CNRP Protesters March in Phnom Penh, Rally at Headquarters

CNRP supporters carrying Cambodian flags march in Phnom Penh, March 30, 2014.

Cambodian opposition leader Sam Rainsy led hundreds of supporters in a march through the capital and a meeting at his party’s headquarters on Sunday, abandoning plans to defy a government ban and rally in Phnom Penh’s Freedom Park.

Avoiding hundreds of anti-riot police deployed to the park, the supporters marched from the city center to the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) offices for a “people’s congress” aimed at soliciting opinions on the party’s next steps amid an eight-month post-election deadlock with Prime Minister Hun Sen’s party.

It was the CNRP’s first public rally since security forces violently dispelled opposition supporters from Freedom Park in early January.

The CNRP had planned to hold the people’s congress in the park, but Sam Rainsy announced Sunday morning that the location was moved to avoid clashes with security forces.

Police armed with batons and shields patrolled the inside of the park while the surrounding streets were closed off with steel barricades, following orders on Friday from the Ministry of the Interior refusing permission for the CNRP to gather there.

CNRP leaders had said earlier last week that they planned to push ahead with the rally in the park despite being denied permission by Phnom Penh’s City Hall to use the site.

Before the January crackdown the CNRP had staged regular mass demonstrations since the July 2013 elections, which it claims were rigged by Hun Sen's Cambodian People's Party (CPP).

Vow for nationwide demonstrations

After gathering Sunday morning near the Supreme Court to commemorate the anniversary of a deadly 1997 grenade attack on an opposition rally, supporters shouted slogans calling for election reforms and Hun Sen’ resignation as they marched two miles (4 kilometers) to the party headquarters.

Speaking before the crowd in front of the party offices, Sam Rainsy vowed the CNRP would lead mass demonstrations across the country if talks with the CPP continue to falter.

“The opposition will continue to hold nationwide demonstrations and to lobby the international community to recognize that this government is illegal,” he said.

CNRP leaders Sam Rainsy and Kem Sokha address supporters outside the party headquarters, March 30, 2014. Photo credit: RFA.

He said the party’s main priority in any future negotiations must be getting the CPP to agree to an overhaul of the National Election Committee (NEC), the country’s main election body.

"We must change the National Election Committee first," he said.

The CNRP suspended negotiations on election reform earlier this month after the two sides demanded that members of the NEC, who are currently hand-picked by the government, be approved by a two-thirds majority of parliament.

Toward the end of the people’s congress, Sam Rainsy said CNRP leaders and supporters discussed and agreed on five points, including pushing for election reforms and resuming mass demonstrations.

"The first is to seek justice for voters. If there is a re-election, it must be free and fair and the NEC must be independent,” he said.

The party will also continue its boycott of parliament until election irregularities are resolved, and will seek the release of prisoners of conscience and work for a higher minimum wage for workers, he said.

The last round of CNRP-led mass demonstrations in Freedom Park was violently dispersed on January 4, a day after police shot five people dead in a brutal crackdown on garment workers protesting for higher wages.

Shortly afterward Hun Sen issued a ban on public protests, which he rescinded late last month while warning that any opposition demonstrations could be met with simultaneous pro-CPP rallies.

But authorities told the CNRP last week that the park is off-limits for gatherings while authorities investigate violence linked to the early January crackdown.

Authorities have accused the opposition of provoking violence that led to the early January crackdown.

Reported by RFA’s Khmer Service. Translated by Samean Yun. Written in English by Rachel Vandenbrink.

Source: RFA

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Cambodia PM Warns Against Opposition Protest

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen addresses the inauguration ceremony of a hydropower plant in Pursat province, March 27, 2014.

 

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has threatened action against the main opposition party if it pushes ahead with a planned mass demonstration in Phnom Penh’s Freedom Park on Sunday in defiance of a ban on public gatherings at the site.

Blaming the Cambodian National Rescue Party (CNRP) for provoking chaos through protests, Hun Sen said legal action could be taken against the party if it forges ahead with a fresh demonstration.

“Our country has laws. If they are moving toward violence, we can’t have any more patience,” he said, speaking at an inauguration ceremony for a hydropower plant in Pursat province.

“We must take legal action.”

The CNRP issued a fresh statement Thursday calling for supporters to join them in Freedom Park on Sunday afternoon, despite being refused permission from City Hall to gather at the site, where authorities used force to suppress the CNRP’s last mass demonstration in early January.

Freedom Park has been a rallying point for mass anti-government protests following flawed elections last year.

Phnom Penh’s City Hall issued a statement Thursday denying the CNRP permission to use the site, saying the park is off-limits for gatherings while authorities investigate violence linked to the early January crackdown.

The CNRP has led a series of mass demonstrations attended by thousands of supporters over the past eight months since elections in July that the party claims were rigged by Hun Sen’s Cambodian People’s Party (CPP).

Forging ahead

CNRP Deputy President Kem Sokha said the party is determined to move ahead with the rally, criticizing Hun Sen’s threats against the plan as unlawful.

“This is like the law of bandits. This is a dictatorship,” he told RFA’s Khmer Service.

“If they were working in accordance with international laws, they’d have no need to crack down on us.”

The CNRP expects some 5,000 people to attend the event, which will be a “people’s congress” at which party leaders will discuss recent political developments and the party’s decision this week to suspend reform talks with the CPP.

It will be the party’s first mass demonstration since January 4, when authorities violently dispersed protesters in Freedom Park, a day after security forces shot five people dead while putting down a protest elsewhere in the city by garment workers demanding higher wages.

City Hall Spokesman Long Dymong said Thursday that CNRP supporters should gather somewhere other than Freedom Park, which was off-limits while authorities investigated the violence.

“We don’t ban them from gathering. They can express their views inside their office or a private place,” he told RFA.

He said the authorities have discovered that those behind the violence in the Jan. 3 garment workers’ protests had also attended CNRP-led demonstrations in Freedom Park the next day.

The government had previously accused CNRP leaders and other activists of inciting violence the provoked the early January crackdowns. 

Damaged property

A new report on recent protests in the country released by the Ministry of the Interior on Thursday linked the CNRP to millions of dollars’ worth of property damaged in the protests.

Some U.S. $73 million dollars of state and private property had been destroyed in mass demonstrations and garment factory strikes in recent months, it said, blaming the CNRP for inciting them and provoking chaos.

“After the election results announced July 28, CNRP leaders Sam Rainsy and Kem Sokha led demonstrations that incited and provoked people to hold massive demonstrations at Freedom Park,” the report said.

“The illegal demonstrations were aimed at toppling the government through inciting violence.”

Ministry of the Interior Spokesman Khieu Sopheak said the report should be considered a lesson not to stage further demonstrations.

“This is a lesson for the next generation. The demonstration doesn’t do anything to help the country, and we only lose out on benefits,” he said.

Kem Sokha said the report was biased toward Hun Sen’s government.

“The government used their forces to kill people [in the protests], but they put the blame [for violence] on us. No one believes in them,” he said.

Reported by RFA’s Khmer Service. Translated by Samean Yun. Written in English by Rachel Vandenb

Source: RFA

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In Desperation, Borei Keila Women Turn to Sex Work After Eviction

Bopha waits for customers at a park near the waterfront in Phnom Penh, March 2014.

 

Some women evicted from Phnom Penh’s Borei Keila slum have resorted to prostitution to support themselves after losing their homes and jobs in one of Cambodia’s bitterest land disputes.

The women are among some 150 families struggling to make ends meet since being moved to a barren plot of land an hour-and-a-half’s drive outside the city two years ago after property developer Phanimex reneged on an agreement to provide them with on-site housing in exchange for land in Borei Keila.

With no new jobs in the relocation area, some 50 women in the community have returned to the city to work in bars and karaoke parlors on the fringes of the city’s sex industry, with some of those women turning tricks for a living, according to a community leader.

One of the women, who asked to be identified as Bopha, said that since losing her job as a cleaner at a local market she has had no choice but to work as a prostitute.

"If Phanimex hadn’t evicted us, I wouldn’t have to face this,” she told RFA’s Khmer Service.

"But now I am a prostitute. Phanimex is killing me,” she said.

Violent eviction

Bopha lost her job when her family relocated to Phnom Bat commune in Kandal province, some 35 kilometers from Borei Keila, following a violent forced eviction in 2012.

On Jan. 3 that year, Phanimex workers bulldozed homes belonging to her and some 300 other families, prompting a violent clash in which scores of police fired warning shots and tear gas as residents hurled bricks and Molotov cocktails.

Phanimex was demolishing the homes to make way for new offices, retail, and apartments in the area after failing to honor an agreement to build new housing for some of the Borei Keila residents on part of the land.  Some evictees were moved to Phnom Bat, while others remain in limbo.

Bopha was pregnant during the clash and says she miscarried after security guards overseeing the forced eviction beat her while she was trying to protect her two children.

The sewing machine she used to earn extra income tailoring clothes was destroyed in the demolition along with the family’s home.

In the resettlement area in Phnom Bat, a barren plot of land with nothing surrounding it, the family had no way to make a living, Bopha said.

Like dozens of other families, they moved back to Borei Keila to live in a garbage-strewn alley of makeshift tents and shelters along with residents who were never relocated to new housing—but without Bopha’s husband, whom she divorced after starting to work as a prostitute.

Soliciting customers

One night this month after dark, Bopha headed from Borei Keila to a park near the riverfront to look for customers.

“Are you waiting for someone to spend the night with?” she asked a man lingering in the park.

At the same time of night two years ago, she would have been asleep at home with her husband and children, she told RFA’s Khmer Service.

"I sit in parks waiting for customers. I’m so ashamed,” she said.

Bopha said she earns about U.S. $20 from each customer, which she uses to support her two children and mother and pay off the family’s debts.

"My mother owes people money, I can't ignore it," she said.

One of many

Bopha is one of many Borei Keila woman with no choice but prostitution, community representative Chhay Kimhorn said.

Some 50 of them have taken up work in the entertainment industry, and some of them have resorted to prostitution like Bopha, she said.

“I myself am now working as a scavenger, but if I weren’t able to make ends meet anymore I would become a prostitute too to support myself,” she said.

