A Change of Guard

សូមស្តាប់វិទ្យុសង្គ្រោះជាតិ Please read more Khmer news and listen to CNRP Radio at National Rescue Party. សូមស្តាប់វីទ្យុខ្មែរប៉ុស្តិ៍/Khmer Post Radio.
Follow Khmerization on Facebook/តាមដានខ្មែរូបនីយកម្មតាម Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/khmerization.khmerican

Wednesday 31 July 2013

Cambodian PM says ready to talk to opposition after disputed polls

Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen (C) speaks to workers as he inspects a bridge construction site in Phnom Penh July 31, 2013. REUTERS-Samrang Pring

PHNOM PENH | Wed Jul 31, 2013
 
(Reuters) - Cambodia's long-serving leader, Hun Sen, said on Wednesday his party was ready to talk to the opposition after both sides claimed victory in Sunday's general election, talking of the need for compromise but calling himself "prime minister elect".
"We open our heart to compromise in order to create a parliamentary leadership," Hun Sen said while on an inspection of a bridge construction site, his first public appearance since the election and his first comments on the deadlock.
"We have to respect the people's decision and if we don't, and turn to violence ... that would lead to chaos in the whole country and this is not what people want to see," he said.
The election campaign and voting on Sunday were largely peaceful but Phnom Penh remains tense because of the political stand-off. Police and the military are maintaining a presence on the streets, although business is mostly back to normal.
Hun Sen, 60, has been prime minister for 28 years and has crushed dissent in the past while maintaining tight control through his Cambodian People's Party (CPP) and a network of business, government and military allies.
Earlier on Wednesday, the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), said it had won the general election, stepping up its battle with Hun Sen's CPP, which has also claimed victory and rejected accusations of electoral fraud.
Yim Sovann, a lawmaker and spokesman for the CNRP, said it had won 63 seats in the 123-member parliament, with the CPP getting 60.
"This is according to figures of votes we collected from various provinces and this needs to be investigated," he told Reuters.

The government announced on Sunday that the CPP had won 68 seats, a sharp fall from its previous tally of 90 but beating what it said was the CNRP's 55.
The National Election Committee (NEC) has yet to release official results and says it does not expect to do until mid-August.
RETURN FROM EXILE
The CNRP was formed last year from the merger of two opposition parties. Long-time opposition leader Sam Rainsy returned from exile on July 19 to galvanize its campaign after a royal pardon that removed the threat of jail for what he called trumped-up charges relating to criticism of a new border the government agreed with Vietnam.
That pardon was recommended by Hun Sen, apparently under pressure from aid donors demanding a free and fair election, analysts said.
Sam Rainsy has demanded an inquiry into the election with U.N. involvement, alleging in particular that up to 1.3 million names were missing from the electoral rolls. The government has rejected that.
The United States and European Union have expressed concern about irregularities but both have said an investigation should be conducted by the NEC.
Hun Sen said his party was ready to talk to the NEC and the opposition about the alleged irregularities. However, the Foreign Affairs Ministry told foreign countries not to meddle.
"The spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation would like to urge foreign diplomatic missions not to play a role to support the opposition party," the ministry said in a statement.
U.S.-based Human Rights Watch called on Wednesday for an independent investigation, saying senior CPP officials appeared to have issued fake voting documents to supporters and had allowed some people to vote in more than one place.
"The multiple voting scheme suggests the possibility of systematic election fraud by the CPP and raises serious questions about the credibility of the election," Brad Adams, its director for Asia, said in a statement.
"Since the National Election Committee and local election commissions are under the ruling party's control, influential governments and donors should demand independent investigations into these and other credible allegations of election-related irregularities," he said.
Even by the government's own figures, Sunday's vote was Hun Sen's worst election result since Cambodia returned to full democracy in 1998 after decades of war and turmoil that included the 1975-79 "Killing Fields" rule of the Khmer Rouge.
Prolonged wrangling over the result and a weakened Hun Sen could raise uncertainty over policy in the small but fast-growing Southeast Asian country that has built up a thriving garment sector and forged economic ties with China and Vietnam.
(Writing by Alan Raybould; Editing by Robert Birsel)

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Notice how Hun Sen doesn´t say: "I don´t want to see violence",- No he says: "That is not what the people want to see." In other words, it is another covert threat from this one-eyed bastard.

And ´the people´s decision´ of course in his eyes, is that he won the majority, and ´the compromise´ would be that the opposition has gained more seats in the parliament than he had hoped for, but not enough.

Not a word on the actual election fraud.

So to summarize his words in normal language: Hun Sen: "You have to accept my rule or I will send this country into violence and chaos!"

Anonymous said...

Hun Sen agreed to talk to the opposition because he is afraid of the mass protests and he dare not crack down on them in case he becomes like Gaddafi or Saddam Hussein when America steps in.

The opposition, Sam Rainsy and Kem Sokha in particular, must be mindful not to fall into Hun sen's trap when talking to Hun sen because he is a master of cheat. By talking to Hun sen it would mean they recognize the election result and at the end he might offer the opposition of vice-president of the national assembly, which is a powerless position. Hun Sen mentioned about negotiating about the leadership of the national assembly so he wants the opposition to recognize the election result first.

