A Change of Guard

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Tuesday 20 April 2010

CPP expands party branches in the U.S


By Khmerization
Source: RFA

The Cambodian Embassy in the United of America said that it is trying to expand the political influence of the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) in America by trying to induce defections from the opposition Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) which had a large following for many years, reports Radio Free Asia.

Mr. Hem Heng (pictured), the Cambodian Ambassador to the United States, said on the weekend that about 400-500 Cambodian-Americans, including many former members of the SRP, in Lowell in Massachussets had defected to the CPP through the Embassy based in Washington. "In my capacity as a member of the CPP, I have met many supporters of the CPP in many states. Some people expressed desire to join the CPP and they wanted to set up party branches in order to facilitate and to propagate the news about the developments in Cambodia, especially news from Cambodia", he said.

He said supporters of the CPP spread out across the U.S, like in Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, California, Texas, Florida, Washington, Virginia and Louisiana. He added that the Cambodian Diaspora, including the defectors to the CPP, do not have the right to vote, but they can contribute to the result of the election through indirect decision-making like sending their money to relatives which can encourage them to join the CPP back home.

Mr. Hourt Kim Chhay, one of the defectors in Long Beach, California, said at least 34 people from Long Beach had joined the CPP. "I see that in Long Beach, many people support the opposition parties. When officials from the CPP want to come to Long Beach, they don't have anybody to receive them. This is what I see. In order to strengthen the CPP or offer a place to stay to the CPP officials in order for them to establish good relations with the people to promulgate their political programs about Cambodia, it is easier if they have party branches in the area", he said.

Mr. Hourt Kim Chhay said other than political activities, CPP supporters in Long Beach had organised fundraising to help the Cambodian Red Cross headed by Mrs. Bun Rany, wife of the Prime Minister Hun Sen who is a vice-president of the CPP. He said often people in Lowell in Massachusetts, Philadelphia in Pennsylvania and in California raised about $4000-$5000 and sent to Mrs. Bun Rany through the Cambodian Embassy in Washington.

Mr. Anthony Kim, from California, has just defected to the CPP. He said he decided to join the CPP because the party had developed the country very impressively. "I am the young generation, I saw the present ruling party in Cambodia has developed the country very fast, from zero (nothing) to what we've seen today which is outstanding", he said.

Global Witness in its 2007 reports said that Pheapimex, a company owned by the CPP Senator Lao Meng Khin and His wife, Mrs. Cheung Sopheap, better known as Yeay Phu, controlled 7.4% of all economically and arable lands in Cambodia. This is excluding tens of thousands of hectares of other arable lands given as concessions to another CPP Senator, Tycoon Ly Yong Phat, the report said.

Mr. Chea Kim Ly, president of the opposition SRP in America, said he is not concerned about the defections, saying that those who joined or defected to the CPP have done so for economic or personal interests. "I'm not concerned because I understand that our Cambodian people living overseas are very well educated. They are individuals who have a nationalistic conscience. For one or two persons who decided to join the ruling party, they have done so for personal interests. So, it did not cause the SRP to be concerned", he said.

Mr. Kouch Chanly, from Maryland, said those who joined the ruling CPP wanted to accumulate wealth by contributing to human rights abuses, corruption and abuses of powers committed by the present ruling party. He criticised the Ambassador for using his official function to serve the interests of a particular political party. "For those who have a nationalistic conscience, they never worked for or helped a government that has committed widespread violence, abused its own citizens, or a government that has rampantly committed corruption", he said.

The SRP had set up about 30 party braches in the United States and now the ruling CPP is trying to rival the SRP by making great effort to establish its own party branches across the United States, starting from Pennsylvania, Louisiana, California and Massachusetts.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

What is this? A government use its ambassador to recruit people for its own party? is this right thing to do?
I think USA should kick this ambassador out for using this base for political purpose.

Anonymous said...

This Hem Heng is not a Cambodian ambassador, he is a CPP agent provocateur. He breached international diplomatic protocol by using his diplomatic function and immunity to serve a political party. I also think the U.S should kick him out of America because he is not a diplomat or an ambassador, but a political trouble-maker who can stir up trouble among Cambodian community in America.

Anonymous said...

Feeling pressure at your door now? lol If you're strong enough, you got nothing to fear.

Anonymous said...

just reply to third comment " lol feeling presser? " u are kidding mate. we have nothing to fear about this only to see someone doing wrong thing by recruit people for his party sake while he is an ambassador to other country. If don't understand what we are on about please raise a question and i am happy to answer it.

Anonymous said...

3:02 PM, it is the srp who should say this to the cpp because the cpp uses police, military, court and state assets to oppress, suppress and to intimidate the oppositions. if the cpp is strong enough it should not be afraid of the oppositions and allow them freedom of activities, but they have been intimidated, arrested, sued and jailed.

hem heng is a diplomat who should serve all political parties and all cambodians, not just cpp or its supporters. what he had done here is against international diplomatic protocol. the cpp has all the rights to recruit people anywhere, but not using the embassy or ambassador to do this because the embassy and the ambassador is supposed to serve the country, not a political party.

Anonymous said...

We've not seen any foreign ambassador trying to set up a branch of their political party to stir hatred among their own people in a foreign country. Now we really see a nong-nong/stupid-idiot/ignorant Khmer ambassador doing bad thing in USA. HEm Heng trying to create...

Woe,Khmer! Khmer Euoy!

Khmer rise!

Anonymous said...

We've not seen any foreign ambassador trying to set up a branch of their political party to stir hatred among their own people in a foreign country. Now we really see a nong-nong/stupid-idiot/ignorant Khmer ambassador doing bad thing in USA. HEm Heng trying to create...

Woe,Khmer! Khmer Euoy!

Khmer rise!