Children play in front of homes at the resettlement site in Phnom Bat, March 2014. Photo credit: RFA.

 

Bopha said her two sisters, also from Borei Keila, are working in the entertainment industry, and she has asked them not to sell their bodies. 

No opportunities

Phnom Bat commune representative Touch Khorn, said that with no employment opportunities and poor conditions in the new settlement, many of the Borei Keila women were in a similar predicament to Bopha.

“Some women have been left with no choice but to work as prostitutes, or to cut their hair and sell it,” he said.

Most of the 100 people who have remained in Phnom Bat are surviving on donations from NGOs, he said.

The families have no electricity, no health care, and not enough land to cultivate any crops, and the children have to walk some 4 miles (6 kilometers) to reach the nearest school, he said.

Long-running dispute

Borei Keila residents, along with evictees from Boeung Kak and Thmor Koul elsewhere in the city, have staged regular protests against their eviction, some of them resulting in residents being arrested or violently beaten by police.

Phanimex originally agreed more than a decade ago to construct 10 buildings to house 1,776 families in Borei Keila, in exchange for license to build a new property on 2.6 hectares (6.4 acres) of the land.

But only eight of the buildings have been built so far.

In January this year, Phnom Penh governor Pa Socheatvong visited those living in the makeshift shelters in Borei Keila, promising new temporary houses will be built.

Residents say they want a permanent resolution to the problem.

In February, police raided an unfinished apartment building in Borei Keila that community members excluded from the resettlement agreement had occupied for two days.

'Voluntarily'

Asked about Bopha’s case, Phnom Penh City Hall Spokesman Long Dymong said her involvement in sex work was not the fault of the forced eviction.

“Some women do the work voluntarily,” he told RFA.

Bopha said she wanted Phanimex to find a long-term solution for the residents that would not relegate them to poverty.

“The company should resolve the dispute.  They shouldn’t allow others to live in poverty any longer and end up as prostitutes.”

Reported by Tep Soravy for RFA’s Khmer Service. Translated by Samean Yun. Written in English by Rachel Vandenbrink.

Source: RFA

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Strike Action to Back Higher Pay For Garment Workers Loses Steam

Striking garment workers demonstrate in Phnom Penh, Dec. 31, 2013.

Only two of eight labor unions representing garment workers in Cambodia went on strike as planned beginning Wednesday to back their demands for a higher minimum wage as the government called the industrial action illegal and warned of possible action.

The six other unions have decided to call off the three-day stay-at-home strike—also aimed at pressuring the authorities to release 21 workers and activists held following a bloody January crackdown—until after the Khmer New Year holiday, which begins on April 14, union leaders said.

Some reports suggested that the workers refused to join the strike following pressure from the government and factory owners or for fear they would lose their jobs.

Unions had earlier warned that the strike action would involve hundreds of thousands of garment workers across the country.

Last month, some 100,000 workers refused to work overtime hours in the first phase of a campaign to push for higher minimum salaries and press for the release of the detainees.

Cambodian Confederation of Unions President Rong Chhun said the strike was only a "test," claiming that workers belonging to the two unions in at least 20 factories in the capital Phnom Penh as well as in Kampong Speu, Prey Veng, and Kampong Cham stayed at home or refused to work even after going to their factories.

The government has refused to increase the minimum wage to U.S. $160 as demanded by unions or free the 21 detainees despite their industrial action threats.

The minimum wage was raised to U.S. $100 per month in February following workers’ demands since late last year that it be doubled from U.S. $80 immediately.

'No one will force them'

The Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia (GMAC), representing employers, said Wednesday that only a few workers in its 400 odd factories were absent from work.

"They have the right to work or stay at home," GMAC President  Van Sou Leng said. "No one will force them. But they can't demand salaries if they don't work," he said.

Chheang Thyda, a worker from Kin Tai Factory in Phnom Penh, said about 1,000 workers stayed at home on Wednesday.

She said that although the unions had requested the workers to strike for three days, some have decided to extend the action by two more days.

"When we strike for two to three days, we will lose only about U.S. $10, but if we succeed we can get U.S. $160 a month," Chheang Thyda said. "For the long term, we don't lose any benefits and we will be happy if they [the 21 detainees] get out," she said.

Meanwhile, Labor Minister Ith Sam Heng said that the strike and other industrial actions taken so far by the garment workers were illegal and that the authorities have the right to act against them.

He labeled the actions as politically motivated.

"Politically motivated demonstrations can't be resolved," he said, speaking at a union policy related workshop,

Ith Sam Heng said that discussions on the salary issue are ongoing and that the government and the International Labor Organization are working to define a new minimum wage.

Speaking at the same conference, Van Sou Leng said the labor dispute cannot be easily resolved because it is linked to politics. The opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) has backed the workers' demand for higher wages and had joined their previous protests.

Van Sou Leng said factory owners have been saddled with problems because there are too many unions in the factories.

Procedures unacceptable

Ath Thon, head of the Coalition of Cambodian Apparel Workers Democratic Union (CCAWDU), the country’s largest independent union, denied at the workshop that workers' protests were linked to politics.

He said that the procedures to define the minimum wage were not acceptable, calling on the government to convene a meeting soon to discuss the wage increase demand.

Cambodia’s 300,000 textile workers often work long shifts for little pay in the garment factories, trade unions complain, saying the current minimum wage is too low to support a decent livelihood and that many factory workers rely on overtime pay and bonuses to cover their basic expenses.

In a separate development, the Supreme Court has ordered the Phnom Penh Municipal Court to reinvestigate the circumstances in which labor leader Chea Vichea was murdered in 2004.

Phnom Penh Court Deputy Prosecutor Sok Roeun told RFA's Khmer Service that that the court had forwarded the case to the police for investigation.

Chea Vichea, an outspoken critic of Prime Minister Hun Sen’s government and the former president of Cambodia’s Free Trade Union (FTU)—one of the biggest unions in the country—was shot dead on Jan. 22, 2004 by an unknown assailant while he was reading a newspaper at a stand in the capital.

In September, the Supreme Court decided to release two men seen by rights groups as “scapegoats” for the crime after they had spent nearly five years in jail.

“This is the court’s procedure ... so far they accused Born Samnang and Sok Sam Oeun, but both were cleared so the court has ordered prosecutors to reinvestigate the case,” FTU lawyer Kao Thy told RFA.

Chea Mony, who succeeded his brother Chea Vichea as head of the umbrella trade union group, welcomed the court’s move but said he did not believe it could provide the victim’s family justice.

“I think, maybe, we won’t have justice for my brother,” he said.

Reported by Khe Sonorng for RFA's Khmer Service. Translated by Samean Yun. Written in English by Parameswaran Ponnudurai. 

Source: RFA

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Cambodia’s Ruling, Opposition Parties at Odds Over Electoral Body Reform

Binh Chhin (L) speaks to reporters in response to Son Chhay (R) in Phnom Penh, March, 10, 2014.

 

 

Prime Minister Hun Sen’s ruling Cambodia People’s Party (CPP) on Monday rejected an opposition proposal to revamp the country’s electoral body as they met for a third round of talks aimed at breaking a seven-month political deadlock following disputed polls.

Opposition leader Sam Rainsy’s Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) said in a statement that the CPP was unwilling to accept its demand for a rapid restructure of the government-appointed National Election Commission (NEC), which oversees the country’s polls and which critics have said lacks independence.

At the end of the talks, the two parties failed to emerge with a joint statement as they did in their previous two meetings aimed at breaking a political deadlock following the July 28, 2013 elections.

“The main reason why it was impossible to issue a joint statement is because the CNRP wanted to include ‘The Reform of the NEC with regard to its composition’ as a priority issue in the subject of electoral reform,” the CNRP said, following its third round of talks in three weeks with the CPP.

The opposition party said that it had wanted the appointment of NEC members to be made by the National Assembly, the country’s parliament, and endorsed by a two-thirds majority of the 123-seat legislature but that the CPP had refused.

After the July 28 polls, which the opposition maintains were fraught with irregularities, the NEC declared the CPP the winner with 68 seats in parliament to the CNRP’s 55, but the CNRP claimed it won at least 63.

CNRP lawmakers are currently boycotting the assembly in protest of the CPP’s victory and have called for a reelection.

If the CNRP ends its boycott of parliament, it will deny the CPP of its long running two-thirds majority – even by the 55 seats the NEC says it had won.

The CNRP said it would not compromise on its proposed revamp of the NEC.

“The CPP delegates refused to include this issue in the subject of electoral reform. The CNRP is willing to continue the dialogue with the CPP, only if the latter accepts its above-mentioned requests,” the CNRP statement said.

“The CNRP believes that any electoral reform must first address the issue of the NEC because this central institution is in charge of organizing the election. Therefore, if there is no agreement on the NEC, no credible electoral reform can be conducted.”

CPP team leader Binh Chhin told reporters on Monday that the two sides had “expressed differences on technical terms,” but had “shown goodwill on working towards common goals.”

He said that the parties had “agreed in principle to a few points on electoral reforms,” though he did not elaborate.

NGO activities

Binh Chhin also said that the CPP had raised concerns about close links between nongovernmental organizations and the opposition party.

Senior CPP lawmaker Cheam Yeap later told RFA’s Khmer Service that the CPP had raised the topic because “NGOs have shown ill will to the CPP.”

“Cambodia needs a law to regulate NGOs,” Cheam Yeap said.

“We want to push for an NGO law as it would allow the government and NGOs to work more easily, because so far the NGOs have only shown bias to one party [the opposition].”

A proposed law to tightly control NGOs in Cambodia was shelved two years ago following criticism from various groups within the country and foreign governments.

CNRP team leader Son Chhay responded that the opposition party was focused on conducting election reforms and would not back the CPP’s move to introduce any law to regulate NGOs.

“We have a goal to build a democratic culture here,” he said.

“We are taking ideas from the people and from NGOs before making any decision. We can’t make any law that would pressure the people and NGOs, otherwise we would be unable to resolve social issues.”

The two sides have tentatively agreed to meet again on March 17.

