| English.news.cn 2013-09-02 14:17:47 |
   
 
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PHNOM PENH, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia's long-time opposition
leader Sam Rainsy said Monday that a mass protest, planned on Sept. 7
against the election results, would be held throughout the country in
the form of prayer for peace.
"The spirit of our demonstration has changed. The demonstration will be conducted in the spirit of a national prayer -- prayer for peace, but peace in justice," Sam Rainsy, President of the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), said in a press conference at the party's headquarters.
Rainsy announced last Thursday that the party would hold a nonviolent demonstration on Sept. 7 in order to reject the results of the July 28 election in which Prime Minister Hun Sen's ruling party won a majority of vote.
"We decided to change our protest spirit from a nonviolent demonstration to a nationwide protest in the form of prayer in order to follow the recommendations from the King (Norodom Sihamoni), who wishes not to see any violence," he said.
Rainsy said the main location for the protest on Sept. 7 is the Freedom Park in Phnom Penh and the event will be started from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. local time with a Buddhist ceremony.
"We will not do anything that can lead to social unrest," he said, appealing to all participants not to bring along with explosives, knives, axes, clubs, or stones, but candles, incense sticks and flowers.
"I think that it will be a big revolution because Cambodia has always had the culture of violence so that it will be a model for the people to follow the culture of nonviolent demonstration," he said.
Some 2,000 anti-riot police got a special training session on Sunday at the capital's Diamond Island Center in preparation for dealing with any disobedient protests.
Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sar Kheng said that in order to facilitate security affairs and to ensure public order, nonviolent protests would be allowed only at "Freedom Parks" in cities and provinces.
"All authorities and competent armed forces must carefully implement their respective duties with high responsibility and adherence to the laws in order to maintain security, safety, and public order during any peaceful demonstration," he said in a public announcement on Sunday, advising those armed forces to " exercise their utmost restraints in order to avoid at all cost of potential clashes."
He also urged oil and gas companies and retail stations to properly store those substances and should cooperate with local authorities in order to avoid any possible risks.
The National Election Committee (NEC) has released the initial election results, showing that the Cambodian People's Party (CPP) of long-serving Prime Minister Hun Sen won the poll with 68 of the 123 parliamentary seats, and the CNRP took the remaining 55 seats.
But the CNRP claimed that it should win 63 seats, with the CPP getting the remaining 60 seats if alleged poll irregularities were fairly resolved.
The CNRP has repeatedly demanded the CPP to jointly establish an independent committee to look into alleged vote irregularities during the election, but the CPP ruled out the request since it was contrary to the constitution.
Currently, the Constitutional Council, which is the country's final arbiter, has been resolving complaints filed by the opposition party against the election results, but the opposition accused the Constitutional Council of being loyal to the CPP.
The official election results will be officially released on September 8.
Under the country's constitution, a new parliament will be inaugurated no later than 60 days after the election.
Prime Minister Hun Sen has said that a new parliament and a new government would be established as scheduled despite the opposition's boycott.
According to the constitution, he said, a new government would be formed by a 50 percent plus one majority, or 63 lawmakers, in the new parliament.
Hun Sen, 61, who has been in power for 28 years, will rule the country for another five years through the election victory.
"The spirit of our demonstration has changed. The demonstration will be conducted in the spirit of a national prayer -- prayer for peace, but peace in justice," Sam Rainsy, President of the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), said in a press conference at the party's headquarters.
Rainsy announced last Thursday that the party would hold a nonviolent demonstration on Sept. 7 in order to reject the results of the July 28 election in which Prime Minister Hun Sen's ruling party won a majority of vote.
"We decided to change our protest spirit from a nonviolent demonstration to a nationwide protest in the form of prayer in order to follow the recommendations from the King (Norodom Sihamoni), who wishes not to see any violence," he said.
Rainsy said the main location for the protest on Sept. 7 is the Freedom Park in Phnom Penh and the event will be started from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. local time with a Buddhist ceremony.
"We will not do anything that can lead to social unrest," he said, appealing to all participants not to bring along with explosives, knives, axes, clubs, or stones, but candles, incense sticks and flowers.
"I think that it will be a big revolution because Cambodia has always had the culture of violence so that it will be a model for the people to follow the culture of nonviolent demonstration," he said.
Some 2,000 anti-riot police got a special training session on Sunday at the capital's Diamond Island Center in preparation for dealing with any disobedient protests.
Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sar Kheng said that in order to facilitate security affairs and to ensure public order, nonviolent protests would be allowed only at "Freedom Parks" in cities and provinces.
"All authorities and competent armed forces must carefully implement their respective duties with high responsibility and adherence to the laws in order to maintain security, safety, and public order during any peaceful demonstration," he said in a public announcement on Sunday, advising those armed forces to " exercise their utmost restraints in order to avoid at all cost of potential clashes."
He also urged oil and gas companies and retail stations to properly store those substances and should cooperate with local authorities in order to avoid any possible risks.
The National Election Committee (NEC) has released the initial election results, showing that the Cambodian People's Party (CPP) of long-serving Prime Minister Hun Sen won the poll with 68 of the 123 parliamentary seats, and the CNRP took the remaining 55 seats.
But the CNRP claimed that it should win 63 seats, with the CPP getting the remaining 60 seats if alleged poll irregularities were fairly resolved.
The CNRP has repeatedly demanded the CPP to jointly establish an independent committee to look into alleged vote irregularities during the election, but the CPP ruled out the request since it was contrary to the constitution.
Currently, the Constitutional Council, which is the country's final arbiter, has been resolving complaints filed by the opposition party against the election results, but the opposition accused the Constitutional Council of being loyal to the CPP.
The official election results will be officially released on September 8.
Under the country's constitution, a new parliament will be inaugurated no later than 60 days after the election.
Prime Minister Hun Sen has said that a new parliament and a new government would be established as scheduled despite the opposition's boycott.
According to the constitution, he said, a new government would be formed by a 50 percent plus one majority, or 63 lawmakers, in the new parliament.
Hun Sen, 61, who has been in power for 28 years, will rule the country for another five years through the election victory.
Editor:
Yang Yi
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