The Mirror, Vol. 11, No. 521
“Phnom Penh: During the period of preparing to check the voter lists and to conduct the annual process of cleaning the voter lists by checking the voter’s registrations, the National Election Committee [NEC] has produced three kinds of instructional instruments to instruct about election procedures. Mr. Eam Sim, vice-president of the NEC Training and Public Information Department, said that the NEC has produced three kinds of instructional instruments regarding the cleaning of the voter lists in order to instruct the citizens all over the country. The instruments are instructional television spots on ‘How to find a voter’s name which has been eliminated from the voters’ lists,’ instructional radio spots on ‘Publicizing the charts of eliminated voters’ names that have been eliminated from the voters’ lists,’ and banners.
“He continued that the NEC has also made two announcements regarding the cleaning of the voters’ lists through state radio and television stations. Concerning the TV spots, the NEC had asked five stations to help with broadcasting from 13 July to 10 August 2007. The television stations involved were TVK, Apsara Television Channel 11, Phnom Penh Television Channel 3, the Cambodian Television Network Channel 21, and the Bayon Television Channel 27. As for the radio spots, they have been broadcast through four radio stations – National Radio FM 96 MHz, the National Radio AM 918 KHz, Bayon Radio FM 95 MHz, and Apsara Radio FM 97 MHz from 13 July to 10 August 2007. Mr. Eam Sim stated also that at present, the NEC is producing seven kinds of instructional instruments regarding the checking of voters lists and the annual voter registration, and those instruments are prepared to be published in September. The instructional instruments, which are prepared to be publicized are posters, banners, leaflets, and books about the law on parliamentary elections, manuals about the checking of voter lists and voters’ registrations, handbooks, and four promotional songs.
“In the meantime, Mr. Tep Nitha, the secretary-general of the NEC, gave an interview on 14 August to TVK regarding the process of preparing to check the name lists and the voter registrations to clean the voter lists. In the interview, he explained the procedure of cleaning the voter lists to be transparent, effective, and reliable. He also responded to some criticisms by relevant circles over the cleaning of the voter lists. The interview was broadcast through TVK, the Cambodian national television, at 17:55.
“The Sam Rainsy Party [SRP] also released a statement on irregularities in the cleaning of the voter lists. The SRP stated that from 2 to 7 August 2007, after the lists of voters, whose names will be eliminated, were posted, it found many irregularities on the lists of those whose names are to be eliminated, because the village chiefs did not check properly in accordance with the procedures and regulations of the NEC.
“The SRP continued that some people have moved away, or some people just go to earn their living in different places temporarily, or to study in Phnom Penh, or they are in provincial centers but their families live normally in the villages; however, some village chiefs considered them to have definitely moved away, or to have no specific address, and they selected their names for the commune and subdistrict councils to be eliminated. Some people live in the village every day, but the village chiefs still selected their names by stating that they have moved away. Some people are normal and healthy, but the village chiefs selected their names by stating that they are mentally ill, in order to eliminate their names from the voter lists; and some people are alive, but the village chiefs selected their names by stating that they are dead, in order to eliminate their names from the voter lists. Some people have not moved away from a commune, they just moved from one village to another in the same commune, but the village chiefs selected their names by stating that they have moved away, in order to eliminate their names from the voter lists too. The SRP asked the NEC to take specific action to solve these irregularities in time, in order to guarantee that no Khmer citizen, whose name is on the voter lists, be eliminated unjustly for reasons of political discrimination. In the meantime, the SRP asked the NEC to take action to punish the village chiefs who selected voters’ names in contradiction to the procedures and regulations of the NEC.
“Mr. Tep Nitha, the secretary-general of the NEC, told Koh Santepheap by phone on 15 August that he had not received the statement of the SRP. He continued, ‘A statement cannot be made without sufficient evidence.’ He went on to say that so far, none of the citizens has their name eliminated from the voter lists. The NEC secretary-general added that the village chiefs just selected citizens’ names for the commune clerks, and then the commune and subdistrict councils posted the voter lists two times – the first time starting from 2 August to 20 October 2007 and the second time starting from 13 September 2007 [dates given are unclear]. He continued that the citizens can protest if their names are marked for deletion – but they are not yet completely eliminated.” Koh Santepheap, Vol.40, #6119, 16.8.2007
Newspapers Appearing on the Newsstand:
Thursday, 16 August 2007
Kampuchea Thmey, Vol.6, #1419, 16.8.2007
- Mr. Hor Namhong [Minister of Foreign Affairs]: Germany Promised to Provide Aid to Cambodia until 2009
- Samdech Hun Sen Welcomes Decision of Company [Sayam International] from South Korea to Enter Cambodia
- Royal Government Orders Ban on Import of Meat and Pigs from Foreign Countries
- Ok Socheat and Serey Kosal [Norodom Ranariddh Party defectors] Promoted [they have been appointed as advisors to the government]
- People Are Irresponsibly Evicted and Abandoned on Seaside [Sihanoukville]
- Brothel Raided after Being Reported by 13-Year-Old Girl [sex exploitation victim – 13 people are arrested, including a Vietnamese woman owner – Russey Keo, Phnom Penh]
- Helicopter Crash in Iraq Kills Five US Soldiers
Koh Santepheap, Vol.40, #6119, 16.8.2007
- SRP Says Cleaning of Voter Lists Is Irregular; National Election Committee Says Citizens Can Protest if Their Names Are Eliminated Wrongly
Rasmei Kampuchea, Vol.15, #4364, 16.8.2007
- [Ly Vuochleng] Former President of Appeals Court May Face Charges for Receiving Bribes
- Letter of Samdech Hun Sen’s Cabinet Helps Kampenh Villagers from Being Evicted [Stung Hav, Sihanoukville]
- Phnom Penh Authorities Allows Meeting at Request of Khmer Kampuchea Krom Community [to express sorrow that Vietnamese authorities arrested Tim Sakhan, who has recently been defrocked on accusation of perpetrating an offense against Buddhist law, claiming that he destroyed the harmony between Vietnam and Cambodia]
Samleng Yuvachun Khmer, Vol.14, #30114, 16.8.2007
- Global Witness Director [Simon Taylor] Continues to Criticize Cambodia over State’s Resources in Higher-Level People’s Hands
- Kampuchea Krom Khmer Students in Prey Nokor [historical Cambodian name of Ho Chi Minh City] Condemn Act of Monk Tep Vong [over defrocking Monk Tim Sakhan]
