SRP USA/Canada Press Release on some of the "alleged SRP defectors" from overseas

Sam Rainsy Party – USA/Canada

Date June 07,2008
Press Release

Within the last few days, local news scattered sporadically on the web and others in regard to Mr. Ou Sovann's defection from SRP to CPP. As members of SRP in USA and Canada, we fully respect his decision to choose political as his choice and we even wish him best for his new path. However, there are also amusing news regarding two unfamiliar individuals: Mr. Meas Marin and Mr. Hak Chan Sokhom, despite their past association with the SRPUSA/Canada, who had left and dismissed from SRP-USA/Canada for many years ago.

Virtually, they are unknown to many SRP members throughout US and Canada. To inflate their credibility, they recently claimed to be the important members of SRP-USA/Canada prior to joining CPP. As President of SRP-USA/Canada Chapter, I am compelling to clarify the truth and rectify the false claim of these individuals whether their defection will somehow affect the party in anyway.

(1) Mr. Ou Sovann, prior to his defection, was an active member of SRP State Chapter in Massachusetts, functioning in capacity as honorary president who held neither influence nor decision-making. Due to threat and persecution from CPP, SRP in Phnom Penh City helped him to flee Cambodia. In United States, claimed to be SRP member and assassination threat from CPP, he eventually gained legal political asylum and currently residing in Lowell, Massachusetts. Between 2004 and 2006, Mr. Ou Sovann was appointed as adviser to SRPUSA/Canada, yet he held no decision making. His term as advisor to SRP-USA/Canada was expired in 2006.

(2) Mr. Marin Meas was a former member who had abruptly left SRP-USA/Canada after failing to win SRP-USA/Canada presidency position in 2004. Rumor suggested that he later joined FUNCINPEC but failed to gain significant recognition from his new affiliation. Officially, he now becomes a CPP member. Despite his false claim, Mr. Meas Marin defected from a "party", but he certainly did defect from SRP since his membership was expired since 2004. The SRP-USA/Canada still retained original copy of his resignation.

(3) Mr. Hak Chan Sokhom was a former vice president of KNP (Khmer Nation Party) in West coast, California, who was dismissed from KNP due to his misconduct in late 1998. Later, he joined FUNCINPEC and was selected as FUNCINPEC reserve number two candidate in Kep district for the last term. Prior to joining CPP, he claimed to be prominent SRP member but failed to inform the public about his past affiliation with FUNCINPEC (The SRPUSA/Canada has a copy of Funcinpec's MP candidates or we can check with NEC to obtain a copy). Obviously, one can not claim to be a defector from a party that he or she does not belong to.

Despite their bogus claim, these defections have no negative impact upon the SRPUSA/Canada at all. Their attempts to falsify their positions and affiliation with SRPUSA/Canada are simply to show off and to entice the selection of CPP. The focus and direction of SRP-USA/Canada remain vibrant and strong regardless of these minor obstacles in our ways.

I have no comment in regard to false claims from Mr. Meas Marin and Mr. Hak Chan Sokhom since they were not member of SRP-USA/Canada. Nevertheless, in regard to Mr. Ou Sovann, as a former member of SRP-MA, we would like to thank him for taking his time and providing services to SRP throughout the past years. Despite our differences, we wish him best in his new endeavor with his new political party, CPP.

Recanting Tim Norn implicated SRP MP Saumura Tioulong of detaining her

Wednesday, April 2, 2008
KI-Media

Following the SRP release of a taped interview of Tim Norn, the former SRP commune councilor from Kampong Thom province who defected to the CPP but had several changes of mind later on, the CPP appears to come up with another novel charade in this affair. On Thursday 27 March, CTN, a pro-CPP TV station, broadcasted an interview with Tim Norn in which the latter implicated SRP MP Tioulong Saumura in her detention. The Cambodia Daily reported on 31 March that Tim Norn claimed that SRP officials detained her in Phnom Penh in order to prevent her from defecting to the CPP. However, the taped interview of Tim Norn released by the SRP contradicts her latest claim. Furthermore, the information provided by Tim Norn on the SRP interview corroborated with information she provided to other human rights NGOs also. When asked about this issue by The Cambodia Daily, Tim Norn indicated that the SRP recording was false and that she spoke under duress.

On 28 March, Sok Pheng, the SRP defector whose wife is accused by Tim Norn of offering her money to try to woo other SRP party members to join the CPP, was quoted by The Cambodia Daily as saying: “What Tim Norn said at the SRP office was not reliable because she was under pressure.” Sok Pheng also admitted that he has promised to give Tim Norn $200 for “humanitarian” reason. In the CTN interview, Tim Norn also challenged MP Saumura Tioulong, who was then traveling overseas, to return to Cambodia to testify this case in court. Following The Cambodia Daily reports, MP Saumura Tioulong issued the reply posted below.

