The Cambodian government must act against violence

Ch. Narendra

Publication Date 9th May 2008

Preparations are now under way for the next general election scheduled for 27 July 2008. Although the electoral campaign cannot begin until 30 days prior to the polls, political parties are already conducting a flurry of activities to challenge one another to score points and win votes. These activities include various measures to enlist more party members and supporters so as to deny them to rival parties.
As in past elections, all these activities are accompanied by a degree of violence, different kinds of government restrictions and also legal action against opponents. All these troubles hit almost exclusively the opposition parties. Interestingly, the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP), formerly a communist party, is free of such problems.
So far, lured by offers of public offices by the ruling party and unhappy with their party, six Members of Parliament and many members of the opposition Sam Rainsy Party (SRP), the second largest party, have recently defected to the CPP. Opposition parties have banner signs dismantled or painted over, and their members have received threats and intimidation and have even been beaten. According to an election monitoring report dated March 2008, in 2007, there were altogether 51 cases of threat against all non-ruling parties, mostly against SRP (29), and 12 sign dismantling cases, creating a climate of fears among opposition activists. Such troubles are not expected to decline this year at the approach of the polls.
On 22 March 2008, a district security force of some 20 men went to put down an SRP banner sign in Phnom Penh and allegedly beat a SRP Member of Parliament named Ho Vann who was trying to protect the sign. Two days later, Ho filed a criminal lawsuit to the court of Phnom Penh against the perpetrators for battery and destruction of property with all evidence in support.
More recently, on 3 May, Noeu Noeuy, who is chief of Banteay Chhmar South village, Banteay Chhmar commune, Thmar Puok district, Banteay Meanchey province and also the CPP village committee chairman kicked and beat Hem Poeu who is chief of a group of houses in the village, when Hem refused to join CPP. This incident happened after Noeu had made a CCP membership card for Poeu with Poeu’s photo on it as if to force the latter to join CPP. After this discovery Poeu loudly told Noeu he would not “walk along the wrong path… I will not walk with you, the communist lot”. Poeu was the supporter of another party. When he walked away after this encouter, Neou kicked him from behind and beat his head and neck.
In all incidents affecting the opposition parties so far, the police and the courts of law, widely known as under political control of the ruling party, did not show any diligence in their investigations, and no perpetrator has been apprehended and brought to justice so far.
The court of Phnom Penh has not so far acted upon the lawsuit filed by Ho Vann, a SRP Member of Parliament. Yet the same court has acted upon a criminal lawsuit against Sam Rainsy, the SRP leader, and has issued a summons for Sam to appear before it soon after the lawsuit had been filed.
On 22 April Hor Nam Hong, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and also a leading CPP member, filed this criminal lawsuit for defamation and disinformation at the court of Phnom Penh after Sam Rainsy had made a public speech Hor has alleged to have affected his name.
Sam made that speech on 17 April at a ceremony to commemorate the seizure of power by the Khmer Rouge and the beginning of their massacres of the Cambodian people on that day in 1975. Sam said that two ministers of the current government had been Khmer Rouge cadres. He mentioned that one minister, Senior Minister for Economics and Finance, had been Khmer Rouge Leader Pol Pot’s secretary and translator, and the other minister, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, had been chief of the Khmer Rouge prison at Boeung Trabek in Phnom Penh.
Earlier, in March, the court of Kompong Thom Province also acted promptly at the behest of Prime Minister Hun Sen, the CPP Vice-Chairman. On 17 March 2008, in a public speech, Hun Sen ordered with insistence investigations into alleged criminal offences against three persons who were working for CPP.
The first person named Tim Norn who was a woman commune councilor of Pong Ror commune, Baray district, Kompong Thom province. It was alleged Tim’s fellow SRP members had confined her against her will so as to prevent her from defecting to CPP. An SRP member named Tuot Sarorn, who was chief of Pong Ror commune, was soon arrested and has been in jail since. The other two persons were living in Takeo province. Both have allegedly received death threats through their phones while they were working to enlist support for CPP.
Violence against opposition parties, the absence of action against such violence together with restrictions on their activities not only mar the electoral process but also put these parties at a serious disadvantage compared with the ruling party. When opposition parties are placed in such difficult circumstances, it cannot be expected that the election will be free and fair.
The Cambodian government cannot ensure such a free and fair election as prescribed by the country’s Constitution without ending this violence, taking action against it without any discrimination, and creating a climate whereby all parties can conduct their political activities in security and freedom, and voters can freely exercise their choice.