Cambodia Accuses Former Opposition Members Of Urging Poll Boycott

Cambodian authorities are investigating former opposition officials after accusing them of encouraging a boycott of controversial elections, one of the officials said Monday.

Phnom Penh, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 23rd Jul, 2018 ) :Cambodian authorities are investigating former opposition officials after accusing them of encouraging a boycott of controversial elections, one of the officials said Monday.

The Supreme Court dissolved the main opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) late last year, setting up an easy poll victory this coming Sunday for Prime Minister Hun Sen, who has ruled the country for 33 years.

The dissolution was accompanied by a crackdown on party members, many of whom fled the country.

But in the lead-up to the poll some are pushing back by calling for a "clean-finger" campaign, referring to the ink used to mark voters.

Voting is not compulsory but officials have said urging others to boycott the poll is a crime and vowed to prosecute. The first known complaint was filed against ex-CNRP officials who appeared in a photo on Facebook displaying a clean finger.

Chea Chiv, former head of the opposition party in Battambang province, told AFP the photo comes from an informal gathering which he and his wife hosted on Thursday with around 30 former CNRP officials.

"I showed the clean finger because I won't go to vote when there is no party that I love," he said.

"They sued me for obstructing and inciting people not to go to vote." He and others described the complaint as intimidation and said they were not part of a wider campaign but wanted to express their personal preference.

Several said they had also been monitored by plainclothes police.

"They are trying to silence people," said Kruy Kimsaing, 44, a former district councillor who also appeared in the picture.

Hang Puthea, a spokesman for the National election Committee, told AFP that local election officials in Battambang received five complaints.

He said the accused could face up to $5,000 in fines if found guilty after an investigation by election officials.

But it is unclear whether they will face immediate action.

Interior Minister Sar Kheng said in a speech streamed on his official Facebook page that the former officials should not be arrested. "Now calm down, let legal officers work on the case," he said.

Analysts say Hun Sen fears a low turnout that could further damage the credibility of the election. Both the US and the EU have withdrawn funding for it but countries including China and Japan have offered support.