Voice of Democracy to stop its programs (1)
Voice of Democracy (VOD), initially a department of the US-funded Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR), will stop all its programs after 30 September 2007. According to the Truth Committee formed by former CCHR employees, funding for CCHR has dried up since 01 May 2007. A recent statement by the Truth Committee points to "the dishonesty of [former CCHR president] Kem Sokha, who abused his position as leader of an NGO [so as to serve his] personal interest and [to pursue a] hidden political agenda under the banner of human rights." The Truth Committee, which includes renowned journalists and lawyers, accuses Kem Sokha of corruption and has filed a lawsuit against him for breach of trust. Click here to read the statement in Khmer.
CPP electorate shrinking (2)
At the recent 2007 commune election, the CPP collected 61 percent of the vote (3.1 million ballots out of a total of 5.1 million valid ballots). Officials from the ruling party claim that this result is as good as the outcome for the 2002 commune election, which also showed 61 percent of the vote going to CPP (2.7 million ballots out of a total of 4.4 million valid ballots). However, there is a big difference between the two elections. In 2002, voter turnout was 87 percent (4.5 million actual voters for 5.2 citizens/potential voters). In 2007, voter turnout dropped to 65 percent ( 5.1 million voters for 7.8 million citizens). This year, 2.7 million potential voters were discarded from the election process (versus 0.7 million five years ago) as a result of a deliberate policy by the CPP-controlled National Election Committee to disenfranchise non-CPP voters. If an additional 2.0 million non-CPP voters were actually included in the electorate, the CPP would have collected only 44 percent of the vote, a significant drop from the 61 percent obtained in 2002. At the 2003 legislative election, the CPP share of the electorate had already dropped to 47 percent.
Click here for more information on manipulation of voter list and disfranchisement of non-CPP voters.
Suspicious role of You Hockry in the NRP (3)
Some officials of the Norodom Ranariddh Party (NRP) express their concern that their newly appointed Secretary-General You Hockry might be a spy for the CPP, whose role would be to manipulate and control their party from within. After the 1997 coup d'état, then Funcinpec Co-Interior Minister You Hockry did not leave the country with the rest of the Funcinpec leadership loyal to Prince Norodom Ranariddh, but chose to remain in Cambodia where he maintained a suspicious relationship with CPP Second Prime Minister Hun Sen, at a time when Funcinpec First Prime Minister Ung Huot had already sold out to the CPP.
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Voice of Democracy (VOD), initially a department of the US-funded Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR), will stop all its programs after 30 September 2007. According to the Truth Committee formed by former CCHR employees, funding for CCHR has dried up since 01 May 2007. A recent statement by the Truth Committee points to "the dishonesty of [former CCHR president] Kem Sokha, who abused his position as leader of an NGO [so as to serve his] personal interest and [to pursue a] hidden political agenda under the banner of human rights." The Truth Committee, which includes renowned journalists and lawyers, accuses Kem Sokha of corruption and has filed a lawsuit against him for breach of trust. Click here to read the statement in Khmer.
CPP electorate shrinking (2)
At the recent 2007 commune election, the CPP collected 61 percent of the vote (3.1 million ballots out of a total of 5.1 million valid ballots). Officials from the ruling party claim that this result is as good as the outcome for the 2002 commune election, which also showed 61 percent of the vote going to CPP (2.7 million ballots out of a total of 4.4 million valid ballots). However, there is a big difference between the two elections. In 2002, voter turnout was 87 percent (4.5 million actual voters for 5.2 citizens/potential voters). In 2007, voter turnout dropped to 65 percent ( 5.1 million voters for 7.8 million citizens). This year, 2.7 million potential voters were discarded from the election process (versus 0.7 million five years ago) as a result of a deliberate policy by the CPP-controlled National Election Committee to disenfranchise non-CPP voters. If an additional 2.0 million non-CPP voters were actually included in the electorate, the CPP would have collected only 44 percent of the vote, a significant drop from the 61 percent obtained in 2002. At the 2003 legislative election, the CPP share of the electorate had already dropped to 47 percent.
Click here for more information on manipulation of voter list and disfranchisement of non-CPP voters.
Suspicious role of You Hockry in the NRP (3)
Some officials of the Norodom Ranariddh Party (NRP) express their concern that their newly appointed Secretary-General You Hockry might be a spy for the CPP, whose role would be to manipulate and control their party from within. After the 1997 coup d'état, then Funcinpec Co-Interior Minister You Hockry did not leave the country with the rest of the Funcinpec leadership loyal to Prince Norodom Ranariddh, but chose to remain in Cambodia where he maintained a suspicious relationship with CPP Second Prime Minister Hun Sen, at a time when Funcinpec First Prime Minister Ung Huot had already sold out to the CPP.
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