Youth Support for Protests Cools as Fears Mount
One of the most significant and memorable aspects of the fiercely contested July 28 national election was the explosion of youth engagement during the campaign season, with hordes of young Cambodians driving through the streets on motorbikes calling for change. The youth vote has been widely credited as one of the reasons the opposition CNRP made major gains, with preliminary results giving them 55 parliamentary seats to the CPP’s 68. But with the country in limbo as a dispute over the results drags on and the CNRP threatens to call mass protests, the mood among the youth has dampened. There has been a visible military buildup in Phnom Penh following the vote to ensure security in the eventuality of demonstrations, and its impact around Phnom Penh university campuses on Tuesday was evident. Twenty-two-year-old Ung Kanha, an English literature student at the Institute of New Khmer, said he would like to participate in protests against the election results, but would refrain from doing so due to the fear of reprisals from authorities. …
The Cambodia Daily
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/elections/youth-support-for-protests-cools-as-fears-mount-39518/
