Wednesday, January 02, 2008Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Socheata
Freshly out of the plane after his return from a tour in Europe, on 01 January 2008, opposition leader Sam Rainsy declared that he is not concerned about his personal safety, but that he is more worried about the safety of his grass root party supporters.
In a declaration given to reporters at the Phnom Penh International airport regarding the assassination of Ms. Benazir Bhutto, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan and current leader of the opposition, a role that Sam Rainsy is also playing in Cambodia, Sam Rainsy said that the political situation in Cambodia is unlike that of Pakistan, and the political situation in the two countries is very different from one another.
Sam Rainsy said: “In Cambodia, there are no extremists like Pakistan or Iraq. I am confident that we have a lot of experience, and we can avoid the situation in Pakistan from happening.” While stating that he is not concerned about his personal safety, to the contrary, Sam Rainsy said that he is more concerned about the security and the safety of SRP members at the grass root levels, with the fast approaching 2008 general election.
Sam Rainsy said: “For myself, I don’t have any problem because I have reporters, embassies in Phnom Penh that I can reach very quickly, but in the countryside, I am very concerned about the safety of SRP party members.” As part of his political message for 2008, Sam Rainsy called on all Cambodian politicians to work hard and to avoid using violence like what had happened in Pakistan, and he also stressed that in Cambodia, if each political party is courageous enough, it wouldn’t resort to the assassination of its political competitor.
Threats and assassinations of opposition political activists always take place in isolated grass root areas, especially when the election season is approaching. However, Koul Panha, Comfrel Director, noted that, based on investigations conducted by his organization on violence, threat, and the killing of non-ruling party supporters for the upcoming 2008 election seem to be lower than those during the 2003 election.
In a declaration given to reporters at the Phnom Penh International airport regarding the assassination of Ms. Benazir Bhutto, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan and current leader of the opposition, a role that Sam Rainsy is also playing in Cambodia, Sam Rainsy said that the political situation in Cambodia is unlike that of Pakistan, and the political situation in the two countries is very different from one another.
Sam Rainsy said: “In Cambodia, there are no extremists like Pakistan or Iraq. I am confident that we have a lot of experience, and we can avoid the situation in Pakistan from happening.” While stating that he is not concerned about his personal safety, to the contrary, Sam Rainsy said that he is more concerned about the security and the safety of SRP members at the grass root levels, with the fast approaching 2008 general election.
Sam Rainsy said: “For myself, I don’t have any problem because I have reporters, embassies in Phnom Penh that I can reach very quickly, but in the countryside, I am very concerned about the safety of SRP party members.” As part of his political message for 2008, Sam Rainsy called on all Cambodian politicians to work hard and to avoid using violence like what had happened in Pakistan, and he also stressed that in Cambodia, if each political party is courageous enough, it wouldn’t resort to the assassination of its political competitor.
Threats and assassinations of opposition political activists always take place in isolated grass root areas, especially when the election season is approaching. However, Koul Panha, Comfrel Director, noted that, based on investigations conducted by his organization on violence, threat, and the killing of non-ruling party supporters for the upcoming 2008 election seem to be lower than those during the 2003 election.
