Sam Rainsy and Kem Sokha

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Posted by: | Posted on: June 28, 2020

Kem Sokha is imitating Hun Sen to blame those exiled from political executioning

តាមរយៈសារនេះ លោកកឹម សុខា កំពុងសម្លាប់ប្រជាប្រីយភាពខ្លួនតាមលោកហ៊ុនសែនដែរ។ យុគសាកលភាវូបនីយកម្មនេះ(globalization) មនុស្សលោករស់នៅទីណា រត់ទៅទីណាក៏អាចស្រលាញ់ជាតិមាតុភូមិខ្លួនដែរអោយតែមានឆន្ទៈនយោបាយពិតនិងយោនិសោមនសិការពិត។ ផ្ទុយទៅវិញ អ្នកនៅក្នុងស្រុកដែលបំផ្លាញយុត្តិធម៍ ប្រជាធិបតេយ្យ និងសិទ្ធិមនុស្ស ជាពិសេសធនធានធម្មជាតិនោះគឺអាក្រក់ជាងនៅក្រៅស្រុកដែលរមែងជួយជ្រោមជ្រែងទាំងធនធានបញ្ញានិងរូបីយបណ្ណអន្តរជាតិជួយស្រុកទេសវិញមិនដែលដាច់។


សម្រាប់ភាពជាមេដឹកនាំ បើណាប៉ូលេអុងមិនរត់ទៅក្រៅប្រទេសទេ គាត់មិនអាចរំដោះបារាំងពីការឈ្លានពានបានឡើយ បើម៉ៅសេទុងមិនរត់ទៅអឺរ៉ុបទេ គាត់គ្មានលទ្ធភាពបង្រួបបង្រួមចិនបានឡើយ បើព្រះបាទជ័យវរ្ម័នទី២មិននៅប្រទេសជ្វាឬអាណាចក្រសៃលេន្ទ្រៈទេ ព្រះអង្គមិនអាចរំដោះប្រទេសនេះចេញពីកណ្តាប់ដៃបរទេសបានឡើយ បើសម្តេចអង្គដួងមិនបានរៀនសូត្រនៅសៀមទេ ព្រះអង្គក៏គ្មានការយល់ដឹងអាចសរសេរលិខិតទៅបារាំងអោយមកដាក់អាណាព្យាបាល(protectorate)រំដោះកម្ពុជាពីយៀកណាមនិងសៀមបានឡើយ។


ការចោទអ្នករត់ចេញពីស្រុកព្រោះការផ្តន្ទាទោសនយោបាយថាមិនស្នេហាជាតិដូចអ្នកនៅក្នុងស្រុកគឺជាភាសារើសអើងបែបមនុស្សអវិជ្ចាប៉ុណ្ណោះ ហើយនេះជាសាររបស់លោកហ៊ុន សែន ក្នុងការបំបែកបំបាក់សម្ព័ន្ធភាពពីលោកកឹម-សុខានិងសម រង្ស៊ីក្នុងស្មារតីសង្គ្រោះជាតិ។

Posted by: | Posted on: November 12, 2019

Can Cambodia’s opposition keep pressure on PM Hun Sen?

Opposition leader Kem Sokha has been released from house arrest but the crackdown on dissent continues.

Inside Story11 Nov 2019 20:17 GMT CambodiaAsia Pacific

Cambodia‘s Prime Minister Hun Sen has silenced nearly all voices of dissent in recent years.

His government shut down independent media and dissolved the main opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP).

CNRP leader Kem Sokha was freed after a year of house arrest, but he still faces severe restrictions and is banned from leaving the country.

His colleagues, including party co-founder Sam Rainsy, are facing challenges of their own as they try to return to Cambodia from exile.

This is happening as the government faces international condemnation for undermining democracy and human rights.

Can they maintain the pressure despite a government crackdown?

Presenter: Nastasya Tay

Guests:

Sam Rainsy – acting president of the Cambodia National Rescue Party

Graham Ong-Webb – research fellow at S Rajaratnam School of International Studies

Benjamin Zawacki – independent Southeast Asia analyst and author

Source: Al Jazeera News

Posted by: | Posted on: November 10, 2019

Kem Sokha has remained under arrest with new court conditions in a politically motivated charge

After Kem Sokha was silenced through jail, Sam Rainsy has spoken loud abroad, and the current in-flooded attention of the world is truly a sign to the survival of their party. Now, it is Kem Sokha’s turn to add more scores to what Sam Rainsy has achieved. Kem Sokha could be active and effective domestically and Sam Rainsy is internationally. At the moment, if either Kem Sokha or Sam Rainsy don’t speak out loud, the future of these dual shall be disappeared from Cambodia arena.

Furthering a note by Prof. Ear Sophal, I would like to through in some pieces of thought into this matter.