Monday’s meeting follows talks last week in which the two parties agreed to work together to reform an election voter registration process and review campaign financing procedures, though the CNRP said the meeting  did not signal a possible end to its boycott of parliament or its demand for fresh elections following allegations of fraud in the July polls.

The parties had agreed in September to work together on electoral reform, but talks stalled, and a February meeting had been the first between the two since then.

Sam Rainsy and Hun Sen had met earlier for the only round of top-level negotiations since the disputed election but failed to forge a political compromise.

Rallies canceled

Also on Monday, the CNRP in Takeo province cancelled two party rallies after the CPP held counter rallies that included members of the security forces in nearby locations.

CNRP Takeo provincial director Yann Vandeth told RFA that around 200 party supporters and activists abruptly canceled the rallies in two separate districts because they felt threatened by CPP members and police.

“They played loud music and surrounded our forums,” he said.

Kirivong district governor Tek Tonglim and CPP members who led the counter demonstration against the CNRP refused to comment when contacted.

The Neutral & Impartial Committee for Free & Fair Elections in Cambodia (Nicfec), an election watchdog,  claimed the CPP action was a result of a call from Hun Sen to hold counter rallies against all opposition demonstrations, which he said was inciting violence.

“This is leading people to hate one another,” Nicfec director Hang Puthea said.

“[Hun Sen] is starting a fire and we must put it out.”

In late February, Hun Sen lifted a ban on public gatherings put into place after Cambodian police fired on CNRP-backed striking garment workers a month earlier, leaving five dead in what rights groups described as the worst state violence against civilians in the country in years.

In his announcement calling off the ban, Hun Sen warned that if the opposition had the right to protest, so did supporters of his CPP—raising concerns of possible clashes between the two groups at simultaneous gatherings.

Reported by Joshua Lipes. Translated by Samean Yun. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.

Resource: RFA

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Cambodia Opposition Party Threatens to Call Off Talks

CNRP President Sam Rainsy (left) and his deputy Kem Sokha (right) wave to supporters at a protest in Phnom Penh, March 8, 2014.

 

 

The main opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) threatened Tuesday to call off talks aimed at breaking an eight-month political deadlock with Prime Minister Hun Sen’s ruling party, accusing it of using the negotiations to cling on to power.

CNRP chief Sam Rainsy said his party would scrap the talks if the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) continues to reject proposed reforms for the government-appointed electoral body, which has been accused of bias and incompetence.     

“The CPP’s tactics seem to only buy time and to cling on to power by any means and at any cost,” the CNRP said in a statement to donor countries and institutions.

By doing so, the CPP is “jeopardizing the future of Cambodia, given that development and democracy must go hand in hand,” it said.

The statement follows three rounds of talks on electoral reforms between the two parties, which have been locked in a standoff since disputed elections in July, with the opposition boycotting parliament in protest.

The last round ended on a precarious note Monday after the CPP was unwilling to accept CNRP demands for an overhaul of the country’s elections body, the National Election Committee (NEC).

'We don't want to talk about other topics'

Sam Rainsy said CNRP representatives will not attend the next meeting scheduled for March 17 unless the CPP sticks to discussions on the NEC.

During Monday’s meeting, the CNRP had called for a restructure of the NEC, which oversees the country’s polls and which critics have said lacks independence.

“We are waiting for their response,” Sam Rainsy told RFA’s Khmer Service.

“Without their response to our request we don’t need to have other meetings, and we will suspend the meeting because we don’t want to talk about topics other than the NEC,” he said.

The talks should focus on electoral reforms and the CPP shouldn’t try to bring unrelated issues to the table, he said.

His comments follow a request the CPP during Monday’s meeting for the CNRP to support a law on tighter regulation of civil society groups, after voicing concerns about close links between NGOs and the opposition party.

At the end of the meeting, the two parties failed to issue a joint statement as they had in their last two rounds.

NEC

The opposition party said that it wanted the appointment of NEC members to be made by the National Assembly, the country’s parliament, and endorsed by a two-thirds majority of the 123-seat legislature but that the CPP refused.

After the July 28 polls, which the opposition maintains were fraught with irregularities, the NEC declared the CPP the winner with 68 seats in parliament to the CNRP’s 55, but the CNRP claimed it had won at least 63.

Last week, at their first meeting since failed talks in September, the two parties agreed to work together to reform an election voter registration process and review campaign financing procedures.

The CPP’s Prum Sokha, secretary of state in the Ministry of the Interior and a member of the party’s delegation to the talks, urged the CNRP to stick with the talks, saying they were the only way the two sides would reach a solution.

“The stance of our CPP is to resolve all electoral disputes,” he told RFA.

“We have only one choice, which is peaceful talks. We can’t abandon any talks,” he said.

Reported by RFA’s Khmer Service. Translated by Samean Yun. Written in English by Rachel Vandenbrink.  Sourc: RFA

 

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Cambodian Opposition Threatened With Lawsuit for ‘Inciting Violence’

Hun Sen chairs the Cambodia Outlook Conference in Phnom Penh, Feb. 27, 2014.

 

 

Cambodia’s government on Thursday hit out at opposition leader Sam Rainsy’s comparison of his bid to unseat Prime Minister Hun Sen to a popular movement in Ukraine, threatening him with a lawsuit for allegedly inciting violence in the nation.

Responding to comments made by Sam Rainsy a day earlier in which he vowed to renew mass protests of the country’s disputed July 2013 elections following the lift of a ban on public gatherings, government spokesman Phay Siphan said such statements imply the use of force to institute leadership change.

“Sam Rainsy is using the people as his political tools,” Phay Siphan told a press conference in Phnom Penh of the opposition leader’s plan to gather some two million supporters of his Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) to call for Hun Sen’s resignation and an immediate reelection.

“He doesn't value the election results,” he said, referring to the disputed official vote count which declared Hun Sen’s ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) as the victor in the polls.

On Wednesday, Sam Rainsy pointed to the recent ouster of Ukraine’s President Viktor Yanukovych as reason for hope that demonstrations could bring down Hun Sen, urging Cambodia’s security forces to follow the example of the Ukrainian police in siding with protesters instead of clamping down on them.

He has said that the new demonstrations are part of a bid to “remove dictators” and “follow the revolution in Ukraine.”

But Phay Siphan said Thursday that Sam Rainsy “can’t compare Cambodia to Ukraine,” saying to do so was “incitement,” and threatened to “take legal action” against him and CNRP deputy Kem Sokha.

He reminded Sam Rainsy and Kem Sokha that the government is still considering legal action against them for “provoking violence” that led to a fierce crackdown early last month.

On Jan. 3, Cambodian security forces fired on CNRP-backed striking garment workers, leaving five dead in what rights groups described as the worst state violence against civilians in the country in years.

Authorities instituted a ban on public protests a day later, as police violently dispersed CNRP-led demonstrations in Phnom Penh’s Freedom Park that had been held alongside the garment worker strikes.

The party, which has boycotted parliament over the elections had, since July, held a series of protests in the park that were joined by tens of thousands of demonstrators calling for Hun Sen to step down.

Earlier this week, Hun Sen lifted the ban, but warned that if the opposition had the right to protest, so did supporters of his Cambodian People’s Party (CPP)—raising raising concerns of possible clashes between the two groups at simultaneous gatherings.

Phay Siphan on Thursday urged both sides to “respect the voters’ will,” while calling Sam Rainsy “a rebel leader.”

“[Sam Rainsy] wants to use force to topple the government, so he is using people power to try to do so,” he said.

“He is also inciting the armed forces against the government, and we can't allow this to happen.”

Call for cooperation

Meanwhile, Hun Sen on Thursday called on the opposition to redirect its energy towards reforming the country through cooperation with the ruling party.

“Let me express the government's commitment to executing reform agendas and the necessity that the government, the opposition party, development partners, and the private sector collectively work together in a responsible manners for the sake of our country and to achieve our reform objections," he said, speaking at a conference on youth employment in Phnom Penh.

Hun Sen openly urged the CRNP to cooperate with the government to conduct “vital reforms,” without elaborating.

Earlier this month, the CPP and CNRP agreed to form a joint committee to consider adopting electoral reforms which they said would consist of an equal number of representatives from both sides and would hold a national workshop to gather recommendations from a variety of stakeholders.

The panel would also allow voters to contribute their opinions on electoral reform through public forums and would be allowed to accept technical or financial support from local and foreign groups.

The talks were hailed by both sides as a breakthrough. However, no date has been set for a future meeting.

The parties had agreed in September to work together on electoral reform, but talks stalled, and February’s meeting had been the first between the two since then.

Reported by RFA’s Khmer Service. Translated by Samean Yun. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.

Source: RFA

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Home | News | Cambodia Hun Sen Warns Against Attempts to Hold Cambodia ‘Hostage’

Prominent union leaders join hands in unity during a gathering in Phnom Penh, Feb. 10, 2014.

Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen on Monday accused certain groups of trying to hold the nation “hostage," saying his government was functioning normally despite opposition calls for him to resign and hold fresh elections following disputed polls.

His administration has also drawn criticism over its heavy handed response to protests by Cambodia’s garment workers for wage increases, including a crackdown last month by security forces that left five people dead and resulted in nearly two dozen arrested.

Speaking at a graduation ceremony in the capital Phnom Penh, Hun Sen said that his government’s “fifth mandate was established by the [July 28] election” and that his administration was “carrying out work as usual” despite efforts by some groups—which he did not name—to hold the country “hostage.”

“We won’t allow anyone to take Cambodia as their hostage,” the head of the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) said.

“People can say whatever they want, but today I am handing out [graduation] certificates to students. This is a normal process of state institutions, the National Assembly [or parliament], senate and the government.”

Opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) deputy president Kem Sokha said Hun Sen, who has ruled Cambodia for nearly three decades, was “concerned about his illegitimate government.”

“The illegal government is being pressured by the international community on its killings [of protesters] and attacks on the freedom of assembly,” he told RFA’s Khmer Service.

The CNRP claims it was robbed of victory in last year’s elections which it said were marred by fraud and other irregularities. The government-appointed election body declared Hun Sen's CPP the victor and dismissed calls for an independent investigation by the CNRP which has boycotted parliament.

