Cambodia's Slide Into Repression

2.12.15

Cambodia's Slide Into Repression: [dailysignal.com] Tensions have escalated over the past several months between Hun Sen’s ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) and the opposition Cambodian National Rescue Party (CNRP). Just last month, vice president of the national assembly and opposition leader Kem Sokha was removed from power. This came on the heels of violence against other opposition parliamentarians who were beaten up by ruling party members calling for Kem Sokha’s removal.

Democracy in Cambodia is more a turn of phrase than a reality. July 2013 elections were replete with error and voter fraud. Despite this, the 2013 elections were closer to an opposition victory than in a great many years. For months, the CNRP boycotted parliament, alleging vote-rigging on the part of the CPP and calling for a second, more credible investigation into election results.