Week 517

Monday, 16.7.2007: Mr. Pen Sovann Announces Leading Members to Join Human Rights Party; Critics: If He Has More Than 70,000 Supporters He Should Stand as Candidate for His Own Party

Norbert Klein Leave a comment

The Mirror, Vol. 11, No. 517

“Phnom Penh: Mr. Pen Sovann, the president of the Cambodian National Sustaining Party who is known as a Khmer Issarak during the time of the anti-French movement, and a dignitary after 1979 for a short period, now announced that he decided to join the Human Rights Party of Mr. Kem Sokha, because he finds that the policy of Mr. Kem Sokha’s party is appropriate to what the citizens want regarding the human rights issue. He also affirmed that he will lead more than 70,000 members to join the Human Rights Party. However, critics mocked that if Mr. Pen Sovann has up to more than 70,000 members, it is not necessary for him to join with someone’s party, he should rather stand as a candidate for election for his own party, because due to this number of supporters, he may get one or two seats in parliament.

“It is noticed that after the creation of the Cambodian National Sustaining Party, he tended towards Funcinpec and then towards the Sam Rainsy Party, in providing suggestions to the two parties. However, when Mr. Kem Sokha created the Human Rights Party, Pen Sovann turned to join Mr. Kem Sokha.

Mr. Keo Remy, the temporary vice-president of the Human Rights Party, told Koh Santepheap on Sunday that Mr. Pen Sovann decided recently to join the Human Rights Party. However, he added that a position and a role for Mr. Pen Sovann have not yet been announced.

“Mr. Kem Sokha, the temporary president of the Human Rights Party, told Koh Santepheap by phone on Sunday that Mr. Pen Sovann decided to join the Human Rights Party on Sunday. He continued that, however, the party has not yet prepared a role or position for him.

“Mr. Pen Sovann said, ‘I have known Mr. Kem Sokha for a long time, but now he created the Human Rights Party, a party with a nature for which our citizens have hoped for a long time.’ He went on to say that the policy of the party makes him satisfied, therefore he decided to join Mr. Kem Sokha and he will not change his decision in any way.” Koh Santepheap, Vol.40, #6092, 16.7.2007

Newspapers Appearing on the Newsstand:
Monday, 16 July 2007

Kampuchea Thmey, Vol.6, #1392, 15-16.7.2007

  • Cambodia Asks Vietnam to Help with Construction of Sesan 1 and Sesan 2 Hydroelectric Plants
  • Delegation of Japanese Businesspeople Will Help [Cambodian] Government with Improvement of Investment Atmosphere
  • [16-year-old] Girl Raped, Killed, and Her Body Left Nude [by unknown person – Kep]
  • Man, Who Raped His 16-Year-Old Daughter, Affirms that His Wife Sat Watching Him Raping [he is arrested – Kien Svay, Kandal]
  • Floods Kill 280 People in Pakistan

Koh Santepheap, Vol.40, #6092, 16.7.2007

  • Mr. Pen Sovann [Prime Minister in 1981] Announces Leading Members to Join Human Rights Party; Critics: If He Has More Than 70,000 Supporters He Should Stand as Candidate for His Own Party
  • Dengue Fever Is Still Dangerous; In Six Months of 2007, 14,827 Persons Caught Dengue Fever, 182 Persons Died [countrywide]
  • Volunteer Student Club of Cambodia Publicizes Instruction against Dengue Fever [Takeo]
  • 29% of Cars Which Have Accidents Are Right-Hand-Drive Cars; Accidents Increased in Phnom Penh in May
  • Digging of Canal Finds B-52 Bomb Five Meters Deep in Ground, Worrying [Koh Khael] Commune Authority [S’ang, Kandal]

Moneaksekar Khmer, Vol.14, #3211, 16.7.2007

  • Gift Packages of Tens of Thousands of Dollars Provided by Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet [during his visit to Cambodia] to Yuon [Vietnamese] Communities Along Tonle Sap River

Rasmei Kampuchea, Vol.15, #4337, 15-16.7.2007

  • Sam Rainsy: Krom Preah [Norodom Ranariddh] Should Quit Politics Like Some Royal Family Members Did
  • Germany and Canada Still Continue to Support Cambodia
  • AUSAID Provides $60,000 [Australian dollars or US dollars not clarified] for Destruction of Chemicals Usable for Drug Production in Kompong Speu
  • National Election Committee Announces Preparation to Clean Voter Lists
  • Brick Kilns in Angkor Thom District Are Sites That Seriously Destroy Trees [Siem Reap]
  • Jealous Man Slashes His Wife Twice with Ax to Death [he is arrested – Kompong Trabaek, Svay Rieng]
  • US Increases Reward for bin Laden’s Head to $50 Million

Sralanh Khmer, Vol.3, #453, 15-16.7.2007

  • Committee for Free and Fair Elections Interested in More Than 4 Million Khmer Youth Who Have Rights to Vote [but a number of them may meet many obstacles and fail to vote]
  • Ministry of Justice Publishes Information about Enforcement of Procedural Code [that it will enforce from 13 July for Phnom Penh, and from 27 July for provinces and towns countrywide – the code defines the procedures of courts and judicial authorities, which will promote the quality of the courts in Cambodia, and help to save face as they are being criticized frequently]

Go to last week’s editorial

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