Cambodian Human Right Party fails to form opposition bloc

April 22, 2008
Xinhua

Cambodia's opposition Human Right Party (HRP)'s steering committee has announced its secret negotiations with opposition democrats, nationalists and royalists have not resulted in unification, local newspaper the Mekong Times reported Tuesday.

The HRP leadership has long been discussing a possible unification with the Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) and Norodom Ranariddh Party (NRP), said Keat Sokun, deputy HRP president.

"We have worked secretly with locals and those overseas on unification," he said, adding that HRP officials have met with representatives of the SRP and NRP, but the effort has to date not yielded positive results.

Keat Sokun blamed the SRP for the lack of a coherent political opposition, saying that SRP representatives had claimed their party needed no help.

Still, he said the HRP remains adamant that a unified opposition would be best for Cambodia.

HRP: A rebirth attempt of the defunct Son Sann party? The list of candidates to the party leadership seems to say so

Kem Sokha displays the composition of candidates to the HRP leadership

Thursday, July 19 2007
Rasmei Kampuchea newspaper
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

Kem Sokha, HRP interim president, revealed the candidates to the HRP leadership along his side. These candidates include Keo Remy, Son Soubert, Keat Sokun, and a number of other important people, as well as those coming from overseas.

Kem Sokha told Rasmei Kampuchea (RK) that Keo Remy position as vice-president of the party has received the support already. As for Keat Sokun, the former financial officer of the defunct Son Sann Buddhist Liberal party is another candidate for the party vice-presidency. He added that “up until now, we have not decided on the number of party vice-presidents nor the list of candidates for the candidates to the party leadership yet.”

However, Kem Sokha said that Son Soubert, Son Sann’s son, will be candidate for the party steering committee or candidate for the position of chairman of the party regulation council. He said that he did not have a final discussion with Son Soubert yet because the latter is actually in Paris, France. He said that a number of other leader positions for the 3 branches of the party (of which the party president is already known to be Kem Sokha, the position of the chairman of the regulation council, and the chairman of the party steering committee) will be handed over to people from overseas. Nevertheless, the names of candidates from overseas have not been revealed yet. Kem Sokha only indicated that these candidates could be people coming from Canada, France, or the US.

As for the party secretariat, it will be led by a group of four people: 2 candidates from Cambodia, and 2 candidates from overseas. There are currently two candidates to the position of secretary-general and deputy secretary-general: Nhiek Vannara who is from Cambodia, and Ou Chanrath who is from overseas.

Keo Remy said that on 20 July, the party founders will hold a meeting to make a final decision of the list of candidates to the party leadership structure before the list is being presented for approval on 22 July.

Kem Sokha and Keo Remy claimed that Mao Veasna, the president of the Students Movement for Democracy, had decided to join the HRP. Kem Sokha said that “we will welcome them because the party needs a new generation to take over.” He said: “The party goal is that we think about the future of the youth. They will take over the organization of the party in the future.”

Kem Sokha said that besides Pen Sovann’s party, two other parties sent official letters to merge with HRP. The two parties are: the National Construction Party, and the National Liberal Democratic Salvation Party.

Even though Pen Sovann did not demand any position, he will become an advisor to the party, or he can become a vice-president of the party.