Authorities urged to ensure violence-free elections

Cambodia’s Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen has called on authorities at all levels and the armed forces to ensure order and security for the upcoming elections.

The appeal came just three days before political parties kick off their one-month campaign to shore up support from voters.

The premier said he wanted to see the upcoming elections take place without any violence.

“Local authorities at all levels and the armed forces must do their best to ensure security and order for the election so that it is free from violence,” the premier said today from Kampong Cham province where he presided over an inauguration ceremony.

The prime minister, meanwhile, thanked people as well as political parties for their patience and preventing violence during the elections.

The premier said during the previous elections, some cases of violence did occur, but so far for this year’s elections, there had not been any violence.

Cambodia will conduct its fifth legislative general election on July 28, costing around 20 million dollars. And the election campaign will kick off on June 27^th and last for a month.

9.6m eligible voters are expected to turn out to cast their ballots.

In the general elections in 2008, Cambodia’s ruling party the Cambodian People’s Party won a landslide victory, and held up to 90 out of 123 seats in the parliament.

And this year, the ruling party is expected to continue its winning streak in the elections. 

French broadcaster opens office in Cambodia

Radio France International (RFI) has launched its office in Phnom Penh ahead of the country’s national elections in July.

RFI has also increasing hours of its Khmer language broadcasts from one to fourteen hours a day. 

Presiding over the opening of the new RFI office, Information Minister Excellency Khieu Kanharith said the government permitted RFI to open its Cambodia office because it deemed the French broadcaster is professional.

The minister says, “There are two broadcasters that we think are professional. One is Radio France International and the other is ABC Australia. Their analyses are accurate. Not everything is wrong and everything is against the government. That’s why the government has decided to allow RFI to open its office in Cambodia so that our Khmer people will understand what a real professional press is.”

RFI president Marie Christine Saragosse said the French government decided to increase Khmer language broadcasts because of the success and popularity of the one-hour broadcast.  

 
The French government-owned RFI received a broadcasting license from the Cambodian government in 1992.

PM denies having facebook account

Cambodian prime minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen announced that he has never had any facebook account. The premier made the announcement today while inaugurating a school building in Kandal province. 

The prime minister said he read books, review documents and play chess during his free time.

The premier’s facebook account denial is apparently in response to a recent announcement by the opposition party declaring their leader’s victory over the prime minister in a popular vote on Facebook.

The prime minister said if he has a facebook account, his page will be more popular than that belongs to the opposition leader because the CPP has more supporters than the opposition does.

The Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) which the prime minister belongs to looks set to win the upcoming elections, some analysts say. 

Statistics from a recent survey by the International Republican Institute showed that 77 per cent of the voters were either voting for or likely to vote for the CPP in the July elections.

Spectacular road to northeastern province of Ratanakkiri

Over the weekend, I had a chance to join a group of journalists for a tour to Ratanakkiri. It's a long journey - some 570 kilometers from capital Phnom Penh. And it's a working trip so I didn't have time to explore tourist attractions in the province. Here are some pictures that were taken along the road.