Authorities in Phnom Penh issued a ban on public gatherings following a Jan. 3 deadly crackdown by security forces during a strike by garment workers demanding higher minimum wages.

The ban also followed authorities’ violent dispersal of CNRP supporters at the capital's Freedom Park after they demanded that Hun Sen step down and hold fresh elections.

Call for release

Also on Monday, nongovernmental organizations and activists launched a campaign in front of Phnom Penh’s Royal Palace to demand the release of those still held by authorities in the aftermath of the January crackdown, as a prison official said several of the detainees had gone on a hunger strike.

Prison authorities released two of the detainees last week, but 21—including rights defenders Vorn Pao, Theng Soveoun, and Chan Putisak—remain in Kompong Cham’s remote Correctional Center 3 (CC3), which rights groups have labeled “among the harshest prisons in Cambodia.”

A court in the capital is scheduled on Feb. 11 to hear an appeal by the 21 against an earlier decision to deny them bail. They had been charged with causing violence and damage to property.

Rong Chhun, the President of the Cambodian Confederation of Unions, said at Monday’s gathering that if the Appeals Court refuses to release them, at least 10 of the country’s biggest unions would lead protests against the government, despite the ban on gatherings.

“We all have agreed that if the 21 people are not released and the workers’ salaries are not raised we will hold massive demonstrations across the country,” he said.

Nearly 60 NGOs released balloons across the country in solidarity to call for the release of the detainees.

Government forces in Phnom Penh did not interfere with the gathering at the Royal Palace.

Ouk Savuth, chief prosecutor at the Appeals Court, told RFA that he could not predict how the judges would rule on Tuesday.

“The judges will decide when they meet,” he said. “I can’t guess [the outcome] as I am not a judge.”

Several of the remaining detainees have also launched a hunger strike to demand their release, Agence France-Presse reported Monday, quoting CC3 director Kea Sovanna.

Sixteen of the 21 people had begun to fast on Sunday and “now nine detainees still continue their hunger strike,” he said, adding that officials were trying to encourage them to eat.

The Phnom Penh Post quoted Prak Sovannary, wife of Vorn Pov, as saying that the hunger strike would continue until the courts release the prisoners.

“When I visited [Pov] on Friday, he told me [the detainees] were not wrong,” Sovannary said. “[Pov said] they did not use violence against anyone and demand their release.”

Open letter

In an open letter to Hun Sen, a dozen international human rights groups and labor rights organizations on Monday called for the release of the 21 and for the government to lift its ban on public gatherings.

The organizations joined the global unions International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), UNI Global Union and IndustriALL in urging the Cambodian government to end its “repression of the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly, expression, and association.”

The open letter urged that the authorities “immediately and unconditionally” drop all cases against those being investigated in connection with protests “solely on account of their exercise of basic human rights.”

“The Cambodian government’s detention of activists and ban on protests are generating intense public concern not just in Cambodia, but around the world,” said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at New York-based Human Rights Watch.

Robertson called on governments concerned about the rights of the Cambodian people to “make their voices heard.”

Reported by RFA’s Khmer Service. Translated by Samean Yun. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.

Source: RFA

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Cambodian Authorities Violently Disperse Beehive Radio Protest

Mam Sonando addresses supporters in front of the Ministry of Information in Phnom Penh, Jan. 27, 2014.

Cambodian police on Monday used electric batons and smoke bombs to break up a protest in the capital by supporters of independent Beehive Radio angered over the government’s refusal to grant the station licenses to expand its broadcast range and establish a TV station.

The crackdown, which left at least seven people injured, came as nongovernmental groups urged the United Nations to censure Cambodia for a failing rights record ahead of a review by the world body on Tuesday.

On Monday, hundreds of supporters of Beehive Radio, led by station director and government critic Mam Sonando, marched through a number of police barricades on the streets of Phnom Penh in defiance of a ban on public gatherings, before congregating in front of the Ministry of Information.

The protesters had demanded the reversal of a ruling by the government last week preventing Beehive from boosting its signal strength and producing television programming, claiming no frequencies were available for the station to use.

Most of Cambodia’s existing stations are closely allied with Prime Minister Hun Sen’s ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP).

The protesters were met by hundreds of police officers and security guards led by Phnom Penh municipality military police chief Roth Sreng, who gave the crowd five minutes to clear the area before advancing with truncheons and shields, and firing smoke grenades, protesters told RFA’s Khmer Service.

During the melee, several protesters were struck in the face and left bleeding. One man was seen being repeatedly kicked and punched by military police until he was knocked to the ground unconscious, they said.

The Agence France-Presse news agency reported that journalists, including one of its photographers, were also attacked by security personnel.

Around 20 protesters formed a human shield around Mam Sonando during the clash, protecting him from harm until the crowd dispersed.

Rights groups transported the wounded to nearby hospitals for treatment.

Mam Sonando told RFA he was saddened that authorities had decided to respond to the nonviolent protest with such force.

“I led people from other provinces who wanted to express their view that Beehive Radio be allowed to increase its signal strength,” he said.

“I didn’t anticipate that there would be a violent crackdown. They fired smoke grenades at us … The government should be happy that the people want to listen to the radio [as a source of news].”

An injured protester said that the police advance was largely unexpected because the demonstration had occurred in an orderly fashion.

“I don’t know why they hit me,” he said. “They struck me several times and my skull is fractured.”

Local rights group Adhoc’s chief investigator Ny Chakriya said that he was distressed by the authorities’ decision to crack down on unarmed demonstrators.

“The demonstrators only held banners and flags.”

A medic treats a protester suffering from a facial wound, Jan. 27, 2014. Credit: RFA

 Action defended

The authorities, however, defended their action, with police chief Roth Sreng calling it “the officers’ duty.”

National Military Police spokesman Keng Tito said that the police were obligated to protect public order.

“City hall had already banned any march or gathering that would affect public order and security,” he said.

“[Protesters] can practice their freedom of expression by submitting petitions to the authorities.” 

Minister of Information Khieu Kanharith could not be reached for comment.

Mam Sonando was convicted in October 2012 for alleged involvement in a secession plot, but last March, a court reversed the decision and released him from prison.

In June, the activist told RFA that his radio station risked closure following government restrictions and a refusal to allow the station to expand its broadcast range.

He said that the Ministry of Information was restricting overseas groups from buying airtime at the Phnom Penh-based Beehive and had turned down requests to set up relay stations to beam to the provinces.

Mam Sonando maintains that millions of listeners in the villages want to listen to his radio broadcasts and has expressed concern his station may be forced to close down due to funding problems.

Authorities have violently shut down several recent street protests, including a demonstration Sunday in support of garment workers demanding higher wages and the release of 23 people arrested during a crackdown on striking workers earlier this month, which left at least four people dead.

The opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), led by Sam Rainsy, has also held repeated protests in the capital since Hun Sen was declared the victor of the country’s July 28 national election, which it contends was rigged through voter fraud.

Rights review

Also on Monday, right groups called on the United Nations to condemn Cambodia for its flagging human rights record ahead of a Universal Periodic Review (UPR) by the U.N.’s Human Rights Council in Geneva on Tuesday.

“Hun Sen’s government violates human rights on a daily basis by violently preventing the opposition, trade unions, activists and others from gathering to demand political change,” said Juliette de Rivero, Geneva director at New York-based Human Rights Watch.

“Countries at the Human Rights Council should condemn this brutal crackdown and insist the Cambodian government engage in serious reforms.”

Human Rights Watch said that through the end of 2013, it found that “the human rights situation in the country had worsened significantly since its last [UPR] in 2009” and slammed Cambodia for reportedly planning not to send high-level representation to Tuesday’s review, “suggesting that it does not take the process seriously.”

“This shows Hun Sen’s contempt not just for the U.N. process, but for the rights of Cambodia’s people,” de Rivero said. “U.N. member countries should put the government on notice that it will not tolerate continued backsliding.”

A coalition of rights groups also slammed the government’s rights record Monday, saying it would urge the international community to address “the increasingly severe crackdown on free speech” at the U.N. meeting on Tuesday, according to a statement issued by the Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR).

The coalition, which also includes PEN International, ARTICLE 19 and the Committee for Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia, said the government ban on peaceful protests and use of excessive force “violate fundamental universal human rights and contravene the Cambodian constitution.”

“Following last year’s elections, it is clear that the Cambodian people are no longer willing to remain quiet. People in the tens of thousands are now risking their lives to speak out and demand the society they want,” said Thomas Hughes, executive director of ARTICLE 19.

“The government’s modus operandi of squashing dissent can no longer continue. It’s time to respect free speech and human rights. That’s the message that the international community must now stand behind.”

Ou Virak, president of the CCHR, said it is time for the Cambodian government to be confronted with its lack of progress with regards to human rights.

“During this UPR, the international community must address the systematic abuses of fundamental rights occurring throughout the country and the extensive system of impunity which has become characteristic of Cambodia,” he said.

“That being said, while the UPR will shed light on the [government’s] failures in relation to human rights, in order to ensure it becomes an effective review mechanism, the international community must follow up on its recommendations.”

Reported by RFA’s Khmer Service. Translated by Samean Yun. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.

Source: RFA

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Ten Wounded in Fresh Protest, Clash in Cambodian Capital

A security officer tries to detain a woman protester outside Freedom Park in Phnom Penh, Jan. 26, 2014

 

At least 10 people were injured in the Cambodian capital Sunday when security forces clashed with protesting activists, trade union leaders, and workers demanding higher wages and the release of 23 people arrested in a recent bloody government crackdown.

In a separate incident, Prime Minister Hun Sen's party supporters mobbed the headquarters of the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) in Kampong Cham province east of the country, preventing CNRP members from attending a forum, according to opposition officials.  

The protest outside Freedom Park in Phnom Penh on Sunday was in defiance of a ban on demonstrations in the capital imposed about three weeks ago after a violent crackdown on a strike by garment workers demanding higher minimum wages and opposition rallies calling on Prime Minister Hun Sen to resign.

The clash occurred when security forces set up roadblocks and prevented the scores of protesters from entering Freedom Park, which had been the base for daily anti-government demonstrations by CNRP supporters until they were violently dispersed earlier this month.

