Boeung Kak residents requesting Hun Sen’s support

17-09-2008
By Nhim Sophal
Cambodge Soir Hebdo in English
Click here to read the article in English

While a court complaint was filed over the filling of the lake, the Boeung Kak residents have the intention to travel to the Prime Minister’s residence in Takmao on Wednesday morning, 17 September.

The residents intend to ask Hun Sen’s intervention in order to stop the lake filling operations already started by the Shukaku Inc. Company. Another important problem is the subject of compensations. This action is the result of the impossibility to reach an agreement between the residents and the local authorities. It ensues from a complaint over the filling of the lake, which the court has to examine before the 19th of September.

Moreover, the residents’ lawyer is studying the possibility of cancelling the contract signed between the company and the Phnom Penh authorities. The latter had granted a 99-year land lease to Shukaku Inc. However, for such a procedure the court requests an advance payment of 50 to 100% of the costs. The lawyer estimates this amount to reach 160 million riel (40,000 dollars), which will be difficult to find.

Hun Sen Appealed to Authorities to Create Atmosphere for Easy Registration By Political Parties

3rd May 2008
By Mondul Keo
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Khmerization
One the web at http://khmerization.blogspot.com

Prime Minister Hun Sen has appealed on 3rd May to local authorities and armed forces to create an atmosphere for easy registration by all political parties that wish to participate in the upcoming election.

Speaking at Wat Samaki Raingsey temple in Kampong Chhnang, the PM said: “I appeal to the local authorities who are responsible for the certification of the candidates’ personal details to make it easy for them to fast track their registration as election candidates as soon as can be done.”

This appeal was made following the complaints from political parties and NGOs that local authorities deliberately created unfavourable conditions for the candidates to obtain certification documents required for the registration as election candidates.

The spokesman for the Norodom Ranariddh Party (NRP), Mr. Muth Chantha, said that some local authorities have created difficulties for his party, but he said that the NRP had already overcome all those difficulties (read about CPP's chief threatened people who joined the NRP's forum).

Mr Muth Chantha said: “The difficulties we faced are related to the issuance of the certificates of confirmation of our names in the registration lists. We were faced with difficulties in obtaining them but we had already overcome all those difficulties. We just wait for the time lodge those documents.”

The Democratic Alliance Party of Mr. Khem Veasna had faced the same problems. He said: “The problem is that the district officials are reluctant to issue certificates of confirmation about the registration of our candidates. We had faced these sorts of difficulties, but no problems, we had overcome all of them already.”

Dr. Hang Puthea, director of NICFEC, the election monitoring body, said that, according to his observations such problems existed. He said: “I observed that the delay in the registration of political parties are due to the issuance of certificates of registration relating to the address of the party headquarter by the commune chiefs.”

In response to these allegations, Mr. Tep Nytha, Secretary-General of the National Election Committee (NEC) said: “The NEC has taken all measures to rectify the problems. What have been alleged had been resolved. Should they still face any problems they must report to the NEC or the provincial election committee for prompt intervention.”

Up until the 3rd of May, there were only 3 political parties that have lodged their application for registration. The registration will continue until the 12th of May.

Villagers to demonstrate in front of Hun Sen’s mansion

27 March 2008
By Ung Chansophea
Cambodge Soir Hebdo
Translated from French by Luc Sâr

A delegation of about 100 people will show up in front of the gate to Prime Minister Hun Sen’s mansion in Takhmao on Friday 28 March, at about 6:00 AM. The delegation wants to attract the attention of the government leader over the land conflict pitting 3 groups of villagers in Phnom Penh against private companies. These communities (Group 78, Dey Kraham, and Reekreay) live in the Bassac district. They must vacate their lands for real estate development. Lim Likheang, a representative of Gorup 78, hopes that this action will bear fruit: “The prime minister intervened in favor of villagers in a land dispute in Sihanoukville. I hope that he will do the same for us.” Hun Sen did present his excuses publicly following the shooting of one of the demonstrators (in Sihanoukville). He also returned one portion of the lands back to the villagers.

Oh, Mr. Prime Minister Hun Sen – you don’t fool me

26 March 2008
Opinion by Vanak Thom
On the web at http://www.blogbykhmer.blogspot.com

Just a little more than four months time, in July 2008 we Cambodians will be voting general election for the party that will lead our country for the better. The voice of the people will be heard. In the mean time our Prime Minister Hun Sen is still holding absolute power and centralised all power of running the country to himself. From building roads, schools, naming gardens and bridges, to judicial making processes and deciding who should be in or out of prison, PM Hun Sen involves with all of the final says. At Phnom Penh ’s roadside café, I remember one of my closest friends has once just casually mentioned “នៅប្រទេសកម្ពុជា យើង គឺយើងឥតមាន ត្រូវការ ច្បាប់អីទេ ពីព្រោះនាយករដ្ធមន្រី្តហុន សែន​ ផ្ទាល់ គឺជាឪ​ ជា​ ម៉ែ នៃច្បាប់ទាំងអស់ We don’t need the rules of law in Cambodia because PM Hun Sen himself is the mother of all rule of law”.

In the current event at Kompong Som (Sihanoukville) there was a clash between villagers and the local authority protecting the interest of the private company Thai Bun Rong. For generations there were 125 families who were living on the premises of this 13 hectares plot of land. The clash resulted one villager was shot by bullets to his leg and both of his arms were broken. Also four other villagers were arrested and were tossed in prison.

