“Looking ahead, we are very concerned that the 2017 local and the 2018 national elections will not be free or fair and could include violence,” Scott Busby, deputy assistant secretary in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, told senators. “We have strongly voiced our concerns about intimidation of the opposition, noting that the Cambodian people continue to express a preference for greater freedom and accountability from their government.”
Opposition Leader To Remain in Exile, as Doubts Rise Over Next Elections
PHNOM PENH & WASHINGTON DC—Opposition
leader Sam Rainsy says he will not immediately return to Cambodia,
where he faces the prospect of a two-year jail term on an old criminal
defamation case.
The decision to remain abroad was made after a meeting between Sam
Rainsy and other senior officials from the Cambodia National Rescue
Party in Manila on Friday.
Sam Rainsy has been removed from parliament by a committee dominated
by the ruling Cambodian People’s Party, and his party’s vice president,
Kem Sokha, lost a senior seat at the National Assembly. Two more
lawmakers are still recovering from severe beatings by anti-opposition t
hugs, following demonstrations promoted by the ruling Cambodian
People’s Party.
All of those issues need to be resolved with the ruling Cambodian
People’s Party before Sam Rainsy returns, Yem Ponhearith, a party
spokesman, said Friday. “Those have not been resolved up to today.” The
Rescue Party, as the National Assembly’s minority party, has not been
allowed to “properly function at all,” he said.
CPP spokesman Sok Eysan said it is Sam Rainsy’s choice whether to
return. Sam Rainsy is facing an arrest warrant for a suit brought
against him by Foreign Minister Hor Namhong, who accused him of
defamation for a 2008 speech, in which Sam Rainsy said Hor Namhong
collaborated with the Khmer Rouge.
Meanwhile, in Washington, a senior State Department official told a
Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee that the recent political tension
in Cambodia casts doubt on whether upcoming elections will be free and
fair.
“Looking ahead, we are very concerned that the 2017 local and the
2018 national elections will not be free or fair and could include
violence,” Scott Busby, deputy assistant secretary in the Bureau of
Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, told senators. “We have strongly
voiced our concerns about intimidation of the opposition, noting that
the Cambodian people continue to express a preference for greater
freedom and accountability from their government.”
CPP spokesman Phay Siphan on Friday called that testimony
“groundless.” Sam Rainsy and Kem Sokha are “destroying…peace and
political order,” he added.
Sok Eysan said the current situation will not necessarily be the same
in three years, when national elections are scheduled. “This is just a
prediction,” he said of Busby’s Senate testimony, “a prediction that may
not be 100 percent true.” The Rescue Party “started the fire,” he said,
by inciting incidents over contentious border areas with Vietnam and
calling Hun Sen a “fascist” and a “dictator.”
លោកសម រង្ស៊ី មើលទៅតាម សំនុំរឿង ដែល ហ៊ុន សែន បង្កើត ត្រូវជាប់គុកពីរជាតិមិនរួចពីគុកផង សួរថាសង្រ្គោះជាតិ មានទេ ក្នុងពេលបោះឆ្នោត? បើរបៀបនេះ ច្បាស់ជា ហ៊ុន សែន ដកសិទ្ធិអស់ហើយ ហើយម្តេចទៅរឿងធីវីរាហូនោះ បើកើតមានបែប ហ៊ុន សែន ដុតចោលហើយដឹង ឥឡូវមានង្នកណាហ៊ានធ្វើជុចអី ហ៊ុន សែន ទៅ បើវាស្រែក អាឡា អាក់បា ដាក់សង្រ្គោះជាតិឥតឈប់អញ្ចឹងនោះ មើលទៅដូចជាបានចិត្តហួសពេកដឹង
ReplyDeleteSok Eysan said the current situation will not necessarily be the same in three years, when national elections are scheduled. “This is just a prediction,” he said of Busby’s Senate testimony, “a prediction that may not be 100 percent true.”
ReplyDelete-----------
Does this dumb CPP’s dog understand the word ‘prediction’ mean?
If it is 100 percent true, they don’t call it a prediction.
prediction = guess