The Mirror, Vol. 11, No. 529
“The Sam Rainsy Party [SRP]’s parliamentarians and many civil society organizations expressed their criticism of the draft law on demonstrations which was approved by the Council of Ministers and passed for a plenary session, to be discussed and approved in order to create a law in the near future; however, the content of the draft law is not sufficiently democratic.
“The Council of Ministers approved last week the draft law on demonstrations which was proposed by the Ministry of Interior, and it will be submitted to the National Assembly to be approved in the near future. This draft law draws criticism from the SRP parliamentarians and a number of human rights officials, as they point out that some articles of the draft law forbid protesters to freely gather in order to express opinions and to hold demonstrations nonviolently.
“Mr. Ou Virak, the president of Cambodian Center for Human Rights, said that the contents of some articles of the draft law on demonstrations are threatening, and previously local authorities often had different reasons used to forbid citizens to hold demonstrations nonviolently.
“What Mr. Ou Virak reacted to is that the draft law on demonstrations states that it is required that three representatives of the demonstrators provide their photographs, and state the purpose of a demonstration, to be sent to local authorities before a demonstration can be authorized.
“According to the contents of the draft law on demonstrations, before holding a demonstration, the representatives of the demonstrators have to prepare official letters, giving their names and attaching three photos of the demonstrations’ leaders, and the specific purposes of the demonstrations, and submit them to the local authorities five days before a demonstration. After receiving the letter asking for permission to hold a demonstration, the local authorities have to reply within three days whether to allow the demonstration or not, but in special case, the Minister of Interior would decide within 24 hours before a demonstration.
“Mr. Ou Virak wants the draft law on demonstrations to be democratic, so that the citizens just write a letter to inform the local authorities.
“The draft law on demonstrations, which the Council of Ministers plans to submit to the National Assembly for approval in the near future, is also criticized by Mr. Yim Sovann, the chairperson of the Commission on Interior, National Defense, Investigation, Anti-corruption, and Public Function of the National Assembly, who is a SRP parliamentarian from Phnom Penh. Yim Sovann said that he opposes some contents stated in the draft law on demonstrations which require the preparation of letters to the local authorities asking for permission before the demonstration.
“Parliamentarian Yim Sovann confirmed that the draft law on demonstrations forbids Khmer citizens’ freedom beforehand; as for other SRP parliamentarians, they do not support the draft law either, and he, Yim Sovann, will demand the National Assembly to remove some articles of the law which prohibit the right of citizens to gather for nonviolent demonstrations.
“Mr. Yim Sovann stated that when the Council of Ministers sends the draft law on demonstrations to the National Assembly for approval, the SRP parliamentarians will oppose some articles and some legal contents in the draft law, in order to provide full rights to citizens to hold demonstrations, or to strike for justice if justice is violated.
“Mr. Yim Sovann went on to say that in general, the parliamentarians from the ruling party always support all draft laws recommended by the Royal Government when they are sent to the National Assembly for approval. However, the parliamentarians from the SRP will still pursue their advocacy role through the National Assembly, in order to make the law on demonstrations really democratic.
“The draft law on demonstrations, which is planned to be submitted to the National Assembly for approval, says that for a demonstration with a participation of fewer than 200 persons it is not necessary to ask for permission from the authorities; representatives of such nonviolent demonstrations just inform the local authorities.
“However, the draft law requires provincial and town authorities all over the country to select locations for the demonstrators to gather to demonstrate nonviolently and to express their opinions.
“Civil society organizations consider that the contents of the draft law on demonstrations are blocking the citizens’ rights, because nonviolent demonstrations by citizens happen very often when they suffer from injustice of land grabbing by powerful and rich people, as well as from any other unjust activities. So do the [factory] workers, when they suffer from a violation of labor rights – they go on strike or hold nonviolent demonstration in order for the factory owners or the authorities to help them to find a solution.
“Hun Sen’s authorities always used demonstration laws of the State of Cambodia time [1989-1993] to crack down on citizens and workers when they held demonstrations, and still want to require requests for permissions from local authorities in advance. Moreover, Hun Sen used armed forces to crack down on citizens, monks, and workers who demonstrated to demand justice against vote fraud. For instance, in 1998, Hun Sen’s armed forces used violence by shooting to death monks and demonstrators; such violence is exactly the same as the Burmese military government is using now, when their armed forces shot at monks among the demonstrators in September 2007, causing condemnation from ASEAN member countries and also from other countries practicing democracy around the world.” Moneaksekar Khmer, Vol.14, #3283, 8.10.2007
Newspapers Appearing on the Newsstand:
Monday, 8 October 2007
Kampuchea Thmey, Vol.6, #1464, 7-8.10.2007
- Samdech Hun Sen Closes Doors of All Entrances Not to Meet Prince Ranariddh [government spokesperson Khieu Kanharith said Prince Ranariddh himself destroyed the entrances]
- Ministry of Information Will Decide to Suspend Khmer Amatak for One Month [due to Funcinpec Secretary-General Nhek Bun Chhay’s defamation lawsuit]
- Thai Border Protection Officials Started Gunfire, Killing One Khmer Citizen and Wounding Two Others [who were paid to pull a stolen car, while they were pulling the car in Thailand near the border to Banteay Meanchey – 3 October 2007]
Koh Santepheap, Vol.40, #6164, 8.10.2007
- Collection of Cambodian Women’s Issues to be Posted on Internet Website [about a meeting at the Open Institute for comments on a planned women’s web portal]
Moneaksekar Khmer, Vol.14, #3288, 8.10.2007
- Parliamentarian Yim Sovann Opposes Draft Law on Demonstrations
Rasmei Kampuchea, Vol.15, #4409, 7-8.10.2007
- Nhek Bun Chhay [Funcinpec Secretary-General]: If Krom Preah [Norodom Ranariddh] Gives Back Land Worth $6 Million [to Funcinpec], We Will Withdraw Complaint
- Electrical Fire on Motorboat, Frightening More Than 100 Passengers [Kompong Cham]
- Young Woman Stabbed, Cut at Neck and Wrists, before Her Body was Thrown in a Canal by [unknown] Person [Battambang]
Samleng Yuvachun Khmer, Vol.14, #3158, 7-8.10.2007
- One Motorcycle Driving License Costs $30, Phnom Penh Has More Than 500,000 Motorcycles… How Much Will Nhem Saran Get? [director of Phnom Penh Municipal Department of Public Works and Transport – mocking]
Sralanh Khmer, Vol.3, #524, 7-8.10.2007
- Samdech Krom Preah [Norodom Ranariddh] Called and Told Royal Palace Officials that Living in Exile Is Boring
- Hun Sen Should Do Proper Research on Tim Sakhan [who has been defrocked on accusation of having perpetrated an offense against the Buddhist law, because he is accused to have destroyed the harmony between Vietnam and Cambodia, now jailed in Vietnam]
- Wife of Nuon Chea Urges Mixed Trial to Hold Hearings Soon
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