Gov’t to deploy 76K troops for polls

carried by people in uniform.

Speaking at the meeting, National Election Committee President Sik Bunhok said authorities must ensure “stability”, pointing to episodes of violence and unrest during and after the disputed 2013 election.

Bunhok specifically referenced the riot in Phnom Penh’s Stung Meanchey district, where opposition supporters, incensed at what they claimed were Vietnamese nationals voting illegally, destroyed two military vehicles and also described the opposition-led protests against the result as “anarchy”.

The Cambodia National Rescue Party has recently drawn criticism from some quarters for announcing plans to station monitors at registrar offices to watch for would-be illegal voters demonstrating a lack of Khmer-language skills.

Though agreeing with the need to have police maintain order during the election, CNRP spokesman Yim Sovann yesterday said the mobilisation of the security forces for the registration period was unprecedented and unwarranted. “It creates a bad image,” he said. In its post-2013 election report, election watchdog Comfrel noted an atmosphere of “fear and intimation” in some areas where military and police officials openly supported the CPP. The group documented 248 such cases.

“Armed forces and police were not on duty to provide security for the events but to actively support the CPP campaign and openly demonstrated their loyalty to the party,” the report reads.

Social analyst Meas Nee said deploying thousands of security forces, including the army, was overkill for a country “not in chaos like the Middle East” and would likely make voters uneasy.