Cambodian Officials Ask Opposition to Downsize Election Protest Rallies
Officials in Cambodia’s capital on Wednesday ordered the country’s main opposition party to scale back plans for mass demonstrations aimed at backing mass demonstrations aimed at backing demands for an independent probe into election fraud charges. The Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), led by Sam Rainsy, has vowed to hold a 20,000-strong protest in Phnom Penh for three consecutive days beginning Sept. 15 after the authorities rejected calls to investigate irregularities in the July 28 elections. The country’s National Election Committee (NEC), which supervised the polls, confirmed over the weekend that Prime Minister Hun Sen’s ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) had won the hotly-contested vote, prompting warnings from the opposition that it would rally against the result. On Wednesday, the Phnom Penh Municipality asked the CNRP to drastically reduce the number of protesters and to cancel plans to march during the demonstration to be held in Phnom Penh’s Freedom Park, municipality spokesperson Long Dimong told RFA’s Khmer Service. “They asked for a permit for 20,000 daytime demonstrators, but the city cannot authorize this much—we can only allow for 200,” he said. He said the city would however discuss with the Ministry of Interior before making a final decision. Long Dimong said that while officials from the city and the CNRP remained far apart on the number of permitted demonstrators, the two sides had agreed that supporters attending the rally would not march outside of the park to circulate petitions and would “cooperate in facilitating safety, security and traffic.” …
Radio Free Asia Staff
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/rally-09112013175854.html
