Japan to Assist Cambodia With Election Reform

Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has pledged to help Cambodia with electoral reforms, following a request by Prime Minister Hun Sen to send experts to the country ahead of future polls and amid an ongoing dispute over national elections held more than three months ago. The promise came as the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), which has boycotted parliament in protest against irregularities in the July polls, announced plans for a fresh mass demonstration next month. Abe agreed to help with reforms during a two-day visit to Cambodia over the weekend, which was the first by a Japanese prime minister in 13 years. He said Japan is willing to assist with “reform efforts” and resolving the post-election dispute through talks between the CNRP and the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP), according to a joint statement released at the end of his visit Sunday. … Japan, which has provided more than U.S. $2.25 billion in development aid to Cambodia since 1992, also agreed to strengthen ties with the country in the areas of health, security, investment, and infrastructure, according to the statement. New York-based Human Rights Watch had called on Abe last week to leverage his country’s aid to pressure the Cambodian government into launching an independent probe into fraud and other irregularities in the elections and to discuss the modalities for such an investigation. … The CNRP will lead a fresh mass demonstration on Dec. 10, coinciding with Human Rights Day, party officials announced Monday. A location has not yet been set for the protest, which could be held in the capital Phnom Penh—as with past demonstrations—or in a different province, CNRP Deputy President Kem Sokha said. …

 Radio Free Asia News Staff
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/japan-11182013183828.html