Cambodian armed forces ready to crackdown protest against poll results

By Chhay Sophal/Cambodia News

Phnom Penh (25 July, 2013): Cambodian riot police of the Ministry of Interior and military police of the Ministry of National Defense are

ready to curb any protest against the results of the Sunday 28 July National Polls, police officer said.

Speaking in anonymous condition, he told Cambodia News on Thursday that “In cooperation between the police and military police, we are ordered to stay at our respective bases on duty and ready to take action against any protest annoyed the establishment of the new parliament and government after the ballot,” he said

“As the armed forces who serve the nation under the motto of Nation, Religion and King, we have to stay neutrally and respect the results of the election organised by the National Election Committee,” he added.

When asked if the police and military police support to make coup when the Cambodian People’s Party of Prime Minister Hun Sen loses the Sunday polls, he said “I do not hope so and I believe that everything is fine and our country will stay in peace as normal as peace is heard to be found”. However, he hinted that all armed forces would always respect all orders of their top commanders.

In June, two sons of Prime Minister Hun Sen – Hun Manet and Hun Manith were promoted to brigadier general in the military rank among 90 Royal Cambodian Armed Forces personnel.

Tuesday, a local radio director surprised his audience after his comment on air saying that the military would make a coup if opposition party leader Sam Rainsy won the election. He said that all armed forces were still loyal to Prime Minister Hun Sen who had liberated the country from the Khmer Rouge killing field ruler and found complete peace for the whole country.

If Sam Rainsy wants to win the election, he can wait for the next 15 years until the old soldiers will all die, the radio director said by adding that he would also vote for Sam Rainsy in the next 15 years.

On Wednesday, the 2008-established radio station director Seng Bunveng alias ‘Aja A’ repeated that three months after Sam Rainsy wins the polls, bloodshed would flow through the street and at that time he as well as investors would leave Cambodia and then the country would be completely destroyed.

On Thursday the radio station just played songs with no commentary as usual after NEC warned late Wednesday that the radio station provoked incitement.

Sam Rainsy, a French-educated Cambodian and having French citizenship, on 19 July returned to Cambodia with warm welcome by tens of thousands of supporters after living self-imposed exile in France for nearly four years due to 11-year criminal conviction for publishing a false map of the border with Vietnam. Rainsy’s return could be made after Prime Minister Hun Sen had requested King Norodom Sihamoni to give royal pardon to Sam Rainsy after Rainsy had admitted his wrong doing. The King on July 12 granted his royal pardon to Sam Rainsy to pave the way for him to join the polls.

However, Sam Raimsy loses his constitutional right to vote and to stand for as a party candidate since the National Election Committee (NEC) deleted his name from the voting list. Although Rainsy and other NGOs have pushed to rename Rainsy in the list, NEC on Wednesday still rejected the appeal as it said the legal deadline was already closed.

Koy Kuong, sopkesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, told reporters on Thursday that there are more 80,000 national and international observers from over 20 nations for this elections.

It is not strange for Cambodian if there will be a protest again the result elections since the country has had experiences since the first ever election in 1993. In the second election in 1998, Sam Rainsy party of Sam Riansy himself led a protest against NEC located in the Ministry of Interior compound at a night time and then a grenade was thrown by identified man and exploded outside the ministry gate leaving a drive of Japan’s Kyodo News Agency dead.

In the first ever elections on 23-28 May 1993, there were 19 political parties organised by the United Nations. Then, 39 parties in second election on 27 July 1998; 23 parties in 2003; 12 parties the forth election on 27 July 2008; and 8 parties on Sunday 28 July 2013. From the second elections, Cambodia organised by itself with some international observers.

Figures of the results of the national elections from the first mandate. (Source: Cambodia News file)

 Winner Parties