Ahmad Yahya making a speech in a conference about Cham, a minority Muslim group to which he belongs.Written by NETH PHEAKTRA
Monday, 09 March 2009
Phnom Penh Post
Appointments to be approved by the NA Thursday
TEN government officials including former army chief General Ke Kim Yan will be appointed to new posts when the National Assembly's Permanent Committee meets for an extraordinary session later this week, officials said Sunday.
Minister of Information Khieu Kanharith said the body would meet Thursday to formalise the recent appointments of 10 new officials, including a number of opposition defectors and the former army commander-in-chief, who is to be elevated to the post of deputy prime minister in charge of anti-drug trafficking.
"The Cambodian government will nominate its new members including deputy prime ministers, senior ministers and secretaries of state," he said. "The National Assembly will approve this list on March 12 during its extraordinary session."
Fresh arrivals
Khieu Kanharith confirmed that among the new appointees would be a series of defectors from the opposition parties, but downplayed their origin.
"These new appointments have the objective of harmonising the work of the government. We all work for the Khmer nation, so we don't have political tendencies," he said.
Cheam Yeap, senior lawmaker and member of the committee, confirmed that among the appointees would be former Funcinpec official Serei Kosal, Muslim advocate and former Sam Rainsy Party member Ahmad Yahya, and Keo Remy, originally from the Human Rights Party.
Serei Kosal, who defected to the ruling CPP last year and is set to be appointed senior minister, said he had not yet heard of his appointment.
"If this information is true, I am very surprised and thank the CPP, and especially Samdech Prime Minister Hun Sen, to have confidence in me to serve the nation," he said.
Former HRP Vice President Keo Remy - who has been bumped to a secretary of state post in the Council of Ministers - said similarly that he hoped the new position would give him "the full right and opportunity to serve the Cambodian people and work for Cambodia".
Minister of Information Khieu Kanharith said the body would meet Thursday to formalise the recent appointments of 10 new officials, including a number of opposition defectors and the former army commander-in-chief, who is to be elevated to the post of deputy prime minister in charge of anti-drug trafficking.
"The Cambodian government will nominate its new members including deputy prime ministers, senior ministers and secretaries of state," he said. "The National Assembly will approve this list on March 12 during its extraordinary session."
Fresh arrivals
Khieu Kanharith confirmed that among the new appointees would be a series of defectors from the opposition parties, but downplayed their origin.
"These new appointments have the objective of harmonising the work of the government. We all work for the Khmer nation, so we don't have political tendencies," he said.
Cheam Yeap, senior lawmaker and member of the committee, confirmed that among the appointees would be former Funcinpec official Serei Kosal, Muslim advocate and former Sam Rainsy Party member Ahmad Yahya, and Keo Remy, originally from the Human Rights Party.
Serei Kosal, who defected to the ruling CPP last year and is set to be appointed senior minister, said he had not yet heard of his appointment.
"If this information is true, I am very surprised and thank the CPP, and especially Samdech Prime Minister Hun Sen, to have confidence in me to serve the nation," he said.
Former HRP Vice President Keo Remy - who has been bumped to a secretary of state post in the Council of Ministers - said similarly that he hoped the new position would give him "the full right and opportunity to serve the Cambodian people and work for Cambodia".
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