Protesters threw rocks, shoes, water bottles, and sticks at the police and Phnom Penh Municipal Council security forces who retaliated by hitting them with batons and tasers, eyewitnesses said.

Local rights group Licadho said that at least 10 people from both sides were injured in the clash, the first  since the government shot dead four people during a Jan. 3 strike by garment workers demanding higher minimum wages.

During the clash Sunday, workers said they had confiscated slingshots with homemade metal balls that they claimed had been used to "shoot" at the protestors.

Mammoth rally shelved

Union representatives said plans to have a mammoth workers rally on Sunday had to be shelved due to the extraordinary security measures imposed in the capital.

Rong Chhun, president of the Cambodian Confederation of Unions, said he was "sad" that the authorities used force to prevent workers from gathering to push their campaign for higher wages and call for the freedom of the 23 protesters who are being kept in a remote prison facility.

"Freedom in Cambodia has declined to zero," he said. "Freedom of assembly and speech are being restricted by the authorities."

Coalition of Cambodia Apparel Workers Democratic Union President Ath Thon called for a resumption of tripartite negotiations between unions, the government, and the Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia (GMAC), which represents factory owners, to discuss prospects for increasing minimum wages.

The unions are demanding that wages be doubled to U.S. $160 a month. The government clampdown earlier this month had forced an end to strikes and the return to factories by thousands of protesting workers.

"We are hoping to have talks soon," Ath Thon said. "We must use this chance to resolve this issue so we won't have any more problems."

CNRP gathering disrupted

CPP supporters hold anti-CNRP protests in Kampong Cham province, Jan 26, 2013. (RFA Photo)

 

 

Meanwhile in Kampong Cham, ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) supporters, armed with sticks and protected by security forces, tried to disrupt a CNRP gathering, CNRP deputy president Kem Sokha said.

He accused Hun Sen of using his party's supporters to provoke clashes with CNRP supporters.

"This strategy is a threat against the constitution," Kem Sokha said.

Government spokesman Phay Siphan rejected the charges, saying the CPP supporters wanted to display their support for Prime minister Hun Sen.

"CPP members are adhering to their rights to protect their votes and support Hun Sen to be the prime minister," he said.

Hun Sen had recently urged his supporters to be prepared to counter CNRP protests calling for his resignation, saying the opposition action had "characteristics of a coup.”

The opposition had called on Hun Sen to resign and hold fresh elections after allegations of fraud and other irregularities in the July 2013 elections in which his CPP was declared victor by the government-appointed election body, which has dismissed calls for an independent probe into the polls.

Reported by RFA's Khmer Service. Translated by Samean Yun. Written in English by Parameswaran Ponnudurai.

Source: RFA

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Home | News | Cambodia Ten Wounded in Fresh Protest, Clash in Cambodian Capital

A security officer tries to detain a woman protester outside Freedom Park in Phnom Penh, Jan. 26, 2014.

 

 

 

 

At least 10 people were injured in the Cambodian capital Sunday when security forces clashed with protesting activists, trade union leaders and workers demanding higher wages and the release of 23 people arrested in a recent bloody government crackdown.

In a separate incident, Prime Minister Hun Sen's party supporters mobbed the headquarters of the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) in Kampong Cham province east of the country, preventing CNRP members from attending a forum, according to opposition officials.  

The protest outside Freedom Park in Phnom Penh on Sunday was in defiance of a ban on demonstrations in the capital imposed about three weeks ago after a violent crackdown on a strike by garment workers demanding higher minimum wages and opposition rallies calling on Prime Minister Hun Sen to resign.

The clash occurred when security forces set up roadblocks and prevented the scores of protesters from entering Freedom Park, which had been the base for daily anti-government demonstrations by CNRP supporters until they were violently dispersed earlier this month.

Protesters threw rocks, shoes, water bottles and sticks at the police and Phnom Penh Municipal Council security forces who retaliated by hitting them with batons and tasers, eyewitnesses said.

Local rights group Licadho said that at least 10 people from both sides were injured in the clash, the first  since the government shot dead four people during a Jan. 3 strike by garment workers demanding higher minimum wages.

During the clash Sunday, workers said they had confiscated slingshots with homemade metal balls that they claimed had been used to "shoot" at the protestors.

Mammoth rally shelved

Union representatives said plans to have a mammoth workers rally on Sunday had to be shelved due to the extraordinary security measures imposed in the capital.

Rong Chhun, president of the Cambodian Confederation of Unions, said he was "sad" that the authorities used force to prevent workers from gathering to push their campaign for higher wages and call for the freedom of the 23 protesters who are being kept in a remote prison facility.

"Freedom in Cambodia has declined to zero," he said. "Freedom of assembly and speech are being restricted by the authorities."

Coalition of Cambodia Apparel Workers Democratic Union President Ath Thon called for a resumption of tripartite negotiations between unions, the government and the Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia (GMAC), which represents factory owners, to discuss prospects for increasing minimum wages.

The unions are demanding that wages be doubled to U.S. $160 a month. The government clampdown earlier this month had forced an end to strikes and the return to factories by thousands of protesting workers.

"We are hoping to have talks soon," Ath Thon said. "We must use this chance to resolve this issue so we won't have any more problems."

CNRP gathering disrupted

CPP supporters hold anti-CNRP protests in Kampong Cham province, Jan 26, 2013. (RFA Photo)

  CPP supporters hold anti-CNRP protests in Kampong Cham province, Jan 26, 2013. (RFA Photo)

Meanwhile in Kampong Cham, ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) supporters, armed with sticks and protected by security forces, tried to disrupt a CNRP gathering, CNRP deputy president Kem Sokha said.

He accused Hun Sen of using his party's supporters to provoke clashes with CNRP supporters.

"This strategy is a threat against the constitution," Kem Sokha said.

Government spokesman Phay Siphan rejected the charges, saying the CPP supporters wanted to display their support for Prime minister Hun Sen.

"CPP members are adhering to their rights to protect their votes and support Hun Sen to be the prime minister," he said.

Hun Sen had recently urged his supporters to be prepared to counter CNRP protests calling for his resignation, saying the opposition action had "characteristics of a coup.”

The opposition had called on Hun Sen to resign and hold fresh elections after allegations of fraud and other irregularities in the July 2013 elections in which his CPP was declared victor by the government-appointed election body, which has dismissed calls for an independent probe into the polls.

Reported by RFA's Khmer Service. Translated by Samean Yun. Written in English by Parameswaran Ponnudurai.

 

Source: RFA

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Cambodian PM to Visit Vietnam Amid Political Tensions at Home

Prime Minister Hun Sen (R) waves after casting his vote in elections in Kandal province, July 28, 2013

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen is to visit Vietnam this week in a bid to boost ties with the neighboring ally, a government statement said as the opposition steps up demonstrations demanding his resignation and a re-election following disputed polls.

He will be accompanied by at least four senior ministers during the Dec 26-28 trip at the invitation of Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, the statement said on Monday, a day after the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) said it drew 500,000 supporters in the largest protest to date against fraud and other irregularities in the July 28 elections .

Hun Sen and Dung will hold talks and witness the signing of eight agreements, including a treaty on extradition as well as those on cooperation in public security, trade, education, and information, according to the statement by the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The statement said that Hun Sen is also scheduled to meet with Vietnamese National Assembly (parliament) chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung, President Troung Tan Sang, and Secretary General of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong.

CNRP leaders and some analysts in Phnom Penh termed Hun Sen's visit unusual, especially at a time when he is facing daily opposition demonstrations in the capital.

CNRP deputy president Kem Sokha charged that Hun Sen might use the trip to seek Vietnam's support to hold on to power, adding that the premier should discuss the country's problems with Cambodians instead of foreign leaders.

“He is asking Vietnam to back up his power, but Vietnam can’t protect him anymore. Cambodians won’t allow any foreign countries to invade the country,” Kem Sokha said.

Wary

Many Cambodians are wary of Vietnam’s influence over their country’s affairs.

An estimated 1.7 million people, or one in four Cambodians, died in what came to be called the “Killing Fields” after the ultra-Communist Khmer Rouge took power in 1975. The regime was unseated when Vietnam invaded the country four years later.

Vietnam occupied the country for a decade before withdrawing its troops and signing the Paris Peace Agreement to restore sovereignty and stability to Cambodia.

“Cambodians are standing up," Kem Sokha said. "Hun Sen has made a lot of mistakes. He doesn’t need to ask what kinds of mistakes he has made.”

Rong Chhun, president of the Cambodian Independent Teachers Association and Cambodian Confederation of Unions, said he was surprised to hear about Hun Sen’s trip to Vietnam amid the current political tensions.

“It is too much of a coincidence that his trip happens to take place during demonstrations demanding he step down,” he said. “We know that for the past 30 years the [ruling Cambodian People's Party] CPP has been holding on to power because of Vietnamese help."

CNRP President Sam Rainsy and Kem Sokha on Sunday led the the largest opposition demonstration since the disputed July elections as the 500,000 crowd marched through the streets of Phnom Penh calling for Hun to step down and to announce new polls.

The CNRP, which has boycotted parliament saying it was robbed of victory due to poll fraud, launched daily mass protests a week ago to force a re-election after its calls for an independent election probe into irregularities were dismissed by the government.

It has vowed to keep up daily protests for three months or until there is a fresh vote.

Reject call

But Hun Sen has rejected the call for his resignation and fresh elections, saying there is no provision in the country's constitution that allows for a re-election.

“They ask me to resign, but what have I done wrong?” Hun Sen had said on Friday. “I obtained my position by means of the constitution and I will only leave it by means of the constitution,” he said.

Hun Sen, who has been premier for the last 28 years, said that according to article 78 of the constitution, the National Assembly shall not be dissolved before the end of its five-year term, except when the government is twice deposed within a period of 12 months.

The Cambodian opposition has been critical of Hun Sen's close ties with Vietnam.

The CNRP had previously pledged to reclaim an island off the country’s southern coast from Vietnam if it won the elections. Phu Quoc Island—known in Khmer as Koh Tral Island—has been administered by Vietnam for the last 150 years.

