Officials of the Opposition Parties and of the Ruling Party Will Discus Mutual Tolerance in Front of Diplomats

The Mirror, Vol. 13, No. 630 - Monday, 14.9.2009

“About 200 Khmer politicians from the five parties that have seats in the National Assembly, government officials, many ambassadors in Phnom Penh, and also civil society representatives will meet at the National Assembly on Tuesday, 15 September 2009, for a serious discussion about democracy in Cambodia.

“This workshop is organized by the secretariat of the National Assembly with support from UNDP, with the assistance plan for legislative organization, the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, and Inter-Parliamentary Union.

“During the one day workshop, there are many topics about the process of democracy in Cambodia on the agenda that will be discussed between national and international politicians and also diplomats. In addition to many representatives from embassies in Cambodia, the Philippino Senator Aquilino Q. Pimentel, Jr., and the Malaysian parliamentarian, Honorable Fuziah binti Salleh, will also attend this workshop.

Note:

The contributions of Senator Pimentel to the Inter-Parliamentary Union Regional Seminar on the Role of Parliaments in Promoting Peaceful and Sustainable Societies in South-East Asia, held on 9 and 10 March 2009, also in Phnom Penh, are referenced here for further information:

9 March 2009:

THE ROLE OF PARLIAMENTS IN-CONFLICT AND POST-CONFLICT SITUATION

A Powerpoint File of 4.68 MB can be downloaded at this site.

10 March 2009:

DEVOLUTION OF POWERS TO ADDRESS LOCAL CONCERNS

A Powerpoint File of 4.81 MB can be downloaded at this site.

“The topics to be raised for discussion are about democracy, political tolerance, and the democratic process in Cambodia. This workshop will be held while the immunity of two Khmer parliamentarians from the Sam Rainsy Party, of Ms. Mu Sochua and of Mr. Ho Vann, has been suspended by the National Assembly, in order the open way for courts to indict them according to the law on defamation, called for by government officials.

“Therefore parliamentarians from the Sam Rainsy Party are considering whether to participate in this workshop or not, or whether it is organized allowing attendants only to listen to explanations especially from Mr. Om Yentieng who administers human rights affairs for the government.

“The Sam Rainsy Party parliamentarian, Mr. Son Chhay, told Khmer Machas Srok at the party headquarters in Phnom Penh in the morning of 12 September 2009 that now, there have been many issues. He said that this workshop is really important to discuss about democracy in Cambodia and to revise and check the implementation of democratic principles in Cambodia.

“Mr. Son Chhay added, ‘For this workshop, there seems to be an agreement to allow the ruling party and the opposition parties to raise their points about the implementation of democratic principles in the country, and to allow expressions of the opinions and views of politicians with experience in the region.’

“Mr. Son Chhay went on to say that the Philippino politician, Mr. Aquilino Q. Pimentel, well-known for fighting against the dictatorship of Mr. Marcos, will also attend the workshop, and he will speak about democracy in the Philippines.

“Mr. Son Chhay continued to say that the Sam Rainsy Party thought that there must be the possibility for the expression of opinion during the workshop, because in Cambodia, the opposition parties are refused the right to do so as they do not have certain roles in the National Assembly, which is controlled by the ruling party alone. Therefore, the Sam Rainsy Party wants to mention those issues during the workshop, but this is opposed by the leaders of the National Assembly. This makes it difficult for Sam Rainsy Party parliamentarians to decide to attend.

“The workshop, planned to be held tomorrow, will raise questions related to the relations between the ruling party and the opposition parties. Mr. Son Chhay said, “The Sam Rainy Party always wants democratic relations, and we have never wanted to consider any party as our enemy - besides dictatorship and communism.’

“Mr. Son Chhay said that the Sam Rainy Party wants to get explanations from diplomats for the ruling party, to understand democracy and to respect the role of opposition parties.

“The Human Rights Party parliamentarian, Mr. Ou Chanrith, told Khmer Machas Srok by phone that he will attend this workshop, because there will be discussions about good topics like political tolerance.

“A parliamentarian and high ranking official of the Cambodian People’s Party, Mr. Cheam Yeap, could not be reached for comment yesterday, as no one accepted calls on the phone.

