February 20, 2012
SAM RAINSY’S LETTER TO WORLD LEADERS AND APPEAL TO ALL PARLIAMENTARIANS
REGARDING THE UPCOMING ELECTIONS IN CAMBODIA
REGARDING THE UPCOMING ELECTIONS IN CAMBODIA
Cambodian opposition leader Sam Rainsy last week wrote a similar letter to 21 world leaders including the UN Secretary-General, the President of the European Commission, Presidents, Prime Ministers and Foreign Ministers of a number of friendly and influential countries.
The main points of the letter read as follows:
“I am appreciative of the efforts that [name of organization or country] has made since the Paris Accords of 1991 to promote democracy and development in Cambodia. However, a continuous and vigilant support from [name of organization or country] is necessary to avoid a catastrophic derailing of the democratic process as the country approaches communal elections in June 2012 and legislative elections in July 2013.
As the world rejoices in the release of Myanmar's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who is now authorized to take part in the country's forthcoming legislative elections, Cambodia has in recent years followed an opposite path of political retrenchment.
As opposition leader I have been forced into exile to avoid a prison sentence, the political motivation for which has been confirmed by every major human rights organization. My removal from the list of parliamentary representatives is a denial of the principle of representative democracy. I am not authorized to participate in my country's forthcoming elections.
My party, which has 37 national assembly and senate representatives, is the second-largest in Cambodia, far ahead of other opposition or government-allied parties which have two or three parliamentary seats at most. My party has improved its performance at each election and is the only one capable of challenging authoritarian prime minister Hun Sen, who has been in power since 1979. No doubt that's why I'm a perennial target for the governing party. After having twice tried to kill me, by grenade attack in 1997 and at the Interior Ministry in 1998, Hun Sen is now seeking to eliminate me politically by thwarting the democratic process.
For the second time since 2005, I find myself unconstitutionally expelled from the national assembly and unjustly hounded out of the country. My absence hasn't weakened my party, as some had hoped, but rather strengthened it. This is confirmed by the results of the latest senatorial elections on January 29, 2012. My party increased its representation from two seats to 11, and is the only voice challenging Hun Sen in the senate, as the other parties were eliminated.
Forthcoming elections in June 2012 and July 2013 will be contested by the same political parties, with higher stakes. Elections conducted by universal suffrage presuppose that the leaders of the two main parties are able to confront each other on equal terms. For this reason I am requesting the intervention of [name of organization or country] in any appropriate form -- directly, as well as via relevant international organizations -- to allow me to return to Cambodia to contest these elections. Their legitimacy will determine not only the legitimacy of the next government in Phnom Penh, but the stability and development of Cambodia.
Cambodia survives in its current corrupt form thanks only to international aid. This includes aid from [name of organization or country], which comes in bilateral or multilateral form via international financial institutions.
Any initiative from [name of organization or country] would reinforce pressure from the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Cambodia, the European Parliament, the Inter-Parliamentary Union and international human-rights organizations, such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, who have demanded steps to rectify the dangerous weakening of democracy and the rule of law in Cambodia.”
The following appeal, which has been sent to Members of Parliament worldwide, is attached to the above letter:
February 18, 2012
APPEAL FOR INTERNATIONAL PARLIAMENTARY SOLIDARITY
My name is Sam Rainsy. I am an elected member of parliament of Cambodia and the leader of my country’s second-largest political party.
As the leader of the opposition I have been persecuted by the authoritarian ruling party and government of Cambodia.
In 1995 and again in 2005, I was unconstitutionally expelled from the National Assembly, but managed to recover my parliamentary seat after subsequent elections. At every election my party has increased its number of votes and parliamentary seats.
But on March 16, 2011, I was -- for the third time -- stripped of my parliamentary seat and unconstitutionally expelled from parliament by the ruling party, in total disrespect for the principles of representative democracy.
Over the last fifteen years I have escaped several assassination attempts, such as a deadly grenade attack in 1997 and another assault at the Ministry of Interior in 1998. Some eighty of my supporters have since been murdered in a long series of acts of political violence perpetrated with total impunity.
Besides trying to kill me or expel me from parliament, the ruling party has managed to deprive me of my parliamentary immunity and to get me sentenced to prison terms on countless occasions. I now stand sentenced to a total of 14 years in jail under political charges and have therefore been forced into exile in France.
