambodian farmers can effectively plant crops needed to counter inflation.

If the prices of goods double, salaries must also be doubled

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