Chanrath seeks to register party
FORMER Cambodia National Rescue Party lawmaker Ou Chanrath has submitted an application to the Ministry of the Interior to officially establish the Cambodia Reform Party (CRP) as of March 1.
Chanrath has rejected criticisms that his new party is just “a flower planted in Freedom Park to make it look nice and pretty” rather than a legitimate opposition party, as some critics have claimed.
Chanrath, a former National Assembly representative for Takeo province, said he submitted the registration form on March 1 but that he still had to fulfil certain of the requirements as stated in the laws on political parties.
The documents submitted by Chanrath include the official party name, logo and related paperwork. He still needs to provide the thumbprints and the identification cards of the members.
“We still have some work to complete like the party regulations and bylaws. We’ve already drafted them but we need the approval of the party members. When the Covid-19 situation is better, I will hold a press conference about all of this,” Chanrath said.
Some of the members of Chanrath’s new party are still abroad in places like the US and unable to return presently due to the Covid-19 restrictions.
One prominent former-CNRP member, Son Chhay, who underwent political rehabilitation last September and is now permitted to take part in national politics without restrictions again, has also been approached to join the party – but Son Chhay has not decided what he’ll do yet, Chanrath said.
He said that since he initially decided to form the party he has faced some criticism from former members of the CNRP who are still effectively living in exile abroad. Many had been hoping that a political solution or opportunity for rapprochement with the government would present itself.
Chanrath said that many of them had been expecting the
return of the CNRP, but three years had gone by now without any signs that the party could possibly make a comeback.
“I think these challenges related to differences in opinion will fade away soon when everyone realises that the only possible way forward is a restart. That is, to mobilise our former members who are outside the government and to [run candidates] in the elections again,” he said.
He rejected the accusation that his new party was just for a show or merely window dressing to make Cambodia appear more democratic than it actually is.
“These attacks about the formation of this party are widely known. The reason is that some supporters and activists of the [former] CNRP do not trust the integrity of Cambodian elections. But if [the next] elections are [competitive] and freely and fairly held then people will have reason to believe in democracy again and all these notions that [this new party] is just a flower growing in Democracy Park will fade away,” he said.
An effective political party, Chanrath said, must have clear goals. It must not be involved in any activities that could bring disaster to the nation. Nor, he said, can a legitimate opposition political party accept money from the ruling party or succumb to outside pressures to take actions that politically benefit the ruling party.
Chhim Kan, head of the political party registration department at the Ministry of Interior told The Post on March 1 that the Ministry of Interior had 47 registered political parties, not including Chanrath’s new party, though one of the 47 parties had recently requested dissolution he noted.
He said that Chanrath’s CRP had not yet fulfilled the requirements stated in Article 9 of the Law on Political Parties.
“We received their registration application form, but our officials in charge could not proceed with the registration because it is missing the 80 thumbprints of the members listed with permanent addresses in Cambodia,” he said.
Political analyst Lao Mong Hay said Chanrath’s statements pledging not to make the party just like “a flower in Democracy Park” did not mean much at this point – and wouldn’t mean much at any point –unless and until Chanrath, as the founder of this new party, substantiates a clear platform and vision for it.
Mong Hay said that Chanrath needs to annunciate a clear governing strategy that he would follow to materialise his vision for Cambodia’s future before the Cambodian people would ever entrust their power to him and his new party to govern the country on their behalf.
Although he voiced some scepticism about the viability of Chanrath’s new party, Mong Hay concluded his remarks by saying that “free men and free women should and would support the constitutional right to form a political party. And I have and will continue to support that right.”
THE Phnom Penh municipal court on March 1 sentenced Sam Rainsy, the former leader of the now dissolved Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) to 25 years in prison in-absentia. Rainsy has been living in selfexile abroad for several years.
The former-CNRP officials who served as his accomplices each received sentences from 20 to 22 years in prison on charges of committing an “attack liable to endanger the institutions of the Kingdom of Cambodia or violate the integrity of the national territory” under Article 451 of the Criminal Code.
Phnom Penh municipal court spokesman Y Rin told The Post on March 1 that the trial council had handed down a verdict in Rainsy and eight other officials’ cases on the Article 451 charges they were alleged to have committed in Cambodia in 2019.
“Sam Rainsy was sentenced to 25 years in prison. Mu Sochua and Eng Chhay Eang were sentenced to 22 years in prison each. Tioulong Saumura, Men Sothavrin, Ou Chanrith, Ho Vann, Long Ry and Nuth Romduol were sentenced to 20 years in prison each,” he said.
