Authority forbids SRP members from attending the party congress

By Khmerization
Source: RFA

Traffic police in Phnom Penh and Kandal province have stopped trucks transporting members of the opposition Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) who were travelling from the provinces to attend the party congress in Phnom Penh (pictured) on Sunday.

Ms. Mu Sochua, SRP MP for Kampot, said trucks transporting hundreds of SRP members from 4 provinces, including Kandal, Takeo, Kampong Speu and Kampong Cham, have been stopped by Kandal and Phnom Penh police. She said this is a political harassment as the election is approaching. "This is a political harassment. We, as the SRP, are appealing (to the police) and we have a clear stance and that is to defend democracy. Please stop all harassment as well as all political intimidation in such as manner", she said.

Mr. Yim Hy, president of SRP in Kampong Cham's Batheay district, said 5 trucks transporting SRP members were stopped by police in front of the town hall of Mouk Kampuol district in Prek Anh Chanh, to prevent them from reaching Phnom Penh. "It is speechless because we saw many other vehicles were allowed to pass through and they only stopped the vehicles belonging to the SRP, so it means that they intended to prevent the congress from happening", he said.

Mr. Sao Sang, president of SRP in Takeo's Prey Kabass district, said trucks transporting the SRP members heading to the congress were stopped by police at Kampong Kantuot, just before reaching Siem Reap, where they pretended to search for documents related to the vehicle registration. "Police stopped us near Kampong Kantuot, about 1 km before an intersection to turn to Siem Reap, because our vehicles did not have registration documents, but all many other vehicles travelling on the roads don't have the registration documents too but they did not stop them, they only stopped our vehicles", he said.

Mr. Kiet Chantharith, spokesman for the National Police, said he did not receive any reports about such incident so he could not make any detailed comments. "I don't know anything about that incident. Maybe it is just a petty issue that's why they didn't report to me", he said.

However, all the SRP members were allowed to continue their journey after negotiations between the SRP leaders and the police.