My only crime is my unyielding denunciation of corruption and human rights abuses and my unwavering defense of the people who have elected me as their representative.
In 2000, former Portuguese socialist President Mario Suarez, with a group of MEPs from several parties, helped me obtain a “Passport for Freedom” from the European Parliament. In 2006, I received the Prize for Freedom from Liberal International.
On October 21, 2010, in its "Resolution on Cambodia, in particular the case of Sam Rainsy", the European Parliament condemned “all politically motivated sentences against representatives of the opposition and NGOs.” The resolution stated that "the strategy of Cambodia's ruling party is to use a politically subservient judiciary to crackdown on all government critics.”
On January 17, 2011, the Inter-Parliamentary Union said that it has ''become urgent to review Mr. Sam Rainsy's case and to rehabilitate him'' and called on the authorities, including parliament, ''to take action to this end without delay so as to enable Mr. Sam Rainsy to resume his rightful place as a member of the National Assembly.''
I call on your solidarity as a fellow parliamentarian. Please help me by asking the government of your country to put pressure on the authorities of Cambodia, which are heavily dependent on international aid, so that I can resume my parliamentary work in acceptable conditions and continue to promote democracy in my country.
Thank you.
Sam Rainsy
samrainsysrp@gmail.com
samrainsysrp@gmail.com
43 comments:
Good move and necessary move.
With all due respect Mr. Rainsy, you sound more like a wimp.
Khmer need a revolutionary not a crybaby.
Now wipe your nose clean, and get in Cambodia ASAP, by hook or by crook, and spark a popular uprising like a dead-serious leader should, and see if Khmer people are still sit on the sideline.
Wait till the results of the elections in this year and next to spark the revolutions, things have to go in order, and not a cart before the horse.
Well, well, well 8:27 PM!
Don't anybody realize that the horse (elections) is dead from being beaten to pulp for something like almost 20 years?
Let me make a humble suggestion regarding the letter, if I may. The word "My party" should be "Our party". The word "my party" sounds more dictarial while "our party" is more inclusive and democratic.
Thanks Sam Rainsy. You are a great person with interpretation both as a leader and as a Khmer hero. Unfortunately, Cambodia is ruled under a dictator regime, elections doesn't work in this installed regime.
Again, thank you for showing us, you ability and determination. Your fights will not be forgotten, as a young generation, I hope to see the changes government for my country if not I hope I can still hold your candle. I enjoyed reading your peaceful solutions, rather refreshing then to hear Hun Sen barking on TV again and again everyday.
Thanks 9:17 PM:
You sound like a diplomat!
However many Khmer like 8:46 PM are hurt, and running out of patience with the Hun Sen orchestrated farce.
To 8:46 PM
Be patient, you will see the sea change in 2013. Or earlier, Cambodia's situation has to work in concert with international situation, if we just move like a mad dog, then it is hard to expect international support.
SRP alienates other political figures by not re-adopting new vision and perception as to be inclusive and patriotic rather than occult type of inflating perpuation of individualistic in naming political after its leader.
Stalin did not do that ,although he was at the top of hierarchy of USSR-Com Intern. Pol Pot also did not do that as well even though he was the next crulest person after Sihanouk in Cambodia.
Quiet before storm is taking shape as SRP is becoming more dictatotrial in style and personality cult worshipping. Winning a few more seats in Senate is nothing because Cambodian Senate has not teeth in legislative action but rubberstamping the Nat Ass which is worshipping ground Hun Sen pissed on.
Time is an essence and 12 months is not long but if Sam Raingsy is not focusing energy on building grass root and generational transition support to take the election into anew level of people democracy, he is to meet his doomday sooner. The foreigner influence on Hun Sen leadership is good but not as effective as the local grass root. Learn from CPK/Pol Pot expereince in rallying the peasantry to fight the so called foreign dominance. he nearly succeeded if he wasn't too egotiscal maniac. As we speak,SRP leadership is too ego-eccentric as we speak. Fish schools seek cool water, humility and humblensess made Gandhi a living God for India Independence Fight.As we can see every leader in SRP or other opposition seemed so unfit and unwilling to lay ground work for the generational leaders to take helm. What Sam Raingsy needs to do now, let go his personal ego and allow and dedicate his party to the sake of the poors and the underprivileged to take lead at his advisory. Try leading by following the followers is the only winning ticket for any opposition groups. Remeber Hun sen is gathering storms as the the West vs. East trend it bowing to Beijing ducks in row policies.