“The verdict was announced
with lawyers representing the government present and the accused persons have the right to file an appeal if they do so within the period of time established by law,” he said.
Y Rin added that the accused persons had also been deprived of their citizenship rights definitively, disenfranchised for purposes of voting or standing for office in elections and disqualified from working in the [government] framework as civil service officials. They were also ordered to pay the government compensation of 1,800 million riel.
Som Sokong, the defence lawyer of the nine accused persons could not be reached for comment on March 1.
Government lawyer Koun Saroeun told The Post on March 1 that for an Article 451 offence the law is defines how many years the sentence will be and that the maximum sentence is 30 years. So, the meting out of the sentence in this case was within the statutory guidelines.
“The length of this sentence is more than half of the possible total sentence, but it isn’t the maximum sentence allowed by law. Sentences are established by statute but subject to the discretion of the judge. This sentence is certainly at a level that is under the law’s stipulated maximum for this offence in our
criminal code,” he said.
After being notified of his sentence Sam Rainsy took to Facebook, writing in a post that he regarded the court’s ruling as ridiculous.
“This ridiculous verdict reflects the fears of Hun Sen, who wanted to oust Sam Rainsy from the political stage in Cambodia because he knows that if there was a fair election his out-of-date dictatorial regime would come to an end,” Rainsy wrote.
“Whoever is persecuted by these puppet-courts under this dictator’s regime are the ones who are struggling to bring freedom to the nation, truly,” he stated.
Judge Duch Sok Sarin showed a short video clip of Rainsy speaking at a meeting in the US on September 14-15 of 2019 about his plans to return to Cambodia on November 9 of that year to “arrest” Prime Minister Hun Sen despite the fact that the verdicts and sentences for the nine defendants had already been handed down at that point.
The clip shows Rainsy trying to persuade Cambodian soldiers to ignore the orders of their senior officers and not to obey the government but rather instead to – in his words – stand on the side of the citizens.
Rainsy then seemingly attempts to bribe Cambodia’s soldiers, claiming that if they
put him in power he would put together a financial assistance package for them funded through donations from abroad.
The clip also has Rainsy calling on all Cambodian migrant workers to prepare to accompany him on November 9, 2019 as he returns to Cambodia via one of the land border crossings with Thailand.
“When we have a genuine democracy we will ensure that members of our armed forces live prosperous lives and they will be honoured as Cambodia’s heroes. All Khmer [people] have to join us in our mission to rescue the nation,” Rainsy says in the video clip.
MORE than 500 families in Tuol Ampil commune of Kampong Speu province’s Baset district have expressed concerns about water shortages for rice fields and crops. Currently, traders use pumps to extract large amounts of water from the ancient Prey Peay dam, threatening shortages.
Kuy Hoeurn, a 68-year-old Sangkream Bour villager who represented the families, said the dam is in the middle of three communities – Prey Peay, Sangkream Bour and Angk Rongeang.
He said more than two months ago, a clean water supply firm had installed a large water pump that operated day and night until the water was gone. Residents fear they will not have enough water for rice fields, crops and vegetables.
“Now, the problem is that a clean water firm has pumped water in the dam to sell. Authorities only permit it to conduct business but not to transfer water from the reservoir. Its business is supplying clean water but has no water of its own and takes people’s water,” he said.
District governor Chhoeun Sothorn said the problem is the responsibility of the Department of Water Resources and Meteorology and business owners as the dam is under the management of the department.
“District authorities have nothing to do with it. The reservoir belongs to
the state but residents want to take ownership. The water resource side has its own plan, so no one can take any of it. However, residents rely on it for their livelihoods and they need it, so they take it,” he said.
Water resources department director Nhanh Cheabheang said those who conducted the business could do it legally. The authorities have prepared clean water for residents to use in line with the government’s goal for citizens to have clean water by 2025.
Cheabheang said in this case, he had prepared to dig the dam deeper for public use so that they will have sufficient water supply and can raise fish during the dry and rainy seasons. However, he said some people incited others to protest, bringing about difficulties in development of the area.
“Factories and enterprises have sprouted up in Kampong Speu province, so they need raw materials to fill potholes to build other factories. We have worked with businesses to
take soil from the reservoir so that it will be deeper.
“When they take the soil, they help the villages and pay taxes. But some residents try to mobilise people everywhere [in protest],” he said.
Cheabheang said development of the area failed because the residents obstructed it.
“We can do nothing. When machinery is deployed, they stop it. When water is pumped, they stop it. They don’t listen to the authorities,” he said.