| English.news.cn 2014-05-02 20:05:10 |
 
 
|
PHNOM PENH, May 2 (Xinhua) -- A skirmish between security forces and
opposition party activists broke out on Friday afternoon near the
capital Freedom Park as the opposition defied a government ban on
rallies.
"At least two persons got injured on heads and bodies as security forces beat to chase away hundreds of opposition activists who attempted to gather on Norodom Boulevard, just east of the Freedom Park (the capital's designated protest site)," Am Sam Ath, a senior investigator for the rights group Licadho, said after the incident, adding that some of the activists hurled water bottles and stones at security forces.
"Those activists could not hold a rally this afternoon because security forces dispersed wherever more than 10 people got together around the area," he said.
The stretch of Norodom Boulevard in the east of Freedom Park was closed Friday afternoon to prevent opposition supporters from gathering as the whole Freedom Park has been surrounded by razor wires and barricades.
Sam Rainsy, president of the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), who was scheduled to address his supporters at the area, had canceled his plan. Instead, he decided to enter the residence of the United Nations Embassy nearby the park.
Gen. Kheng Tito, a spokesman for the National Military Police, said the group had tried to gather illegally so that security forces had to disperse them to ensure social security and public order.
The skirmish came after the opposition CNRP defied a government ban on rallies during a two-week commune council election campaign, which started Friday.
Phnom Penh Municipal vice-Governor Khuong Sreng issued a statement Wednesday to ban the CNRP from gathering at the Freedom Park or marching through streets in the city during the election campaign from May 2 to 16. He explained that the election is not a universal vote.
Sam Rainsy said Thursday that the ban was a violation of the law on election, which states that eligible political parties have rights to hold election campaign in order to propagandize about their parties' political platforms.
The commune council election, to be held on May 18, will be voted by only 11,459 sitting commune councilors -- typically along party lines -- for provincial, district and city councilors.
Five parties have registered their candidates for the election. Those parties are the ruling Cambodian People's Party, the opposition CNRP, the royalist Funcipec Party, the League for Democracy, and the Democratic Republic Party.
Political row between the Prime Minister Hun Sen's ruling CPP and the Sam Rainsy's CNRP has persisted since the July's national election outcome indicated that the CPP won 68 parliamentary seats against 55 seats for the CNRP.
The opposition has refused to accept the results it says were marred by fraud, and it has boycotted parliament and staged a number of demonstrations to demand an early election.
"At least two persons got injured on heads and bodies as security forces beat to chase away hundreds of opposition activists who attempted to gather on Norodom Boulevard, just east of the Freedom Park (the capital's designated protest site)," Am Sam Ath, a senior investigator for the rights group Licadho, said after the incident, adding that some of the activists hurled water bottles and stones at security forces.
"Those activists could not hold a rally this afternoon because security forces dispersed wherever more than 10 people got together around the area," he said.
The stretch of Norodom Boulevard in the east of Freedom Park was closed Friday afternoon to prevent opposition supporters from gathering as the whole Freedom Park has been surrounded by razor wires and barricades.
Sam Rainsy, president of the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), who was scheduled to address his supporters at the area, had canceled his plan. Instead, he decided to enter the residence of the United Nations Embassy nearby the park.
Gen. Kheng Tito, a spokesman for the National Military Police, said the group had tried to gather illegally so that security forces had to disperse them to ensure social security and public order.
The skirmish came after the opposition CNRP defied a government ban on rallies during a two-week commune council election campaign, which started Friday.
Phnom Penh Municipal vice-Governor Khuong Sreng issued a statement Wednesday to ban the CNRP from gathering at the Freedom Park or marching through streets in the city during the election campaign from May 2 to 16. He explained that the election is not a universal vote.
Sam Rainsy said Thursday that the ban was a violation of the law on election, which states that eligible political parties have rights to hold election campaign in order to propagandize about their parties' political platforms.
The commune council election, to be held on May 18, will be voted by only 11,459 sitting commune councilors -- typically along party lines -- for provincial, district and city councilors.
Five parties have registered their candidates for the election. Those parties are the ruling Cambodian People's Party, the opposition CNRP, the royalist Funcipec Party, the League for Democracy, and the Democratic Republic Party.
Political row between the Prime Minister Hun Sen's ruling CPP and the Sam Rainsy's CNRP has persisted since the July's national election outcome indicated that the CPP won 68 parliamentary seats against 55 seats for the CNRP.
The opposition has refused to accept the results it says were marred by fraud, and it has boycotted parliament and staged a number of demonstrations to demand an early election.
Editor:
xuxin
No comments:
Post a Comment