Privately, I wanted HE Sam Raingsy and his party to win,even with extreme view and ultra conservativism on self inferiority.
But his weakness is none and NO ONe can understand politics of Hun Sen lead better than him.
This is the loser birth nature!!!
Tua Xia
To 8.10 PM: You are really stupid because your underdeveloped brain cannot understand that Sam Rainsy rightly chooses the battlefield where he can win over Hun Sen, the nation’s traitor. Sam Rainsy understandably doesn’t choose the battlefield of CPP-controlled courts in Cambodia because he cannot win there. He is fighting on the international political scene and before independent courts in democratic countries where he actually scores victories over the Hun Sen regime: resolutions by the European Parliament and the Inter-Parliamentary Union, support from many governments and Members of Parliament around the world, judicial victories before the French court over representatives of the Hun Sen regime such as Hor Nam Hong. These victories and many more to come with a pending lawsuit against Hun Sen himself, are contributing to the inevitable fall of the Hun Sen regime, given the increasing support enjoyed by the opposition SRP in Cambodia as evidenced by the last senatorial elections.
941 Pm,
This view of how Samraingsy to win the world support is the reverse of Khmer parabol Oxen lead the cart but Samraingsy's is carrying the cart on the oxen back.
People can change the nation and government not the foreign nations.
Look at Mao and Chiang Kai Shiek last internal war. US finally gave in to Mao's political austerity and abandoning Taiwan in abetting belittling Taiwan as provincialist of ONE China doctrine.
By the Miss Aung San Suu Kyi fights the dictators like a real man unlike Sam Rainsy who ran from the fights, in every chance he got, like the little woman.
It's not a bad politic afterall for him,he lives abroad while his wife lives in Cambodia to collect his salary from heng Samrin.
Not bad at all in trade, use OPM(use other people money) trick to live comfortably.
Just keep giving more maney and keep hope alive !!!!
But, if I consider this as an investment, I would give it up a long time a go.
You can't win election by just running against everything your opposition do. Sooner or later you have to offer your ideas or solution to the problem so the voters know what you stand for.
I see so many keyboard warriors talking about not running away and fighting like a real champion. I bet these keyboard warriors wouldn't waste a second standing next to the grenades or dare to stand against the tyranny of Hun Sen cronies.
To 9:41 PM
I am with you, some people in Cambodia, they have a very narrow focus, like a frog in the well.
10:21PM,
The insinuation of warriors key board seemed too unreasonable. First I thought this is an open forum.second.including yourself,what do you call your comments here? Not a key board warrior? Unlikely,not.
Third, some folks, in this forum, had been the real fighters from various battlefields in Cambodia whether against Viet Cong or Khmer Rouge or Yuons. what do you think they did in the battlefields? Not all are key board warriors.
Fourth,when the wars broke out in Cambodia since 1968 against rebels then 1970 Shanouk declared war against Cambodia then after 1979 war against Yuon occupation where were Samraingsy and YOU??
Swallow your pride,eventhough if you were Samraingsy woshipper, other Cambodians love Cambodia too not only party like SRP,OK?
9:57 PM,
Do you want Mr. Sam Rainsy to get shot or killed like Chea Vichea?
Don't be a smart ass! No time in prison for doing nothing. Sam Rainsy can move and go anywhere instead of staying in prison for 14 years.
That means you want CPP to win and let Cambodia people suffer the next five years?
So, just enjoy your Vietnamese whores who will give so much juicy pleasure.
SRP is full of self-proclaimed elites including Mr. Rainsy himself who believes that Khmer people are to be led by the nose like water-buffaloes - one sorry attitude.
Khmer people need sound ideas and leadership-by-example, so they can can learn how to shape their individual mindset and go on to collaborate among themselves to rebuild this broken nation.
Professional politicians like the SRP, the HRP, and FUNCINPEC crowds are so terrified to teach the masse on how people-power should be built because they fear of becoming irrelevant themselves.
What they have been practicing is not politics for change but for politics itself by exploiting the rage of the masse.
If you elite crowd think that Khmer peasant are stupid keep on trucking folks. Besides Xen cartel couldn't ask for a better scene of a Chinese fire drill like right now.
9:57 PM,
Sam Rainsy will merge with other democrat parties who love Khmer nation and people, protect country and so on.