At least two lawsuits were filed by the authorities earlier this year against Kem Sokha for allegedly saying that a prison in Phnom Penh run by the notorious Khmer Rouge regime had been faked by Vietnam—a charge the CNRP has denied.

His purported comments prompted a mass protest against him in what opposition members said was a rally staged by the ruling party.

Sam Rainsy had also been convicted and ordered jailed in 2009 for the removal of a temporary post demarcating Cambodia’s border with Vietnam and for publishing a false map of the border with Vietnam, charges that were seen as politically motivated.

He was given a pardon by the country's King, enabling him to return from self-exile in France just before the July elections.

Reported by RFA's Khmer Service. Translated by Samean Yun. Written in English by Parameswaran Ponnudurai.

Source: RFA

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Cambodia Opposition Leaders Slam Summons as ‘Politically Motivated’

Supporters accompany CNRP President Sam Rainsy (center) as he heads to the Phnom Penh Municipal Court for questioning, Jan. 14, 2014.

The Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) said Tuesday that the country’s judiciary may be under pressure to victimize the political opposition after party leaders appeared in court for questioning over recent protests against Prime Minister Hun Sen.

Prosecutors at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court quizzed CNRP leaders Sam Rainsy and Kem Sokha about claims they fueled unrest that led to a deadly police crackdown on a strike by garment workers earlier this month.

A few thousand supporters stood outside the courtroom Tuesday during the closed-door hearing, where a key union leader, Rong Chhun, was also questioned about the violence.

Emerging from the court building after several hours, Sam Rainsy and Kem Sokha, who have condemned the violent government crackdowns on the protests, vowed to fight for the truth.

“The truth will bring us justice,” Sam Rainsy told the crowd of supporters. “We will continue our struggle together until all Cambodians receive justice.”

At a press conference after the hearing, Kem Sokha raised concerns that the court could be under pressure to smear the opposition, saying the court summons was “purely politically motivated.”

“After the questioning, if there is no political pressure, the case will be dismissed. If the case is under political pressure, we will be persecuted,” he told reporters.

No charges

No charges have been filed against those who appeared at the court hearing, which is probing whether they provoked violence in the protests.

“The deputy prosecutor said he will inform us [about any charges] later,” said lawyer Khet Khym who represented Rong Chhun,  the president of the Cambodian Confederation of Unions and the Cambodia Independent Teachers’ Association.

Rong Chhun and the two party leaders were issued their summonses on Jan. 4, as security forces dispersed CNRP protesters from their base camp in Phnom Penh’s Freedom Park a day after police killed four people during a crackdown on a protest by striking garment workers.

The opposition has both backed worker strikes calling for wage increases and held its own nonviolent mass protests calling on Hun Sen to quit and to hold new elections following disputed polls in July last year.

The CNRP, which has boycotted parliament over the polls, claims Hun Sen’s Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) stole victory in the election through fraud.  

Hun Sen 'won't step down'

In a public address on Monday, Hun Sen rejected the calls for his resignation, vowing to fulfill his responsibilities as prime minister throughout his whole term in office.

“I won’t step down,” he said, saying he had been elected constitutionally.

“I will be responsible in my job. I am not only the prime minister for the CPP but the prime minister of all Cambodians, [including those] who are asking me to step down.”

Sam Rainsy returned to Cambodia from self-imposed exile in France shortly before the elections after being given a royal pardon for charges that he said were politically motivated.

His return reinvigorated the opposition, which denied the CPP a two-thirds majority in parliament, according to official results.

CNRP protests drew tens of thousands to the streets in recent weeks and posed a major challenge to Hun Sen’s government alongside the strikes.

Workers return to garment factories

The workers’ strikes, which were focused on a demand for a U.S. $160 per month minimum wage, brought hundreds of factories in the garment industry, a key national currency earner, to a halt.

Factories lost a total of about U.S. $200 million during the strikes, but production at nearly all factories has now returned to normal, industry representatives told foreign diplomats at a briefing Tuesday.

Most workers have returned to work and nearly all factories have restarted operations since the Jan. 3 crackdown, said Van Sou Ieng, President of the Garment Manufacturer Association in Cambodia (GMAC), which represents factory owners.

The briefing—attended by diplomats from Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, England, France, and the E.U.—included a screening of a video showing workers destroying factory property during the strikes.

Van Sou Ieng said labor unions had not acted in accordance with the law in the strikes.

Rights groups have condemned the crackdown on the workers’ strike, which left nearly 40 workers injured, as the worst state violence against civilians in Cambodia in years.

In connection with the strike—and worker unrest a day earlier at another factory near the capital—authorities arrested 23 people and have since accused them of stirring up violence and causing damage to property.

Reported by RFA’s Khmer Service. Translated by Samean Yun. Written in English by Rachel Vandenbrink. 

Source: RFA 

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លោក ហ៊ុន សែន ព្រមាន​បក្ស​ប្រឆាំង

លោក ​ហ៊ុន សែន​​​ នៅ​ក្នុង​ពិធី​ នៅ​ខេត្ត​ក្រេ​ចេះ​​ កាល​ពី​ថ្ងៃ​សៅរ៍។ រូបថត សហ​ការី

ក្រចេះ: លោក​​នាយក​រដ្ឋ​មន្រ្តី ហ៊ុន សែន បាន​ព្រមាន​កាល​ពី​ថ្ងៃ​សៅរ៍​ថា កិច្ច​ខិតខំ​ប្រឹង​ប្រែង​ណា​មួយ​ដើម្បី​ផ្តួល​រំលំ​រដ្ឋាភិបាល ឬ​សកម្មភាព​រំលោភ​រដ្ឋ​ធម្មនុញ្ញ​នឹង​ត្រូវ​បង្រ្កាប​យ៉ាង​ឆាប់​បំផុត ដែល​ការ​លើក​ឡើង​នេះ ហាក់​ដូច​ជា​ការ​ព្រមាន​ជា​ថ្មី​ទៀត​ចំពោះ​បាតុកម្ម​តាម​ផ្លូវ ខណៈ​ដែល​លោក​លើក​ឡើង​ថា ការ​ចរចា​គឺជា​វិធី​តែ​មួយ​គត់​ដើម្បី​ដោះស្រាយ​ភាព​ជាប់​គាំង​នយោបាយ​ដែល​ កំពុង​បន្ត​មាន។

លោក​នាយក​រដ្ឋ​មន្រ្តី​បាន​លើក​ឡើង​បែប​នេះ ខណៈ​ដែល​ភាព​ជាប់​គាំង​ក្រោយ​ការ​បោះឆ្នោត​មាន​រយៈ​ពេល​ជិត​ដល់ ៦ខែ ដោយ​សិទិ្ធ​ធ្វើ​បាតុកម្ម​ដោយ​សន្តិវិធី​តាម​រដ្ឋ​ធម្មនុញ្ញ​ត្រូវ​បាន​ ព្យួរ​ដោយ​រដ្ឋាភិបាល បន្ទាប់​ពី​បាតុកម្ម​តាម​ផ្លូវ​ដ៏​ធំ​ដែល​ដឹក​នាំ​ដោយ​គណបក្ស​សង្គ្រោះ​ជាតិ បាន​អំពាវនាវ​ឲ្យ​លោក ហ៊ុន សែន ចុះ​ចេញ ហើយ​កូដកម្ម​របស់​កម្មករ​កាត់​ដេរ​បាន​សម្លាប់​ជីវិត​មនុស្ស បន្ទាប់​ពី​មាន​ការ​ប៉ះទង្គិច​ជាមួយ​នឹង​អាជ្ញាធរ។

លោក ហ៊ុន សែន បាន​ប្រាប់​អ្នក​ភូមិ ក្នុង​ពិធី​សម្ពោធ​ភូមិ​កុមារ SOS ក្នុង​ឃុំ អូរឫស្សី ខេត្ត ក្រចេះ កាល​ពីថ្ងៃ​សៅរ៍​ថា៖ «ប្រសិន​បើ​មាន​សកម្មភាព​ប្រឆាំង​នឹង​រដ្ឋ​ធម្មនុញ្ញ​ឬ​រដ្ឋ​ប្រហារ​ផ្តួល​ រលំ [រដ្ឋាភិបាល] បញ្ហា​នឹង​ត្រូវ​ដោះស្រាយ​ក្នុង​រយៈ​ពេល​ប៉ុន្មាន​ម៉ោង​ប៉ុណ្ណោះ ហើយ​នឹង​បញ្ចប់»។

លោក​បាន​បន្ថែម​ថា៖ «បញ្ហា​ត្រូវ​តែ​ដោះស្រាយ​នៅ​តុ​ចរចា ក្នុង​រដ្ឋសភា ប៉ុន្តែ​មិន​មែន​នៅ​តាម​ផ្លូវ​ទេ»។ លោក ហ៊ុន សែន ក៏​បាន​អំពាវនាវ​ដល់​អ្នក​គាំទ្រ​គណបក្ស​ប្រជាជន ឲ្យ​ត្រៀម​ខ្លួន ដើម្បី​ទប់​នឹង​បាតុកម្ម ហើយ​បង្ហាញ​ការ​គាំទ្រ​របស់​ខ្លួន​ចំពោះ​គណបក្ស​កាន់​អំណាច ប្រសិន​បើ​ចាំ​បាច់។

លោក​នាយក​រដ្ឋ​មន្រ្តី​ក៏​បាន​ព្រមាន​គណបក្ស​ប្រឆាំង​ថា ការ​នៅ​ស្ងៀម​របស់​រដ្ឋាភិបាល​ចំពោះ​បាតុកម្ម​មិន​គួរ​ចាត់​ទុក​ជា​សញ្ញា​ថា សកម្មភាព​របស់​ខ្លួន​ត្រូវ​បាន​ទទួល​យក​នោះ​ទេ។

«និយាយ​ឲ្យ​ច្បាស់​ថា មិន​គួរ​យល់​ថា ពេល​យើង​ស្ងៀម​ស្ងាត់ មាន​ន័យ​ថា យើង​មិន​ធ្វើ​សកម្មភាព​នោះ​ទេ។ យើង​នឹង​ចាត់​វិធានការ តែ​ពេល​វា​ដល់​ពេល។ វា​មិន​មែន​ជា​ការ​ព្រមាន​ទេ ប៉ុន្តែ​វា​ជា​ការ​អនុវត្ត​ច្បាប់​និង​ការពារ​រដ្ឋ​ធម្មនុញ្ញ»។

