CNRP Supporters Run Through Practice Sit-In for Saturday
The opposition CNRP on Wednesday held its second and last day of training for party supporters ahead of its mass demonstrations planned for Saturday driving home its message of peace and nonviolence. Amid persistent and ominous warnings from the government that the demonstrations may turn violent, and a first round of training for party supporters on Sunday that proved difficult to manage, Wednesday’s session was a decidedly tame affair. … At Sunday’s session, volunteers conducted role-playing exercises in which dozens of them acted as “protesters” or “police” pushing and pulling one another with little obvious aim. At Wednesday’s session, having apparently learned from the debacle, the CNRP instead had about 200 volunteers roped off and sit through the event in near complete silence while they and about 1,000 spectators watched a half-dozen actors show them on stage how not to behave, charging at the “police” before breaking off. As a counterpoint, the “protesters” followed up by sitting in front of the police in silence. “Today we practice how to behave to secure our success at the September 7 nonviolent demonstration,” CNRP president Sam Rainsy told the crowd. “We train to hold incense, candles and flowers. We will preach and be gentle.”
Phorn Bopha and Zsombor Peter
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/elections/cnrp-supporters-run-through-practice-sit-in-for-saturday-41702/