Eng Chhay Eang: Arrest of SRP officials in Kg Thom was because Sok Pheng could not persuade other SRP members to defect to the CPP with him

SRP defector Sok Pheng, Hun Sen's newly acquired advisor

Sam Rainsy Party Commune Chief Was Arrested for Intimidation and Detention

Chuoy Khmer, Vol. 2, #67, 19.3.2008
The Mirror, Vol. 12, No. 552

“The public understands that the arrest of the SRP commune chief in Baray on the morning of 18 March 2008 can be a tactic of the ruling party, to intimidate those who belong to other parties, so that some of those people understand that they have to defect.”

“Important activists of the no-longer-opposition party, the Sam Rainsy Party [SRP], are worried about the arrest of a party member by the authorities over the accusation of intimidation and detention of Ms. Tim Norn [by SRP members] in order to prevent her from defecting to the Cambodian People’s Party [CPP]. The SRP commune chief of Pongro, Baray, Tuot [or Thoun or Suon – according to different sources] Saron, was arrested on the morning of 18 March 2008 by police officers, after Prime Minister Hun Sen announced on 17 March that police must deal with the intimidation cases in Kompong Thom and Takeo against SRP activists who had tried to prevent other SRP members from defecting to the CPP.

“A source from Kompong Thom indicates that the SRP activist, who was arrested on 18 March at 9:30, is Mr. Tuot Saron, the SRP council chief of Baray, who is also the Pongro commune chief. The arrest of Mr. Tuot Saron is a case of intimidation rather than the consequence of a defection to another party.

“Police officers in Kompong Thom said that the authorities are searching for more SRP activists who are said to have been involved in the illegal detention. Those activists include the following three: 1) Mr. Thorn Rithy, the SRP deputy commune chief, the chief of the working group of the SRP in Prasat Balang and Sandan, Kompong Thom, 2) Mr. Maen Vannak, and 3) Mr. Hour Sarath, as well as other accomplices who were involved in the illegal detention and the intimidation by phone. After hearing the plans of the police in Kompong Thom, those who were involved in the matter are on the run to hide themselves from the police.

“The police officers added that the activist who was intimidated and illegally detained is Ms. Tim Norn, who is living in Baray, Kompong Thom.

“The arrest of Mr. Tout Saron, the SRP chief of the council of Baray, who is also the commune chief of Pongro, Kompong Thom, came after Prime Minister Hun Sen ordered relevant authorities, police officers, and military police officers on 17 March 2008 to search for those who detained and intimidated citizens by telephone in order to prevent them from defecting to the CPP. Mr. Hun Sen said ‘They have not yet got power, but they have already started to prevent people from defecting to another party. They don’t have power yet, but they do such things already; they are so cruel.’

“Mr. Hun Sen added that as prime minister, he has to think of the safety of all citizens, regardless to which party they belong.

“Mr. Eng Chhay Eang, the secretary-general of the unreasonable opposition San Rainsy Party and a former addictive gambler, told journalists that the arrest of Tout Saron, the commune chief of Pongro, Kompong Thom, came after Prime Minister Hun Sen accused the SRP of intimidation. But Mr. Eng Chhay Eang said the arrest was because the former SRP Kompong Thom lawmaker Mr. Sok Pheng, who had defected to the CPP, could not persuade other SRP members to defect to the CPP with him. Therefore, he reported to Prime Minister Hun Sen that there was a case of intimidation against members who are trying to defect to the CPP.

“The unreasonable opposition party secretary-general Mr. Eng Chhay Eang said, ‘The ruling party uses its power to create such a problem. Who is the real intimidator? That is the ruling party itself.’ Also, Mr. Eng Chhay Eang asked the government to stop doing cowardly acts. He said the game should be played in an open manner, not like this. In Kompong Thom, six people from the SRP were voted to be commune chiefs, but none of them, including more than one hundred commune counselors, followed Sok Pheng who defected to the CPP. This is a shameful behavior of Mr. Sok Pheng, who made up the story to please the prime minister. The prime minister should not believe this story; and no action should be taken. Mr. Eng Chhay Eang continued to tell reporters that the arrest of the Pongro commune chief, of the SRP in Baray, Kompong Thom, is political and it is an intimidation for members who don’t want to defect. The arrest is only to frighten others.

“Civil society organizations are watching the arrest of the commune chief in Baray, Kompong Thom, and they are closely investigating this matter to find out if the arrest is a political intimidation, or whether Mr. Tuot Saron really intimidated other people by telephone.

“According to the latest report, uniformed police and plaincloth police surrounded the SRP head office in Kompong Thom, in order to arrest those who were accused to have been involved in intimidation and illegal detention.

“According to other informal sources, the arrest of the Pongro commune chief Mr. Tuot Saron is also related to other high-ranking officials who are SRP members. Police are investigating to identify those who are involved in intimidation.

“The public understands that the arrest of the SRP commune chief in Baray on the morning of 18 March 2008 can be a tactic of the ruling party, to intimidate those who belong to other parties, so that some of those people understand that they have to defect.”