Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Khmer Times/Taing Vida Wednesday, 01 June 2016
The government has ordered Interior Minister Sar Kheng to investigate the roughly 170,000 thumbprints presented to the King by the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) after claims about irregularities in the petition surfaced on Tuesday.
The CNRP delivered the petition containing 173,144 thumbprints from supporters across the country after all 68 members of the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP), including Prime Minister Hun Sen, voted to allow continued legal action against acting CNRP president Kem Sokha.
The government is seeking to arrest Mr. Sokha after he failed to show up to court twice to answer questions as a witness over his alleged affair with a mistress, a case that has already ensnared five civil society workers.
An unverified 30-second video was uploaded to Facebook showing supporters repeatedly signing the petition, with them making sure each signature looked different.
Speaking to Fresh News, an unnamed official claimed to have found more than 40 percent of the signatures had irregularities on Tuesday, but made no attempt to back up his allegations.
CNRP officials denied the official’s claims and urged a proper investigation to take place to refute the accusations.
The Council of Ministers issued a statement yesterday putting Mr. Kheng in charge of the investigation. The study will include researching thumbprints with forensic diagnostics and directly interviewing people along with other means to detect the petition’s accuracy, according to the council’s statement.
“Due to the fact that the thumbprints are related to the people and the Royal King, Interior Ministers, please organize a thorough study to figure out and to void using the thumbprints of people who cheated on to our King,” the statement read.
CNRP member Ou Chanrith said the party invited the more than 170,000 people who signed the petition to gather in front of the Royal Palace to verify their thumbprints, adding that the CNRP had continued to collect thumbprints to present a second petition to the King.
Meanwhile, the Assembly Secretariat General yesterday issued a statement to support the accuracy and legitimacy of the CPP’s decision to allow the court to continue proceedings against Mr. Sokha.
It stated Mr. Sokha had committed a crime by failing to appear at court in accordance with the constitution and internal regulations of the National Assembly. All 68 members of the CPP voted as a majority to pursue Mr. Sokha’s case further.
A group of five lawyers representing Mr. Sokha sent a letter to the president of the Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Tuesday calling the court proceedings illegal, saying it abused the constitution and violated a politician’s parliamentary immunity.
The lawyers said the actual crime stated in Article 86 of the criminal code referred only to crimes being committed or committed recently.
Phnom Penh court spokesman Ly Sophanna could not be reached yesterday.
The court has yet to take further action against Mr. Sokha since last Thursday, when military police attempted to arrest him, claiming to have an arrest warrant, despite the court releasing a statement on Tuesday saying no arrest warrant had been issued yet.
Since then Mr. Sokha has been holed up at CNRP headquarters in Phnom Penh’s Meanchey district, with CNRP members and supporters holding a vigil outside in support.
Both the US and EU government representatives have blasted Mr. Sokha’s harassment by the court and police, questioning the legitimacy of the upcoming elections if political stability continues to deteriorate.
Clik here to view.
Khmer Times/Taing Vida Wednesday, 01 June 2016
The government has ordered Interior Minister Sar Kheng to investigate the roughly 170,000 thumbprints presented to the King by the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) after claims about irregularities in the petition surfaced on Tuesday.
The CNRP delivered the petition containing 173,144 thumbprints from supporters across the country after all 68 members of the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP), including Prime Minister Hun Sen, voted to allow continued legal action against acting CNRP president Kem Sokha.
The government is seeking to arrest Mr. Sokha after he failed to show up to court twice to answer questions as a witness over his alleged affair with a mistress, a case that has already ensnared five civil society workers.
An unverified 30-second video was uploaded to Facebook showing supporters repeatedly signing the petition, with them making sure each signature looked different.
Speaking to Fresh News, an unnamed official claimed to have found more than 40 percent of the signatures had irregularities on Tuesday, but made no attempt to back up his allegations.
CNRP officials denied the official’s claims and urged a proper investigation to take place to refute the accusations.
The Council of Ministers issued a statement yesterday putting Mr. Kheng in charge of the investigation. The study will include researching thumbprints with forensic diagnostics and directly interviewing people along with other means to detect the petition’s accuracy, according to the council’s statement.
“Due to the fact that the thumbprints are related to the people and the Royal King, Interior Ministers, please organize a thorough study to figure out and to void using the thumbprints of people who cheated on to our King,” the statement read.
CNRP member Ou Chanrith said the party invited the more than 170,000 people who signed the petition to gather in front of the Royal Palace to verify their thumbprints, adding that the CNRP had continued to collect thumbprints to present a second petition to the King.
Meanwhile, the Assembly Secretariat General yesterday issued a statement to support the accuracy and legitimacy of the CPP’s decision to allow the court to continue proceedings against Mr. Sokha.
It stated Mr. Sokha had committed a crime by failing to appear at court in accordance with the constitution and internal regulations of the National Assembly. All 68 members of the CPP voted as a majority to pursue Mr. Sokha’s case further.
A group of five lawyers representing Mr. Sokha sent a letter to the president of the Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Tuesday calling the court proceedings illegal, saying it abused the constitution and violated a politician’s parliamentary immunity.
The lawyers said the actual crime stated in Article 86 of the criminal code referred only to crimes being committed or committed recently.
Phnom Penh court spokesman Ly Sophanna could not be reached yesterday.
The court has yet to take further action against Mr. Sokha since last Thursday, when military police attempted to arrest him, claiming to have an arrest warrant, despite the court releasing a statement on Tuesday saying no arrest warrant had been issued yet.
Since then Mr. Sokha has been holed up at CNRP headquarters in Phnom Penh’s Meanchey district, with CNRP members and supporters holding a vigil outside in support.
Both the US and EU government representatives have blasted Mr. Sokha’s harassment by the court and police, questioning the legitimacy of the upcoming elections if political stability continues to deteriorate.