No more fighting with your own kinds. We are the same Khmer people.
Sam Rainsy is trying his best to compete with CPP...Our goal is trying to protect Cambodia from being swallowed by Vietnamese leaders, illegal Vietnamese settlers who still follow the Ho Chi Minh's dream.
Donl't let Vietnamese leaders and Vietnamese people to achieve their dream or footstep of Ho Chi Minh.
It is a top priority and use your brain.
Hi:
My name is Petro (first name ) Bomb (last name), and my old colleague here is Molotov (first name) Cocktails (last name), we are proven expert in making 4th of July fireworks out of recycled bear bottles (which are plentiful in this kingDoMe), for folks who enjoy lighting up street and block parties with these fascinating products.
Since there is so much talk about parties in Nom Benh we are delighted to invest in a specialty shop making ready-to-use canisters for takeouts using leading edge technology available on the street. The hottest (I mean literally…) commodities around the world nowadays seem to be these marvelous high-tech roman-candles and gas-masks, so we both decide to set up a neighborhood friendly shop exclusively providing those items at no cost to you fans of street parties, and subsequently teach your wives and kids to fabricate them for your own uses on the street of your local neighborhood.
We are speculating that in due time the street parties will eventually kick-off with or without the blessing from the politicians such as Sam Rainsy, Ranarith, kem Sokha, etc…, and it will be a BOOMING bidness for me and my pal Molotov here!
Sincerely
Petro and Molotov
Eleven O'sick PM is MP Moon Chest,one of Samraingsy women.
You sound just the usual politico profiteers. It is you to need a brain besides your holes to think.
Arouse fear of Yuon dominance to win in 2013 election is too dangerous for Samraingsy. That would make the majority of ASEAN circle and interested parties to spit him out like a bitter elixir.
Keep that in internal policies that is a smart move and should not be farting out by you, now.
Keep use your holes in serving Nom Benh Nat Ass, if Samraingsy cared one way or the other?
And you asshole @12:23 AM think that ASEAN will rescue Khmer from the Viet's yoke???
12:23AM,
Thanks for telling us which hole is you.
Then ASEAN members between Siam, Singapore,Indonesia etc... had pushed UN and the five permanent security council to not recognize Nom Benh and condemn Yuon invasion then occupation.
Afterward,Indonesia and France mediated and Cochaired the conference resulted the 1991 Peace Accord to reurn peace to Cambodia.
Try reading some history,hole@ 12:23AM!
Hey Pet-Mole @11:54PM,
Sounds like a lot of works there. When done, stop by and have some Peking Duck for dinner, okay? We have some special ingredients and sauce imported from Tan Son Nhut that is supposed to be really a life saver for people like you...don't miss it, okay?
សម រង្ស៊ីមិនមែនជាត្រីនៅក្នុងអង្រុតទេ។គាត់ជា
ត្រីរ៉ស់បុកមាត់អង្រុត បុកមុខហ៊ុន សែន។
សំណាញ់ហ៊ុន សែនក្រឡាញឹកមិនជាប់ត្រីរ៉ស់
ឬ ត្រីឆ្ដោទេ។ បើធ្វើជាត្រីឆ្ដោ ត្រីរ៉ស់ត្រូវឆ្លត។
អ្នកនយោបាយត្រូវ៖
*រត់ចោលស្រុក
*រត់ចោលប្រពន្ធកូន
*ស៊ូស្លាប់ក្នុងស្រុក
*ស៊ូដេកព្រៃ
ឧទ្ទាហរណ៍៖អា ហូ ជី មិញរត់ចោលស្រុក។
អាសីហនុរត់ទៅនៅប្រទេសចិនក្រហម។
លោកមហាត្មៈ គន្ឌីរត់ទៅអាហ្វ្រិកខាងត្បូង។
ដូច្នេះ សម រង្ស៊ី អាចគេចទៅនៅទីណា
ដើម្បីធ្វើនយោបាយ រំដោះជាតិឥតខុសទេ។
Who is this guy? today no people in Cambodia knows him and everyone thinks that his is in retire in French about last year.
Read what you write there jackass @5:57 AM?
Let us ask you jackass this question:
If NO PEOPLE knows him like you said, how can EVERYONE think...???
You are really a jackass 5:57AM!!!
5:57 AM. We know you have no education. But he clearly explained himself in his letter.