I think what Son Chhay said was a good tactic, no power-sharing talk until after the investigation over election fraud is completed.

The opposition must maintain that it is the winner and must keep the momentum by trying to build an international case against the electoral fraud and building a case against Hun Sen's corrupt and dictatorial rule. This way, Hun sen's day is numbered.

Anonymous said...

Case scenerio: what if this arm wrangling between CNRP and CPP ended up in the same result 68-55.
USA, Europrean and others walk away and accepted what/where it is. Many people get arrested and wounded and even killed. Economic and development stuck and reversed.
Did CRNP still persuade the people's will regardless cost and consequence.
Let me say, if Hun Sen willing to compromise and offer political solution. But stick with his gun and he is the winner of this race. so what CNRP plans to do. this is my suggestion. Sam rainsy said he can't accept the result of this election because Cambodian people's will has been denied. How about CNRP put forward a firm concrete proposal including mechnical/practical solutions to Hun Sen/CPP of what people who support CNRP platform want to see things happen. issues that people want are: corruption, employment, wage, NEC reform, and education.
CNRP has to make sure these are done deal and will be put into real action before anything can move forward. The buttomline is people pay less attention to who will be PM as long as their issues of concerns have been addressed and dealt with. My wish is to see CNRP win the election. But if after say and done and may be bloodshed involved, and the result still hold firm the same as it is, then compromise but doesn't mean CNRP need to abandon the will and principle of what peole want and CNRP prefers to see. Sam Rainsy must show and tell Hun Sen that he is not thirsty for PM position but he must keep and preserve the Cambodian people's will and desire. If CNRP and Sam Rainsy keep this spirit enlighted, vigilant and fight every twisted and turn to preserve the will and desire of the people, I bet and guarantee that CNRP will surely win a slandslide in 2018.

Anonymous said...

15 DAYS REMAINING,...THAN WE WILL INITIATES THE DEMOCRATIC YOUTH MOVEMENT.
"WE ARE WAITING"......IF NO JUSTICE,...PREPARES FOR THE "CONSEQUENCES"

Signed: KHMER YOUTH MOVEMENT

Anonymous said...

Why wait until 2018? The moment and momentum is now. An investigation performed by a committee of Hun Sen appointees will only reaffirm his position. Opposition should push for new elections to be held as soon as possible

Anonymous said...

Hey, ah chhaker Hun Sen step down, you are nothing to khmer people,you are just a dog of ah Hanoi communist. Enough is enough, prepare for ICC . Your whole family is just a thug to khmer society.

Anonymous said...

Why don't you ignorant Khmer go live in Vietnam. CNRP would have WON a landslide VICTORY if Youn's Dog CPP didn't cheat months before INT'L OBSERVERS SET FOOT ON CAMBODIA. Despite CPP Election Frauds CNRP still WIN with a small margin. Arab peoples had to struggle so much to have their own government. Khmers peoples have to do the same but first exhaust All PEACEFUL WAYS TO SOLVE THIS PROBLEMS. FREEDOM & LIBERTIES and INDEPENDENT SOMETIME MUST BE EARN A HARD WAYS. I still prefer the NON-VIOLENCES WAYS FIRST. .

Anonymous said...

This f***ing Prak Chan Thul is a Youn. Articles he wrote and pictures he posted are swaying to CPP. Thomson Reuters should not hire someone like this guy to work as a journalist.

Anonymous said...

hun sen overthrow Kr genocide right ? hun sen build 3643 scholls for 760 000.00 studens per year and 7.6 million per ten years got education , right..?. hun sen build 541 hospital all over country . help millions khmer suffering patients every year. right. ? now you clearly see hun sen is a real khmer lover and he is rebuilding khmer from genocide. right?. wasnt it true ?... hun sen build road 4212 km around border and in the country to stop neighboring encroachment. right..? hun sen strengthen our three army forces. right..? now we can clearly see hun sen is a true khmer hero. wasnt it true? rihht ?.and what rainsy the opportunistic have don? nothing, ? right. .. mike..

Anonymous said...

The Chen faction has won.

Anonymous said...

hey mee sompeung mice, lice, or leech or whatever you are, you forgot one thing -- your hun had 4 million yuons in Cambodia, right?

you should be sucking my long john!

Anonymous said...

Hey ah chhrouk and ah chhaker suck ach youn, sooner later youn vietcong will cut your neck and your whole family bodies, by that time you know that you are wrong and it is too late. Ah Hun Sen has killed a lot of khmers . He will pay the price big time.Goes around comes around. Justice will prevail.

Vannarith Nguon said...

Something I do not want to see in my life. They are human beings and not dogs.

Quelque chose que je ne veux pas voir dans ma vie. Ce sont les êtres humains et non les chiens.

Anonymous said...

This Mike person ..is opposing us pure khmer in every articles I read. ..has an ant's brain ..my pet at home has more intelligence than him or her .but I think its s a she....just to remind her in public she is surely will have blood flowing her stupid head...ok...now go away and tune up your brain. ..and come back alive......
Khmer patriot in Australia. ...