លោក​នាយក​រដ្ឋ​មន្រ្តី​បាន​បន្ថែម​ថា ព្រះ​រាជាណាចក្រ​កម្ពុជា បាន​វិល​ត្រឡប់​មក​សភាព​ធម្មតា​វិញ​ហើយ។ លោក​បាន​ថ្លែង​ថា៖ «អ្វី​ដែល​យើង​ត្រូវ​យក​ចិត្ត​ទុក​ដាក់​ពេល​នេះ​គឺ​ធ្វើ​ឲ្យ​ការ​រស់​នៅ​ របស់​ប្រជាជន​ដូច​ធម្មតា​ឡើង​វិញ... ខ្ញុំ​មិន​អនុញ្ញាត​ឲ្យ​ក្រុម ឬ​បុគ្គល​ណា​មួយ​យក​ប្រទេស​ជា​ចំណាប់​ខ្មាំង​ឡើយ»។

គណបក្ស​សង្គ្រោះ​ជាតិ​បាន​ជំទាស់​លទ្ធផល​នៃ​ការ​បោះឆ្នោត​ថ្ងៃ ទី២៨ ខែ កក្កដា ដែល​ផ្តល់​អាសនៈ ៥៥ ដល់​ខ្លួន និង ៦៨ ដល់​គណបក្ស​កាន់​អំណាច។ គណបក្ស​ប្រឆាំង​អះអាង​ថា ភាព​មិន​ប្រក្រតី​ធំៗ​ប៉ះពាល់​ដល់​ការ​បោះឆ្នោត ហើយ​បាន​ធ្វើ​ពហិការ​ប្រជុំ​រដ្ឋសភា ចាប់​តាំង​ពី​រដ្ឋសភា​បាន​បើក​ដោយ​ឯក​បក្ស​ក្នុង​ខែ កញ្ញា មក។

នៅ​ថ្ងៃ​សៅរ៍ លោក ហ៊ុន សែន បាន​ច្រាន​ចោល​នូវ​របាយ​ការណ៍​របស់​ប្រព័ន្ធ​ផ្សព្វ​ផ្សាយ​ដែល​ថា លោក​បាន​ស្នើ​សុំ​លោក សូរិយ៉ា ស៊ូប៊ែរឌី ប្រេសិត​សិទិ្ធ​មនុស្ស​របស់​អង្គការ​សហ​ប្រជាជាតិ​ឲ្យ​សម្រុះ​សម្រួល រវាង​គណបក្ស​នយោបាយ​ទាំង​ពីរ ក្នុង​អំឡុង​ពេល​លោក​បាន​ធ្វើ​បេសកកម្ម​មក​កាន់​កម្ពុជា កាល​ពី​សប្តាហ៍​មុន ដោយ​លោក​ថ្លែង​ថា កម្ពុជា​មិន​ត្រូវ​ការ​បរទេស​មក​ផ្សះផ្សា​ទេ។ លោក​បន្ត​ថា៖ «ប្រសិន​បើ​ចាំ​បាច់ ព្រះ​មហាក្សត្រ នរោត្តម សីហមុនី នឹង​ជា​អ្នក​ផ្សះ​ផ្សា​មួយ​អង្គ​គត់ លើក​លែង​តែ [គម្លាត​រវាង​គណបក្ស​ទាំង​ពីរ] បាន​រួម​តូច​ក្នុង​វិវាទ​នេះ»។

លោក​បន្ថែម​ទៀត​ថា ការ​ធ្វើ​ប្រជាមតិ​ដើម្បី​សម្រេច​ថា​តើ​គួរ​រៀបចំ​បោះឆ្នោត​មុន​អាណតិ្ត ដែល​ជា​គំនិត​លើក​ឡើង ដោយ​ភាគី​នយោបាយ​ដែល​ពាក់​ព័ន្ធ​ត្រូវ​តែ​ចាប់​ផ្តើម​ពី​រដ្ឋសភា។

កាល​ពី​សប្តាហ៍​មុន អ្នក​វិភាគ​នយោបាយ​បាន​លើក​ឡើង​អំពី​ការ​ចរចា​លក្ខណៈ​ឯកជន​រវាង​គណបក្ស ទាំង​ពីរ តាម​រយៈ​អ្នក​ផ្សះ​ផ្សា ទី៣ បាន​ប្រាប់ ភ្នំពេញ ប៉ុស្តិ៍ ថា ដំណោះស្រាយ​ចំពោះ​ភាព​ជាប់​គាំង​នយោបាយ​ជិត​បាន​ព្រម​ព្រៀង​ហើយ ដោយ​លោក ហ៊ុន សែន បាន​ព្រម​ព្រៀង​ជា​គោល​ការណ៍ ៨០ ភាគរយ​នៃ​ការ​ទាម​ទារ​របស់​គណបក្ស​ប្រឆាំង​ដែល​រាប់​បញ្ចូល​ទាំង​ការ​ បោះឆ្នោត​ក្នុង​ឆ្នាំ ២០១៥ ឬ ២០១៦ បើ​ទោះ​បី​ជា​ពួក​គេ​មិន​បាន​បញ្ជាក់​ថា​តើ ការ​ទាមទារ​អ្វី​បាន​ព្រម​ព្រៀង​រួច​ហើយ​ក៏​ដោយ។

លោក យឹម សុវណ្ណ អ្នក​នាំ​ពាក្យ​របស់​គណបក្ស​សង្គ្រោះ​ជាតិ​បាន​ថ្លែង​កាល​ពី​ម្សិលមិញ​ថា អ្វីៗ​ដែល​គណបក្ស​របស់​លោក​បាន​ធ្វើ​រហូត​មក​ដល់​ពេល​នេះ​រួម​ទាំង​ការ​ធ្វើ ​បាតុកម្ម​តាម​ផ្លូវ​គឺ​គោរព «គោលការណ៍​ប្រជាធិបតេយ្យ​និង​គោល​ការណ៍​រដ្ឋ​ធម្មនុញ្ញ»។

លោក​បាន​បន្ត​ថា៖ «គឺ​គណបក្ស​ប្រជាជន​កម្ពុជា​ទៅ​វិញ​ទេ ដែល​ចាប់​ផ្តើម​ធ្វើ​រដ្ឋ​ប្រហារ​រដ្ឋ​ធម្មនុញ្ញ។ មាន​តែ​គណបក្ស​តែ​មួយ​គត់​ដែល​បង្កើត​រដ្ឋសភា​... ​យើង​មិន​បាន​ធ្វើ​អ្វី​ផ្ទុយ​រដ្ឋ​ធម្មនុញ្ញ​ទេ»។ លោក​បន្ត​ថា៖ «យើង​នឹង​មិន​អង្គុយ​នៅ​សភា​ប្រឆាំង​នឹង​ឆន្ទៈ​របស់​ប្រជាជន​ទេ។ នៅ​ពេល​មាន​ឆន្ទៈ វា​មាន​ផ្លូវ។ អ្វី​ក៏​ដោយ​ដែល​មិន​ហាម​ប្រាម​ដោយ​ច្បាប់​គឺ​អាច​ធ្វើ​ទៅ​បាន។ ប្រសិន​បើ​មាន​ឆន្ទៈ​នយោបាយ​ធ្វើ​វា យើង​អាច​ធ្វើ​វា»។

លោក សុវណ្ណ បាន​បន្ថែម​ថា «ប្រសិន​បើ​ពួក​គេ​យល់​ព្រម​ឲ្យ​មាន​ការ​បោះឆ្នោត​ឡើង​វិញ​និង​កំណែ​ទម្រង់​ នៃ​ការ​បោះឆ្នោត យើង​អាច​អង្គុយ​នៅ​មុខ​ព្រះ​មហាក្សត្រ និង​ចុះ​កិច្ច​ព្រម​ព្រៀង ហើយ​បន្ទាប់​មក យើង​នឹង​ទៅ រដ្ឋសភា»។

អ្នក​វិភាគ​នយោបាយ លោក កែម ឡី បាន​ថ្លែង​ថា លោក​បាន​ស្តាប់​សុន្ទរកថា​របស់​លោក ហ៊ុន សែន ជា «សារ​នយោបាយ» មួយ​ដែល​ទទួល​ស្គាល់​ថា ការ​បោះឆ្នោត​លឿន​មុន​ការ​កំណត់​ទំនង​នឹង​ធ្វើ​ឡើង។ លោក​បន្ត​ថា៖ «គណបក្ស​ទាំង​ពីរ​នឹង​ចូល​រួម​សភា ហើយ​ធ្វើ​វិសោធនកម្ម​មាត្រា ៧៨ [ដែល​ចែង​ថា សភា​មិន​អាច​រំលាយ​បាន​ពី​មុន​ការ​ចប់​អាណត្តិ​រយៈ​ពេល ៥ឆ្នាំ របស់​ខ្លួន] ហើយ​រៀបចំ​ការ​បោះឆ្នោត​អាណត្តិ ទី៦ មុន​ឆ្នាំ ២០១៨»។

លោក កែម ឡី បាន​បន្ថែម​ថា៖ «នោះ​ហើយ​ជា​មូល​ហេតុ​ដែល​លោក ហ៊ុន សែន កំពុង​ចាប់​ផ្តើម​រៀបចំ​យុទ្ធនាការ​បោះឆ្នោត​របស់​គាត់​ចាប់​ពី​ពេល​នេះ​ទៅ។ សារ​នយោបាយ​ពី​ខេត្ត ក្រចេះ គឺជា​យុទ្ធនាការ​បោះឆ្នោត​រួច​ទៅ​ហើយ»។