Were you an uneducated highschool dropped out like dictator Hun Sen.
Re-read his letter again to understand his plea for help. If you still dont know who he is. I pray to god that you will not get into a traffic accident.
The good move is to change your party name to something SYMBOLIC so that more good people will joint it. Nowhere in the world has a political party been named after the founder’s name.
Are Washington’s party, De Gaulle’s party, Hitler’s party, Mao’s party … sound right to you? If not you should have the gut to change it before it’s too late.
How do the smart people here expect to topple Hun Sen and get rid of Yuon?
Each one of you claim that you are smart, but you cannot even get along over the unimportant differences. You are no better than Hun Sen, good at fighting against Khmer, but not Yuon. What’s a shame?
9:26 AM,
Who brainwashed you and taught you how to write this comment?
Your CPP is a very regime and very corrupted coming from Vietnamese puppet Hun Sen and illegal Yuon/Vietnamese official cronies and crooks working with CPP, creating the mafia state. Yes, everything is fine and nice in Phnom Penh, but Cambodia is still under the thieves of Yuon CPP and Yuon puppet Hun Sen
You sound stupid yourself!
9:23 AM,
You have a gut yourself and you need to change to become a better person and then create the party yourself to lead the nation to the prosperity.
9:23 AM,
First, if my memory serves me well...it should be "join it" and not "joint it" like you have there.
Secondly, you are looking from the outside in, applying something from the west, the East or Europe or what not, either because you opt to ignore what you already knew, or you just don't know the very real circumstances behind SRP party name at its inception in Cambodia while facing the CPP's tricks and threats just to say the least.
My educated instinct is that you are playing this stupid game of yours just to bash and trash SRP party name....fair enough!!!
Have a pleasant one!
Peking Duck
9:36 AM
He is your grandpa, idiot!
He only tries to stop you knuckle heads to fight against each other over a crump of bread when your main target is Yuon.
' Peking Duck ' should be chopped up, placed on a plate and ready to be served on a dinner table.
Yummy...yummy.... Peking duck, eh?
Am glad you like it, 10:28 AM.
Bon appetit!
Peking Duck
10:20 AM,
Brainwashed shitting talker. You are lop lop, making no sense. Beyond your thinking, you screwed up yourself by misreading someone comment like this. Did you read the comment carefully before you make a judgement. You sound so suspicious to twist your thinking and then your mind and brain start spinning like crazy Yuon. It is not 9:36 AM fault.
blah! blah! blah! Keep on babbling…
Good job kid, look like even your grandpa cannot stop you.
To 9:23 AM, 9:39 AM and 9:47 AM
The Sam Rainsy Party was founded by Mr. Sam Rainsy as the Khmer Nation Party in November 1995. In 1997, Kong Mony, a renegade party founder, suspected to be aided and abetted by Prime Minister Hun Sen,
orchestrated a breakaway faction and staged a claim to the party
name. Eventually, Mr. Sam Rainsy and other party members decided to
rename the party to the Sam Rainsy Party to make it impossible for any
possible party coup d'etat to be repeated.
With Mr. Sam Rainsy's absence from Cambodia over the last two years his party would have already been broken by the CPP staging an internal coup, had the party had an ordinary name that anyone can steal. Look at Funcinpec getting rid of Norodom Ranariddh under the order of Hun Sen.
5:29 PM, Thank you for sharing that information. Always learning something new.
Has any CPP dogs learn anything new today? Peking Duck did you learn anything new today? You always sound like a fat white guy, often referring politics to food( either you are trying to be really smart by shifting subjects or you are fucked in the head).
LOLZ, Bun Rany Hun Sen loves to "duck" her face face in "duck" sauce, if you know what i mean.
Anyhow keep voting for Hun Sen. CPP dogs only eat shit in the KingDOme of Wonder!
6:12 PM,
It sounds too cliché but you made an ass out of yourself not me when you ASS(U)me...
Like I've said before, if you bust my chops, I may bust your chops back too...okay?
Peking Duck
To 05:10 am,
If you are an educated individual, you should
at least show respect to Mr. Sam Rainsy.
It is easy to call him name and bark over
here.
There must be two approches, political and
military. If he was to return to Cambodia
without foreign or international supports,
Mr. Sam would be easily killed.
We need a LEADER. There are grass root
foot solders already.
Do not try to split hair !!!
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