With the election time is coming closer, there would never be any better opportunity for PM Hun Sen to give more promises, hand out gifts and appeasing to the villagers for the purpose to win or buy their votes. Yesterday he flew to Kompong Som and gave a decree to immediately release those four villagers from prison. He compensated $750 to the injured man and $300 to each of the four who were in prison. It’s so ironic that the plot of land was originally belong to the people’s ownership. PM Hun Sen then awarded the 13 hectares of VILLAGERS’ OWN LAND back to the villagers.

PM Hun Sen gave the publicity of a speech to propagandise his cause: [my translation] “When something like this has happened, I must apologise to the people. I must apologise for the injured and I must apologise for those that were tossed into the prison. What has happened here, now I must give the state’s land to the people. The land is belonged to the state and the state partitions and gives it to the people. I have nothing to fear when partitioning the land for the people. What I fear is if I partition the land and give it to other countries. I fear if I partition our frontier and ceded to other countries. I, Hun Sen, has no reasons to fear for partitioning the land to our people! “

As usual, our prime minister speech is very macho as one would have expected if he truly is a dictator. PM Hun Sen’s apology may have appeared lowly, modest and so wholeheartedly, which I know only happen for the purpose to have the people’s hearts to vote for his party. He may have won the hearts of 4 villagers that he just released from prison. But to me, especially during the election time, I know this very same trick well. For more than 28 years PM Hun Sen and his CPP cronies have led our Cambodia to deeper dept of corruption and poverty. Sorry, Mr. Prime Minister, not again you don’t fool me. And sir, you still lose my vote.

Vanak
រាជធានី ភ្នំពេញ

Khmer Krom ask Hun Sen to help find missing Monk

Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

Kim Vann Chheng, President of the Khmer Kampuchea Krom facilitation committee, sent a letter dated 23 July asking prime minister Hun Sen to help intervene in the disappearance of Monk Tim Sakhorn, the abbot of the Phnom Den pagoda, following his defrocking. The letter called on Hun Sen to help intervene again in the search for Monk Tim Sakhorn so that he can be brought back and have his case legally resolved according the Cambodian law. Kim Vann Chheng expressed his optimism and his patience in obtaining Hun Sen’s intervention in the search for the disappearing Monk Tim Sakhorn.

Lu Laysreng admits: F'pec is only a tool used by Hun Sen to fight Ranariddh

Hun Sen could help Krom Preah by making arrangements to remove the lawsuits brought against the prince

Friday, July 6, 2007
Rasmei Kampuchea
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

Khieu Kanharith, the government spokesman, talked about the possibility that prime minister Hun Sen could help resolve the issue of Samdach Krom Preah (Ranariddh) so that he can bypass lawsuits against him, and he can return back to Cambodia, following an arrangement with those who sued the prince: Princess Marie (no longer Ranariddh) and the Funcinpec party.

Khieu Kanharith told Rasmei Kampuchea newspaper in the afternoon of 05 July that “the pair (younger brother Hun Sen and older brother Ranariddh) loves each other very much. But other people keep on inciting them.” Khieu Kanharith said that Hun Sen cannot talk to the court directly, but that he can talk with the people who sued the prince so that they withdraw their lawsuits. This latter issue can be discussed, and most likely, win-win arrangements can be made for all parties involved.

Khieu Kanharith is confident that Hun Sen has the ability to resolve Krom Preah problems, because he was even able to resolve and bring to an end the Khmer Rouge issue in the past.

Even though Hun Sen respects the independence of Funcinpec, Khieu Kanharith hopes that Hun Sen can talk with Funcinpec because the CPP and Funcinpec are partners in the alliance.

Krom Preah Ranariddh, NRP president, who currently lives in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, told Rasmei Kampuchea on 04 July that he sent a handwritten letter to Hun Sen to display his happiness when he learned from Queen-Mother and King Sihamoni that Hun Sen sill pities, loves, and wants to meet the prince.

Muth Chantha, NRP spokesman, said in the afternoon of 05 July that in his letter, Krom Preah seems to want Hun Sen to help make the arrangements.

According to Muth Chantha, the results of the arrangement will depend entirely on Hun Sen. Muth Chantha said that Krom Preah also provided his goals in his letter sent to Hun Sen.

Muth Chantha cannot provide any comment as to how Hun Sen replied to Krom Preah’s letter dated 29 June 2007. Muth Chantha simply said that he did not know about this issue because Hun Sen could have answered to the prince directly also.

Lu Laysreng, vice-prime minister and Funcinpec first vice-president, said: “For me, I stop talking about Krom Preah issue anymore. My good intentions have all turned sour.” He added that this issue is no longer being thought of, Funcinpec will concentrate on strengthening of the party instead. He said that this (Krom Preah) issue is a useless one which cannot lead to anywhere far.

When asked about Hun Sen’s request to Funcinpec to withdraw its lawsuit against the prince, and how Funcinpec will think about this, Lu Laysreng said that this issue only involves Hun Sen and Krom Preah.

Krom Preah cannot return back to Cambodia because the Phnom Penh municipal court handed him an 18-month jail sentence in the breach of trust lawsuit involving the sale of Funcinpec party headquarters, and the lawsuit brought by Princess Marie who accused her husband of adultery.