Sam Rainsy: If Any Official Is Corrupt, I Won’t Be Afraid to Remove Them
“In a press conference at the Sam Rainsy Party [SRP] headquarters on the evening of 10 January, Mr. Sam Rainsy said, ‘If my officials are corrupt, I won’t be afraid to remove them.’ Saying this, Mr. Sam Rainsy wanted to refer to the recent report that there is no reshuffle of some commune and subdistrict council candidates, and of members of parliament, while this party starts to conduct a new reform.
“He told the journalists that it is usual that one leaves one party to join another, it is the right of an individual. For instance, recently there has been a controversy over the removal of SRP signboards in Boeng Tumpun Subdistrict, Phnom Penh, and in Poipet Commune, Banteay Meanchey. This happened because of those who were disappointed for failing to stand first on the list for the coming elections as they had wanted.
“He stated, ‘Although the reform affects the feelings of some individuals, we are not hesitant, because what we do is what the citizens in general want. We have already said that if any commune council members are corrupt, we must remove them. When they are removed, they must definitely be disappointed; however, we don’t care.’
“He stated, ‘I think that if they want to join another party – it is like to remove thorns from my chest.’ He added, ‘Other parties should accept the people who leave my party, because I don’t need them. Those whom I need are the ones who struggle in my party. Thus, I would like to warn that those who are interested in getting a high rank, they should go to stay with the ruling party.’
“He continued, ‘Anyone who affirms that they are struggling [in the party], but they are corrupt, we cannot keep them anyway.’ However, Mr. Sam Rainsy affirmed, ‘Among more than 1,000 people, only two or three are bad. Why should we care too much? Under such circumstances, we want to reshuffle the leaders at the local level, and in 2008 we will have to reshuffle the leaders at the nation level.
“He explained, ‘Some say the SRP splits, but this is just incitement from the outside to make us lose belief in each other. For instance, it is like what is said about Mr. Son Chhay, that he is a government leader’s spy.’ He considered Mr. Son Chhay to be a pure person, because a spy is never revealed publicly by his masters.
“Besides the explanation about the reform to reshuffle the commune and subdistrict council members, Mr. Sam Rainsy also referred to irregularities among National Election Committee [NEC] officials in Ratanakiri over forgery.
“He accused the NEC officials of corruption and forgery, cooperating with the ruling party. Concerning these irregularities, he raised the case of the election list in Phnom Kok Commune, Veun Sai, Ratanakiri. He threatened to take the NEC officials to prison on accusation of forgery.
“Mr. Tep Nitha, the Secretary-General of the NEC, told Kampuchea Thmey, ‘Concerning Mr. Sam Rainsy who threatens to take legal action, it is his right, but everything on the lists of commune and subdistrict candidates has been registered according to the announcement of the NEC.’
“He said, ‘In Ratanakiri there are only three political parties participating in commune and subdistrict elections – i.e. the Cambodian People’s Party, Funcinpec, and the Sam Rainsy Party. Now Mr. Sam Rainsy disagrees, he can complain to the Provincial Election Committee officials, or if he does not trust the Provincial Election Committee, he can complain to the NEC headquarters.’ However, Mr. Tep Nitha denied that a complaint from Mr. Sam Rainsy has been submitted to the NEC office.
“Mr. Tep Nitha stated, ‘In fact, such a threat is almost a habit of Mr. Sam Rainsy. Anyway, we still check the complaints very strictly.'”Kampuchea Thmey, Vol.6, #1240, 11.1.2007
Newspapers Appearing on the Newsstand:
Thursday, 11 January 2007
Areyathor, Vol.13, #1206, 11-12.1.2007
- Mr. Sam Rainsy Forces Some Parliamentarians to Leave Party after They Have Been Found to Be Corrupt [receiving bribes]
- Mr. Kem Sokha [president of Cambodian Center for Human Rights] Creates Party Named Freedom; Mr. Sam Rainsy Is Unhappy because There Are Two Opposition Parties
Chakraval, Vol.15, #2638, 11.1.2007
- Two Vietnamese Women Sentenced: One to Five Years Imprisonment and Another to Three Years Imprisonment on Accusation of Pimping [Daun Penh, Phnom Penh]
Kampuchea Thmey, Vol.6, #1240, 11.1.2007
- * Sam Rainsy: If Any Official Is Corrupt, I Won’t Be Afraid to Remove Them
- Son Chhay Asks Samdech Heng Samrin to Strengthen Work in National Assembly
- Royal Decree Appoints Five Ambassadors to Friendly Countries [Russia, Cuba, Vietnam, Germany, and UN]
- Young Man Rapes 14-Year-Old Girl [he is arrested – Prasat Sambour, Kompong Thom]
- Environment [air] Pollution Kills 3,600 Iranians in a Month
Koh Santepheap, Vol.40, #5937, 11.1.2007
- Vietnam Concerned about Underage Girls’ Frightening Abortions Which Are Considered to Be a Warning Sign in Society
Moneaksekar Khmer, Vol.14, #3059, 11.1.2007
- Sam Rainsy: If Courts Are Independent, Officials of Commune Election Committees, Provincial Election Committees, and National Election Committee Who Forged Documents for CPP Candidates in Phnom Kok Commune, Ratanakiri, Must Be Jailed
Rasmei Kampuchea, Vol.15, #4182, 11.1.2007
- World Bank Provides $18 Million Grant Aid for Electricity Supply [for Cambodia] from Laos and Vietnam
Samleng Yuvachun Khmer, Vol.14, #2940, 11.1.2007
- Cambodian Independent Teachers’ Association Finds Out 16 Teacher Trainees Attending the Course [of bachelor’s degree + 1 of 12th intake at National Institute of Education] Without Bachelor’s Degrees
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