  • According to this editorial article by KT, it is evidently to score the shows the court’s decision is unprofessional and politically motivated. Court in Cambodia, under HS leadership and his colleagues, has already been well-known among Cambodians and abroad on its unprofessionalism, biases and directly supervised by the powerful. This institution is in need of genuine reform especially changing those incumbent top leadership as priority.
  • The divide and conquer tactics as well as violence-based politics through current patronage system has realized many young people to walk away and seek alternative options to staying away and anchoring base to change it. This tactic is not rule-based leadership but personal cult that has led to widespread corruption and abusing of power. The nation has become second as first is personal power manifesting its triumph which can be exchanged by anything including the sovereignty of this nation.
  • Kem Sokha is like Sam Rainsy, have realized that this time “silence is power” could not be applied. They both have realized that if they don’t speak loud, no body can hear their voice. Their silence during the court’s procedure to dissolve CNRP is an evidence showing that although you have manpower hundred millions under you elbow, you could not survive from a bullying by just keep silence while other side is continuing to bully you. After Kem Sokha was silenced through jail, Sam Rainsy has spoken loud abroad, and the current in-flooded attention of the world is truly a sign to the survival of their party. Now, it is Kem Sokha’s turn to add more scores to what Sam Rainsy has achieved. Kem Sokha could be active and effective domestically and Sam Rainsy is internationally. At the moment, if either Kem Sokha or Sam Rainsy don’t speak out loud, the future of these dual shall be disappeared from Cambodia arena.

Now, it is wrong time, wrong space, and wrong situation: SRP & SRP has already melt into CRNP. And Kem Sokha and Sam Rainsy have not been fighting to take one seat but to supplement each other of that one seat into reality. HS is facing backfire and deadlock in his cocking fighting or cheeseboard tactic. More he is playing such game more losing of his own popular support and legitimacy. From lesson learnt: Funcipec and so on, all democrats have learnt tremendously on how to bond, to strive and to celebrate their victory. Now, Rainsy is welcome and empowered by Answer’s Government, next, both CNRP and Pakatan Harapan shall celebrate together!

Posted by: | Posted on: December 7, 2018

European Sanctions Are a Response to Cambodia’s Totalitarian Shift

Op-Ed: The Diplomat

European Sanctions Are a Response to Cambodia’s Totalitarian Shift

Let the Cambodia earth witness for the Sam RainsySince 2001 Cambodia has benefited from an exceptional trading advantage, granted by the European Union thanks to an initiative known as “Everything But Arms” (EBA).  This provides the possibility of exporting to Europe without quotas or customs duties. The advantage was given to a group of countries in the process of development and transition toward democracy. The intention of the European Commission was to help “least developed countries” to escape from poverty but also — a parallel, mandatory, criteria — to progress on the path to democracy and respect for human rights.

Since its creation, the EBA program has proved vital for Cambodia, whose economy is based on the export-oriented clothing industry (40 percent of GDP and 60 percent of exports). The European Union buys 40 percent of the clothes produced in Cambodia, through leading international brands.

In September, the European Union decided to begin the process of suspending Cambodia’s EBA participation because of the totalitarian drift of the regime in Phnom Penh. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Hun Sen — a former Khmer Rouge member who has been in power since 1985 — the only opposition party in parliament, the CNRP, was arbitrarily dissolved in late 2017 and its leader, Kem Sokha, arrested, while civil society organizations and the independent media were shut down. This set the scene for rigged elections in July 2018, with 100 percent of the seats in the National Assembly being won by the ruling party. Such a result demonstrates the return to a Communist-style, single-party system which the Paris Accords of 1991 intended to banish.

Beyond applying pressure for the respect of democratic principles and human rights, this threatened European sanction could kill two birds with one stone by also triggering healthy economic reforms through better governance. Cambodia is, according to Transparency International, one of the most corrupt countries in the world and, according to the World Bank, one of the poorest. The correlation between corrupt governance and poverty no longer needs to be demonstrated; the former leads directly to the latter.This totalitarian drift violates the conditions to benefit from EBA, and obliged the European Union to punish the Phnom Penh regime by suspending it. But the suspension will only be effective after a delay of 12 months, giving Hun Sen time — supposing that he has the political will — to return to the path of democracy.

The most flagrant evidence of poor governance doesn’t just lie in the systematic pillage of national wealth by an elite which clings to power indefinitely. It also consists in poor strategic decisions taken by irresponsible leaders who are incapable of a clear and coherent vision for the future of their country.

The weight of the clothing industry in Cambodia and the country’s dependence on this single industry are a striking example of this poor governance. Since the start of the process of globalization and the return of peace in the 1990s, an industrial revolution has taken place in Cambodia, driven by a clothing industry characterized by low added value and low salaries (the basic salary of a Cambodian worker is currently $170 per month). But over the last 20 to 25 years, instead of using this industry as a basis from which to diversify the economy toward higher added-value industries, the regime has allowed the national economy to become ever more dependent on a single industry. This negligence has aggravated Cambodia’s relative poverty compared to neighboring countries.

Worse, productivity within this clothing industry remains very low, meaning Cambodia can’t compete internationally without the commercial advantages provided by the European Union. Weak productivity itself reflects poor governance in the form of dilapidated public and social services, notably in health, education and professional training. Cambodia’s lack of industrial competitivity results from the corruption and negligence lamented by investors, who are faced with poor road and port infrastructure, administrative costs that include bribes to be paid at every level, exorbitant prices for state-supplied electricity, and so on.

If, to be able to survive, Cambodia’s clothing industry, a pillar of the national economy, must rely indefinitely on European trading advantages to resist competition from others who lack them, then the European Union will be subsidising and financially rewarding, through the trading system, the corruption and poor governance of the regime.

This raises the question of the effectiveness of international aid, which starts from good intentions, but has perverse effects which may do the recipient country more harm than good by helping to maintain anachronistic structures.

Faced with Hun Sen, who is holding his people hostage as part of a campaign to emotionally blackmail the international community, Europe must hold firm. The dictator has feet of clay and his days are numbered in the absence of imperative and urgent reforms.

Sam Rainsy is an exiled leader of the Cambodian opposition and former minister of finance.

This piece originally appeared in French in Libération.