*It is too late for Sam Rainsy to do any of that. What they are trying to do now is to try to get his right to vote at this election as a symbol.* ** *What they are hoping is the momentum of what he is doing now to make a big impact on their next election. It may help them increase their support between now and their next election. It's clearly that they are not going to win the majority at this tiime. *
On Wednesday, July 17, 2013 5:53:22 AM UTC-7, khmer sralanh khmer wrote: > > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: Sokha <[email protected] <javascript:>> > Date: 2013/7/17 > Subject: Fwd: Lawyers Try to Find a Way for Sam Rainsy to Contest > To: khmer sralanh khmer <[email protected] <javascript:>> > > > > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: Cambodia National Rescue Party of North America > <[email protected]<javascript:> > > > Date: 2013/7/17 > Subject: Lawyers Try to Find a Way for Sam Rainsy to Contest > To: [email protected] <javascript:> > > > ** > > > *Lawyers Try to Find a Way for Sam Rainsy to Contest * > *Elections* > > 2013-07-16 RFA > > Sam Rainsy during a visit to Washington, May 9, 2013. > > AFP > > Lawyers for Cambodian opposition leader Sam Rainsy, who returns home from > self-exile in France this week after gaining a royal pardon, are studying > various legal provisions through which he could become a last minute > candidate in the July 28 general elections. > > But Prime Minister Hun Sen appears to be holding the key to a quick > resolution to the issue, as the registration of candidates for the polls > has been closed and Sam Rainsy's name removed from the electoral register > before he received his pardon last Friday. > > Sam Rainsy, the 64-year-old head of the Cambodia National Rescue Party > (CNRP), was disqualified as a member of the National Assembly, the > country's parliament, in March 2011 following his conviction for various > politicized offenses which he said were part of a campaign of persecution > by Hun Sen. > > Following international criticism, Hun Sen advised King Norodom Sihamoni > last Friday to pardon Sam Rainsy and scrap a 11-year jail sentence that had > been meted out to him, allowing the politician to return home a free man. > Sam Rainsy is scheduled to return on Friday. > > “If Sam Rainsy can’t participate in the election, it is not a free and > fair election,” CNRP spokesman Yim Sovann told RFA's Khmer Service, saying > a battery of lawyers from the party is studying the election laws and > parliament rules in a bid to register Sam Rainsy as a candidate. > > He did not specify any law that they are looking into to push for Sam > Rainsy's candidacy. > > He said that as Sam Rainsy had already been pardoned and cleared of any > offences, he should be allowed to re-register as a voter and allowed to > contest in the elections, in which Hun Sen's ruling Cambodian People's > Party (CPP) is widely expected to win and be returned to power. > > Sam Rainsy’s "immunity" from prosecution and other "privileges" should be > restored, Yim Sovann said. > > “We are studying all the relevant laws [and] there is a way to get out of > this deadlock,” he said. > > “If the ruling party has political will, we can do that,” Yim Sovann said. > > *Eligibility* > > The election laws say that a prospective candidate must first be eligible > to vote. > > As Sam Rainsy has been removed fom the voters' register, it remains > unclear whether he could be reinstated as a voter and a lawmaker as his > offences have been annulled through a royal pardon. > > Hun Sen could still use his party's overwhelming majority in parliament to > amend the election law and make an exception for Sam Rainsy, some experts > said. > > Tep Nytha, secretary of the National Election Committee, the body that > manages the country's elections, said last week that Sam Rainsy's name "has > already been deleted from the voting list” and "he can’t run for the > election." > > "I don’t know how to fix this because everything must be in accordance > with the law,” he had said. > > Even if Sam Rainsy crosses the legal hurdle, someone from his party has to > withdraw as a candidate in a certain constituency to allow him to contest > for a parliament seat, the experts said. > > *‘National reconciliation’* > > Puthea Hang, director of the Neutral and Impartial Committee for Free and > Fair Elections in Cambodia (NICFEC), an election watchdog group, said that > "full national reconciliation" could only be achieved if the Cambodian > authorities allow Sam Rainsy to contest in the elections. > > “We have to amend the laws or the National Election Committee can add some > provisions to its existing rules to allow Sam Rainsy to participate in the > election. They [the government] can do as they wish,” Puthea Hang said. > > “[Without Sam Rainsy's participation] it is not full national > reconciliation yet.” > > Government spokesman Phay Siphan said he did not want to discuss aspects > of the law in relation to Sam Rainsy's case, saying the politician himself > should study the laws to look into the possibility of his contesting in the > elections. > > “His Excellency Sam Rainsy must hire a good lawyer to work according to > the law,” he said. > > *UN expert* > > The U.N. Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Cambodia, > Surya Subedi, also suggested Tuesday that Hun Sen pave the way for Sam > Rainsy to run in the elections. > > He said while the royal pardon granted to Sam Rainsy was an important step > towards reconciliation, it was hoped that Hun Sen's government "will take > the necessary action" in order to allow the opposition leader "to play a > full part in the national politics of Cambodia.” > > Subedi had previously stressed the importance of a level playing field for > all political parties to compete on an equal footing, and had called for a > solution to allow Rainsy to play a full role in Cambodian politics. > > “Today I applaud the Royal Government of Cambodia for having taken this > important step towards reconciliation, which is in the interests of > stronger and deeper democratization of Cambodia,” he said in a statement. > > *Reported** by Samean Yun for RFA’s Khmer Service. Translated by Samean > Yun. **Written in English by Parameswaran Ponnudurai*. > > > Program for LP Sam Rainsy and LAP Kem Sokha > 07-19-2013 Upon his arrival in P.Penh- CAMBODIA > > 9:15am : Arrival Pot Chenton International Airport-P.Penh > 9:15am : Welcomes Home by CNRP Officials > 9:20am : Press Conference at Pot Chenton, International Airport,, > P.Penh > 9:40am : Meet with supporters and CNRP's activists at in front of Sin > Choury Plaza > 10:00am : Departure to Democracy Square, P.Penh > 11:00am : Meet with supporters and CNRP's activists at Democracy Square- > P. Penh > 12:00pm : Lunch with supporters and CNRP's activists at Democracy > Square- P. Penh > 02:00pm : Interview with Radio ABC > 02:30pm : Blessing by Buddhist Monks at CNRP-HQ 76 > 02:50pm : Meeting with CNRP Steering Committee Members > 04:00pm : Campaign Trail in P.Penh > 07:00pm : Interview with Radio RFA > 08:30pm : Interview with Radio VOA > > > > > -- -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Cambodia Discussion (CAMDISC) - www.cambodia.org" group. This is an unmoderated forum. Please refrain from using foul language. Thank you for your understanding. Peace among us and in Cambodia. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/camdisc Learn more - http://www.cambodia.org --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Cambodia Discussion (CAMDISC) - www.cambodia.org" group. 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