Cambodian opposition leader warns mass demonstration as last resort

Kyodo News International

Cambodian opposition leader Sam Rainsy warned Monday that there are peaceful choices of steps to deal with the irregularities of last month's election, but if his party's demands are denied, mass demonstrations will be staged.

Sam Rainsy, leader of the Cambodia National Rescue Party, said his party has chosen three steps to deal with the election irregularities. The first is a strong demand to establish "an ad hoc committee comprising of members from the Cambodia National Rescue Party, the Cambodian People's Party, civil society and the United Nations."

And the second is to open more so-called "safety box A" packages of important election-day documents in order to see if more irregularities are found.

Sam Rainsy made the statement one day after the National Election Committee opened 13 polling boxes and found some irregularities, with figures of valid and invalid votes differing from what were distributed to the parties and the NEC.

For his last choice, he said, "If our request is not met, our last resort is nonviolent and peaceful protests throughout the country."

At a big rally held late Monday in central Phnom Penh, Sam Rainsy said the people had voted for the CNRP in order to change the current leader.

He compared the change of votes given to the CNRP in last month's election as that of a "tsunami."

The CNRP was formed by a merging of the Sam Rainsy Party and the Human Rights Party, which had a combined 29 seats in the 123-seat National Assembly prior to last month's election.

The CNRP has filed 15 complaints in relation to the election. A few of them have been denied and one case was answered on Sunday through the opening of the 13 safety boxes requested by the CNRP.

On Monday, the Constitutional Council, which is the top body ruling on complaints, ordered the NEC to open more boxes from what were filed by the CNRP.

Tep Nitha, secretary general of the NEC, acknowledged some technical errors carried out by local levels with eight of 13 boxes not being closed properly.

Nitha, however, said the technical errors have no impact at all on the election results.

The NEC has released preliminary results of the July 28 election, showing the ruling Cambodian People's Party won 68 seats in the National Assembly, while the CNRP won 55.

The CNRP claims it would have won at least 63 seats had the election not been rigged, rejecting the committee's announcement and appealing to the international community not to recognize the results.

The official results are set to be released by Sept. 8.