By Ratha Visal
3rd July 2008
Radio Free Asia
Translatef rom Khmer by Khmerization
A Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) activist in Koh Peah commune, Siem Bork in Stung Treng province claimed that 20 members of the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) has abandoned their party and defected to the SRP.
President of the SRP in Koh Preah, Mr. Yim Bunna, claimed that the defections happened on the 23rd of June 2008 after the SRP opened its office in the commune but the SRP did not organise any defection ceremony because it wanted to protect the safety of those defectors.
Mr. Yim Bunna said: “They asked me to do it but I wanted to protect their safety.”
This is the first time that there is a claim that the CPP’s members had defected to the SRP during the election. In the past there were no CPP’s members had defected publicly.
One anonymous Koh Preah resident who said that he has a CPP membership card since 1993 told Radio Free Asia that the defectors include group’s leaders and ordinary members who decided to defect to the SRP because of the injustices and abuses committed by the CPP officials against them. He said: “They defected because of their livelihood is facing hardship, so they become demoralised and decided to defect.”
Mr Phum Sorn, a CPP commune chief, said that he did not know about the defections, but said that it is the rights of the people to choose any political parties they like.
He said: “Twenty members of the CPP defected to the SRP? No, I never heard of this.”
Mr Vann Vuth, a CPP deputy provincial governor of Stung Treng province, said that there is no one from the CPP who have defected to the SRP as has been reported. He said that only the SRP members have defected to the CPP in his province.
Mr. Sok Song, official from an election monitoring group COMFREL, said that it is normal for people to defect to other political parties they like. He said: “It is the people’s rights. They have the rights to choose the parties they like.”
During the fourth mandate election which will be held on the 27th July 2008 there were many SRP members who have defected to the CPP and who have received appointments to high-ranking government jobs.
According to Koh Preah commune chief, in 2008 there were 75 SRP and Funcinpec members who have defected to the CPP.
According to the report from the commune official, there are 700 people who have registered to vote in the upcoming election. And during the 2nd commune election in 2007, only one CPP commune chief was elected as a councillor.
3rd July 2008
Radio Free Asia
Translatef rom Khmer by Khmerization
A Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) activist in Koh Peah commune, Siem Bork in Stung Treng province claimed that 20 members of the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) has abandoned their party and defected to the SRP.
President of the SRP in Koh Preah, Mr. Yim Bunna, claimed that the defections happened on the 23rd of June 2008 after the SRP opened its office in the commune but the SRP did not organise any defection ceremony because it wanted to protect the safety of those defectors.
Mr. Yim Bunna said: “They asked me to do it but I wanted to protect their safety.”
This is the first time that there is a claim that the CPP’s members had defected to the SRP during the election. In the past there were no CPP’s members had defected publicly.
One anonymous Koh Preah resident who said that he has a CPP membership card since 1993 told Radio Free Asia that the defectors include group’s leaders and ordinary members who decided to defect to the SRP because of the injustices and abuses committed by the CPP officials against them. He said: “They defected because of their livelihood is facing hardship, so they become demoralised and decided to defect.”
Mr Phum Sorn, a CPP commune chief, said that he did not know about the defections, but said that it is the rights of the people to choose any political parties they like.
He said: “Twenty members of the CPP defected to the SRP? No, I never heard of this.”
Mr Vann Vuth, a CPP deputy provincial governor of Stung Treng province, said that there is no one from the CPP who have defected to the SRP as has been reported. He said that only the SRP members have defected to the CPP in his province.
Mr. Sok Song, official from an election monitoring group COMFREL, said that it is normal for people to defect to other political parties they like. He said: “It is the people’s rights. They have the rights to choose the parties they like.”
During the fourth mandate election which will be held on the 27th July 2008 there were many SRP members who have defected to the CPP and who have received appointments to high-ranking government jobs.
According to Koh Preah commune chief, in 2008 there were 75 SRP and Funcinpec members who have defected to the CPP.
According to the report from the commune official, there are 700 people who have registered to vote in the upcoming election. And during the 2nd commune election in 2007, only one CPP commune chief was elected as a councillor.
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