លោក សុខ ទូច អ្នក​វិទ្យាសាស្រ្ត​ផ្នែក​នយោបាយ​បាន​ថ្លែង​ថា ភាព​ជាប់​គាំង​នយោបាយ​បន្ទាប់​ពី​ការ​បោះឆ្នោត​ទាំង​អស់​កាល​ពី​អតីតកាល ត្រូវ​បាន​ដោះស្រាយ​តាម​រយៈ​ឆន្ទៈ​នយោបាយ និង​មិន​មែន​ទៅ​តាម​វិធានការ​រដ្ឋ​ធម្មនុញ្ញ​តឹងរ៉ឹង​នោះ​ទេ។ «ខ្ញុំ​គិត​ថា ឆន្ទៈ​នយោបាយ​គឺជា​ឆន្ទៈ​តែ​មួយ​គត់​ដើម្បី​ដោះស្រាយ​បញ្ហា​... ​ពីព្រោះ​គណបក្ស​នីមួយៗ​មាន​ឆន្ទៈ​ខុស​គ្នា​អំពី​របៀប​បក​ស្រាយ​រដ្ឋ​ ធម្មនុញ្ញ»។

លោក សុខ ទូច បាន​បន្ថែម​ថា អ្នក​គាំទ្រ​គណបក្ស​កាន់​អំណាច​នឹង​មិន​ចេញ​មក​ធ្វើ​បាតុកម្ម​ការពារ​គណបក្ស ​កាន់​អំណាច​នោះ​ទេ ហើយ​លោក​បាន​ហៅ​ទិចនិក​នេះ​ថា «ហួស​សម័យ»។

កាល​ពី​ថ្ងៃ​ព្រហស្បតិ៍ នៅ​ក្នុង​ចំណាត់​ការ​មួយ​ដែល​ត្រូវ​បាន​សរសើរ​ដោយ​គណបក្ស​សង្គ្រោះ​ជាតិ សភា​អឺរ៉ុប បាន​អនុម័ត​សេចក្តី​សម្រេច​មួយ​អំពាវនាវ​រដ្ឋាភិបាល​លុប​ចោល​ការ​ហាម​ប្រាម​ ការ​ជួប​ជុំ​ប្រមូល​ផ្តុំ​សាធារណៈ និង «ទទួល​ស្គាល់​តួនាទី​ស្រប​ច្បាប់» របស់​គណបក្ស​ប្រឆាំង និង​សុំ​ឲ្យ​មាន​ការ​លើក​ចោល​ដីកា​កោះ​របស់​តុលាការ​ទៅ​លើ​មេ​ដឹក​នាំ​របស់​ គណបក្ស​នេះ និង​សុំ​ឲ្យ​មាន​ការ​ទទួល​យក​ការ​ស៊ើប​អង្កេត​ដែល​មាន​ការ​ជួយ​ជា​អន្តរជាតិ ​ទៅ​លើ​ភាព​មិន​ប្រក្រតី​នៃ​ការ​បោះឆ្នោត។

ម្ចាស់​ជំនួយ​ដ៏​ធំ​បំផុត​របស់​កម្ពុជា​នេះ ក៏​បាន​អំពាវនាវ​ទៅ​រដ្ឋាភិបាល​ផង​ដែរ​ឲ្យ​ដោះលែង​មនុស្ស ២៣ នាក់ ដែល​ត្រូវ​បាន​ចាប់​ខ្លួន​ក្នុង​អំឡុង​ការ​បង្ក្រាប​របស់​រដ្ឋាភិបាល​ទៅ​លើ​ កម្មករ​កាត់​ដេរ​ដែល​ធ្វើ​បាតុកម្ម​កាល​ពី​ដើម​ខែ​នេះ និង​ស៊ើប​អង្កេត​ការ​ស្លាប់​មនុស្ស ៤នាក់ ដោយ​កម្លាំង​ប្រដាប់​អាវុធ​ក្នុង​អំឡុង​ប្រតិបត្តិការ​បង្ក្រាប​នោះ៕ TK/PS

រាយការណ៍​បន្ថែម​ដោយ Kevin Ponniahhttp://www.postkhmer.com/national/1-national-news/109451-2014-01-20-04-01-13

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Hun Sen Asks UN Envoy to Help End Cambodia’s Political Crisis

Khieu Kanharith speaks to RFA in Phnom Penh, Jan. 15, 2014.

Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen has called on a U.N. special envoy to press the country’s opposition to rejoin parliament and negotiate an end to the country’s political stalemate since disputed July elections, an official said Wednesday.

Hun Sen met with U.N. special envoy for human rights in Cambodia Surya Subedi for three hours on Wednesday, discussing topics ranging from rights issues to political reform, according to the Cambodian government human rights committee chairman Om Yientieng.

The prime minister stressed to Subedi, who arrived Sunday for a six-day fact-finding mission, that the opposition Cambodian National Rescue Party (CNRP) legislators should lift a boycott of the National Assembly, or parliament, and end their dispute with their counterparts in the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) by working on issues of reform together, he said after the talks.

“Samdech [honorific] Hun Sen has conveyed his message to Surya Subedi, asking him to inform the CNRP to join the National Assembly to work on deep reforms which would benefit the opposition party,” said Om Yientieng, who is also president of Cambodia’s Anti-Corruption Unit.

The CNRP boycotted parliament and has held frequent nonviolent mass protests calling on Hun Sen to quit and to hold new elections following last year’s July 28 disputed polls, which it maintains the CPP stole through voting fraud and other irregularities.

“Why won’t the CNRP take a chance to reach their goals?” Om Yientieng asked, adding that with 55 elected lawmakers—according to official count—the opposition has enough seats to summon any government official before the legislature.

“As an opposition party they don’t have to be running the government and they can still accomplish a lot,” he said.

“Why won’t they come to the National Assembly?”

Hun Sen has dismissed opposition calls for his resignation and for him to call new elections, saying he was elected constitutionally. He has also rejected calls for an independent probe into the elections.

Talks between the two parties are reportedly under way, but it remains unclear how likely they are to end in an agreement after repeated meetings held since the elections have failed to yield any progress.

Om Yientieng said that in addition to urging Subedi to intervene in the political stalemate, Hun Sen also discussed the general situation of human rights in Cambodia and the mandate of the envoy, who is due to present an annual report on his findings to the United Nations in July.

Hun Sen told Subedi that the government would take responsibility for implementing reforms proposed by the U.N., including those to streamline key state institutions and the judiciary.

According to Om Yientieng, Subedi asked about the government’s plans to create a national human rights committee and expressed his concerns over a crackdown by authorities earlier this month on striking factory workers which left five dead and more than 40 wounded.

Twenty-three activists and others have also been thrown in jail following the deadly crackdown.

Subedi pledged to make himself available to provide advice for the prime minister on any issues regarding human rights or the political deadlock.

‘Bridging the gap’

In a video interview by the Phnom Penh Post, Subedi acknowledged that Hun Sen had pushed for the National Assembly as the arena in which to end the stalemate between the CNRP and CPP, but suggested negotiations between the two parties were already under way.

“The prime minister’s position was that parliament was the proper venue to resolve many of these issues,” he said. “There should be a proper debate in parliament, and the opposition party should join parliament.”

“But I understand there have been negotiations going on at different levels with the help of different intermediaries,” he added, without providing details.

Subedi said that he had received “encouraging” signs during his meeting with Hun Sen that the prime minister “is serious about comprehensive reform … [which] will go a long way to satisfy some of the concerns I have received from the opposition party and other stakeholders in Cambodian society.”

He said that while the government had been slow to act on his former recommendations, Hun Sen’s assurances Wednesday that electoral, judicial, parliamentary, and land reforms will get under way before Subedi’s next visit in either May or June were “more concrete” this time around.

Subedi lamented the recent crackdown on workers striking for increased wages and better factory conditions, as well as a recent government move to remove opposition protesters from their base in the capital, and called on the international community to play a role in promoting democratic freedoms in Cambodia.

“The international community has invested heavily in Cambodia over the past 20 years, including the United Nations, and the series of events that have taken place over the past two weeks or so has made everybody sad, including myself,” he said.

“We thought democracy was getting mature and people were getting used to the idea of exercising their rights in a peaceful manner. This setback has upset many people, and the international community has a role to play in bridging the gap between the opposition party and the ruling party.”

According to the U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Cambodia, Subedi will hold a press conference on Thursday to brief reporters on his findings and the issues he raised during this week’s visit.

Negotiations under way?

The meeting between Hun Sen and Subedi follows reports that CNRP President Sam Rainsy and his deputy, Kem Sokha, had written a letter to Hun Sen via a mediator seeking a “compromise for national reconciliation” and offering a list of demands that could result in their party’s return to parliament.

Kem Sokha denied that the CNRP had sent any letters to the CPP, adding that his party maintained “the same stance as before in terms of talks.”

He said that before any talks can be held, the government must release the 23 people who are being detained in connection with worker protests and investigate the deadly shooting incident during the strike earlier this month.

The government must also restore Cambodia’s human rights situation “back to normal” and allow the people to hold protests, he said.

The Phnom Penh Post reported Tuesday that secret negotiations between the CPP and the CNRP had been ongoing since Jan. 5 and “are close to reaching a solution,” citing political analyst Kem Ley and Heang Rithy, president of the rights group Cambodian National Research Organization.

The two analysts said they had been briefed in depth by the senior government official acting as a go-between in the negotiations, and that according to Kem Ley, Hun Sen had agreed to 80 percent of the opposition’s key demands.

According to the sources, the CNRP letter demanded fresh elections in 2015 or 2016, the chairmanship of some parliamentary commissions, the right to run a television station to counter ruling party influence ahead of elections and for the CPP to agree to look at electoral reforms.

It also asked for the deputy presidency of the National Assembly, instead of its previous demand for the presidency, in exchange for an end to its boycott of parliament.

Officials from both parties appeared to downplay any suggestion of ongoing negotiations.

On Wednesday, Minister of Information Khieu Kanharith told RFA’s Khmer Service that the CNRP had set several “preconditions” before it would renew talks and that if these were deemed acceptable, the CPP would return to the table, though he refused to elaborate on what the conditions were.

“They have set a few conditions and we are considering some of those conditions,” he said.

“I can’t say because I don’t want to give the idea that one party is asking the other party. We must keep this confidential.”

Reported by RFA’s Khmer Service. Translated by Samean Yun. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.

Source: RFA

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