Cambodia’s opposition on Monday rejected the claim of victory by the ruling party of strongman Prime Minister Hun Sen in weekend elections, alleging widespread irregularities. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News
Cambodian opposition leader Sam Rainsy lost his bid to regain lawmaker status Thursday in a new setback to his efforts to challenge strongman premier Hun Sen in this weekend’s election. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News
Thousands of cheering supporters greeted Cambodian opposition leader Sam Rainsy as he returned from self-imposed exile Friday to spearhead his party’s election campaign against well-entrenched Prime Minister Hun Sen.
“I have come home to rescue the country,” Rainsy told the crowd gathered at Phnom Penh’s airport, after kneeling to kiss the ground.
“I am happy to be here!” Rainsy shouted to be heard through a microphone as the supporters chanted, “We want change!”
The French-educated leader of the Cambodia National Rescue Party has been in exile since 2009 to avoid serving 11 years in prison on charges many consider politically motivated.
Rainsy, 64, received a royal pardon last week at the request of Hun Sen, his bitter rival whose ruling party is almost certain to maintain its ironclad grip on power in the July 28 general election.
Hun Sen has ruled for 28 years, and his party has 90 of the 123 seats in the National Assembly. The prime minister recently said that he intends to stay in office until he is 74 — cutting back from an earlier vow to stay in control until he’s 90.
Critics of the government claim the election will be neither free nor fair, arguing that Hun Sen’s regime manipulates the levers of government and influences the judiciary to weaken the opposition.
Last month, 28 opposition lawmakers were expelled from parliament when a committee run by Hun Sen’s party ruled they had broken the law because they had originally won their seats in the name of the Sam Rainsy Party, but were campaigning under the recently established Cambodia National Rescue Party, into which it was merged.
They can still run in the upcoming election, but without parliamentary immunity. Immunity from arrest is a great benefit in Cambodia’s elections, and those without it are at risk of being charged with defamation for remarks seen critical of Hun Sen and his government.
Rainsy is a charismatic and fiery speaker — qualities that have landed him in trouble before.
He is expected to draw large crowds as he embarks on a whirlwind campaign tour that his party says will take him to over a dozen provinces in a week. He is likely to push …read more
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A United Nations envoy urged Cambodia Monday to let opposition leader Sam Rainsy play a “full part” in politics as the recently-pardoned politician prepares to return ahead of elections.
Sam Rainsy, who lives in self-imposed exile in France, had faced 11 years in jail after he was convicted in absentia on charges that he contends were politically motivated, including publishing a false map of the border with Vietnam.
He was pardoned by King Sihamoni on Friday and has vowed to return to Cambodia on July 19 to help his party fight national polls that are widely expected to be won by strongman premier Hun Sen.
The UN’s special rapporteur on human rights in Cambodia, Surya Subedi, said in a statement that he was “very pleased” with the royal pardon, which was “in the interests of stronger and deeper democratisation” of the country.
“I now hope that with this development, the government will take the necessary action in order to allow Sam Rainsy to play a full part in the national politics of Cambodia,” he said.
Rainsy, who is seen as the main challenger to Hun Sen, has been removed from the electoral register and is unable to run as a candidate in the July 28 general election unless parliament amends the law.
The French-educated former banker — who worked with global finance giant Paribas in the 1980s — was pardoned at Hun Sen’s request in a move welcomed by the United States.
While all political parties are free to canvass voters and hold public events, observers say there is little chance of unseating Hun Sen and his Cambodian People’s Party (CPP), which won the last two polls by a landslide amid allegations of fraud and election irregularities.
Hun Sen, now 60, has run Cambodia for 28 years, making him one of Southeast Asia’s longest-serving leaders.
In May he said he would try to stay in power until he is 74. He had previously vowed to hold office until he reached 90.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News
Cambodia’s newly pardoned opposition leader said on Saturday he would return from exile on July 19 to join his party’s campaign to defeat Prime Minister Hun Sen in upcoming elections.
Sam Rainsy, who lives in France, had faced 11 years in jail after he was convicted in absentia for charges that he contends were politically motivated, including publishing a false map of the border with Vietnam.
The French-educated former banker — who worked with global finance giant Paribas in the 1980s — was pardoned by King Sihamoni on Friday at Hun Sen’s request.
“I will arrive at Phnom Penh International Airport on Friday, 19 July, 2013 in the morning at 9:05 on a Thai Airways flight,” Rainsy wrote on his Facebook page, in a post that was widely shared and received thousands of “likes”.
A spokesman for his Cambodia National Rescue Party, Yim Sovann, confirmed the travel schedule, adding that it would take time to arrange Rainsy’s return due to some “issue with his travel document”.
Rainsy, who holds joint French and Cambodian citizenship, is travelling on his French passport as his Cambodian passport was revoked by the government after his criminal convictions.
Thousands of opposition supporters are expected to turn out to welcome him at the airport, according to his party.
Rainsy told AFP on Friday he was “very happy” to be able to return to Cambodia, adding that the pardon was “a small victory for democracy” but also warning that “much more remains to be done”.
Rainsy, who is seen as the main challenger to strongman Hun Sen, has been removed from the electoral register and as a result is unable to run as a candidate in the July 28 general election unless parliament amends the law.
Hun Sen is one of Southeast Asia’s longest-serving leaders and has steered the impoverished country from the ashes of civil war and overseen a growing economy through development, tourism, and garment exports.
But his government is regularly accused of suppressing political freedoms and muzzling activists. He is widely expected to win a majority in this month’s polls.
In May he said he would try to stay in power for another decade, until he is 74. He had previously vowed to hold office until he reached 90.
While all political parties are free to canvass voters and hold public events, observers say there is little chance of unseating Hun Sen and his Cambodian People’s Party (CPP), which won the last two polls by a landslide amid allegations of fraud and election irregularities.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News
Cambodia’s self-exiled opposition leader says he will return to his homeland on July 19, less than two weeks before his beleaguered party challenges entrenched Prime Minister Hun Sen in national polls.
Sam Rainsy announced the date of his intended return on his Facebook page on Saturday, a day after Hun Sen engineered a pardon for his most prominent rival. Fellow party members gave the same date.
The pardon cleared the way for Sam Rainsy to return home to campaign for his party without facing immediate arrest and imprisonment.
His return is not likely to greatly affect the big picture at the polls, where Hun Sen appears assured of extending his 28-year rule.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News
A son and son-in-law of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen will run for parliament in July general elections that are expected to renew the long-ruling leader’s mandate for power.
Cheam Yeap, a top member of Hun Sen‘s Cambodian People’s Party, said Wednesday that party leaders decided last week to submit the candidacies of the prime minister’s youngest son and aide, 30-year-old Hun Many, and his son-in-law, Dy Vichea.
Their candidacies are likely to increase speculation that Hun Sen is seeking to establish a political dynasty, even though he’s only 60.
Most of Hun Sen‘s immediate family members hold influential jobs.
His oldest and most-favored son, Hun Manet, is a two-star army general with a key defense ministry post, and was on the scene during high-profile border skirmishes with Thailand.
