Int’l trips fuel CNRP machine
As opposition party leaders Sam Rainsy and Kem Sokha returned from separate overseas trips yesterday, the party said it had more than enough cash to finance continuous mass demonstrations, with the bulk of funds coming from Cambodians living abroad.
Today’s demonstrations in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, which the Cambodia National Rescue Party expects will see upwards of 10,000 protesters, will cost about $30,000, CNRP lawmaker and finance general-director Ky Vandara said yesterday.
The party, he added, had raised some $300,000 to finance rallies and demonstrations since May but declined to give further details. …
Overseas lobbying trips by Rainsy and Sokha – who returned yesterday from Europe and the US, respectively – frequently feature fundraising dinners and pagoda appearances that can raise tens of thousands of dollars from Cambodian diaspora community. The US-based Cambodia National Rescue Party Foundation, which has representatives in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the US, Cambodia and South Korea, is a key part of the opposition’s well-oiled fundraising network. …
Meas Sokchea and Kevin Ponniah
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/int%E2%80%99l-trips-fuel-cnrp-machine