“The resident of the Cambodian Independent Teachers Association, Mr. Rong Chhun, does not support the idea that there is a special need for political tolerance, because Cambodia has laws. He said, ‘In fact, a country that has laws does not need to have discussions about political tolerance. Those in power have to respect the laws according to the Constitution, the election law, and they have to respect human rights, as we – Cambodia - had acceded to the United Nations.’ Also, he appealed for equal respect for the laws of Cambodia, both by normal citizens in general, and also by powerful people, but they should also not use their power to force weaker people to apologize.” Khmer Machas Srok, Vol.3, #490, 13-15.9.2009

Newspapers Appearing on the Newsstand:
Monday, 14 September 2009

Deum Ampil, Vol.3, #288, 13-14.9.2009

• A Cruel Murderer Killed a Girl [cutting her throat] and Hit Her Father and Her Younger Sister with a Cleaver to Rob Money to Pay Back His Drug Debt, Injuring Them Seriously [the drug addicted murderer was arrested – Phnom Penh]
• [The eldest son of Prime Minister Hun Sen] General Hun Manet [a 1999 graduate of the United States Military Academy in West Point] Will Accompany [the Minister of Defense] Deputy Prime Minister Tea Banh to Visit America [on 18 September 2009 to discuss with the US Department of Defense continued military cooperation]

Kampuchea Thmey, Vol.8, #2048, 13-14.9.2009

• The World Bank Has Helped Cambodia through Many Reforms in Business Operations
• [The former president of the National Assembly of the Khmer Rouge regime] Brother Number Two Nuon Chea Was Referred to the Hospital Again [for a medical checkup]
• Cambodia Prepares to Organize the First National Forum on Climate Change [on 19 to 21 October 2009]
• An Old Woman Who Was Strangled by a Man Continues to Try to Sue the [Dangkao] District Governor to Find Justice, after Police Had Released the Perpetrator. It Is Said that the Perpetrator Had Been Released in Exchange for US$300 [Phnom Penh]

Khmer Machas Amatak, Vol.10, #649, 14.9.2009

• A Heavily Drunk Forestry Official at the North of the Tonle Sap Lake Used Violence against Journalists [who took photos of one of this officials when he was preventing a car with illegal merchandise, with wood, from being seized – Siem Reap]

Khmer Machas Srok, Vol.3, #490, 13-15.9.2009

• Officials of the Opposition Parties and of the Ruling Party Will Discus Mutual Tolerance in Front of Diplomats

US Parliamentarians Promised [Sam Rainsy Party parliamentarian] Ms. Mu Sochua [and the president of the Khmer Civilization Foundation, Mr. Moeung Sonn] to Encourage an Aid Cut-Off if the Hun Sen Government Mistreats Them [the report mentions six parliamentarians who are member of the Congressional Human Rights Caucus, renamed as the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission – its two co-chairs Congressmen James (Jim) P. McGovern [Democrat, Massachusetts], Congressman Frank R. Wolf [Republican, Virginia], as well as Congressman Jim Moran [Democrat, Virginia], without giving more names]

Koh Santepheap, Vol.42, #6754, 14.9.2009

• An American Public Person [Congressman Eni F. H. Faleomavaega, Democrat/American Samoa] Opposes the some Congressional Actions, Saying that Letting the Opposition Party Speak and Not Inviting the Ruling Party [to attend the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission] Cannot Help Cambodia

Meatophum, Vol.53, #745, 14-19.9.2009

• Within Eight Months [in 2009] Phnom Police Intercepted 20 Cases of Sex Tourists' Crimes

Rasmei Kampuchea, Vol.17, #4998, 13-14.9.2009

• Siamese [Thai] Black Clad Soldiers [of the special Border Protection Unit] Got Hold of one Khmer Worker [out of a group of 12] Who Had Been Hired to Cut Kronhoung Trees [across the border, stealing wood from Thai territory] and Burnt Him to Death after Injuring Him by Shooting [this was claimed by workers who had managed to escape back to Cambodia, saying that maybe he was tied by the soldiers to the two carts loaded with wood, they maybe soaked the wood with gasoline and then burnt him to death, because during their escape while being shot at, they saw smoke and heard that one worker screamed with pain, but finally the screaming stopped; at the Cambodian-Thai border between the border markers 12 and 13, between the Samraong district of Oddar Meanchey in Cambodia, and the Chan Phuket district (phonetic) of Surin in Thailand]
• A Joint Working Group is to Monitor Court Actions on Civil Cases of Law Enforcement [with participation from the Ministry of Justice, the National Police or the Ministry of the Interior, the Military Police, the courts or prisons, to collect the records of each related case for assessment, with Under-Secretary of State of the Ministry of Justice, Mr. Ith Rady, chairing]
• A Korean Company [the Korea Expressway Corporation - 한국도로공사] Plans to Construct a Ring-Road Around Phnom Penh [with a total length of 60 km]

Sereypheap Thmey, Vol.17, #1793, 14.9.2009

• America Warns Hun Sen to Solve Human Rights Issues and Maintain the Rule of Law if He Does Not Want that Aid is Cut Off [the report mentions the Congressmen Jim Moran, Democrat/Virginia and James P. McGovern, Democrat/Massachusetts]

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