EU Calls for International Probe Into Election

In the strongest international reaction to the contested result of July’s national election yet, the European Parliament passed a resolution on Thursday calling on Prime Minister Hun Sen’s government to conduct an independent, internationally led investigation of the election and the killing of five garment factory protesters earlier this month. The resolution by the parliament of the European Union (E.U.)—Cambodia’s single largest aid donor—comes after the U.S. House of Representatives passed a draft spending bill on Wednesday that would cut some aid to Cambodia unless similar demands regarding the flawed election are met. … “The European Parliament urges the Cambodian authorities to thoroughly investigate and hold to account those responsible for deaths and injuries,” the resolution reads. In a total of 17 points, the European Parliament also urged that the 23 people “unjustly arrested” during the strike protests be freed and that the government ban on freedom of assembly be “immediately revoked.” Mu Sochua, opposition CNRP lawmaker-elect, welcomed the resolution on Friday. “[The resolution] recognizes that there is a problem. The resolution gets down to the root cause of the conflict that has become a crisis,” she said, adding that an independent investigation into the election results with international participation was key to ending the political deadlock. …

 Denise Hruby
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/eu-calls-for-international-probe-into-election-50850/