Thousands of supporters of the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party(CNRP) on October 23 gathered at Freedom Park in Phnom Penh, beginning athree-day mass demonstration to demand a review of recent parliamentaryelection results which handed victory to Prime Minister Hun Sen’sruling Cambodia People’s Party (CPP).
The CNRP said in itsstatement that about 40,000 people from 24 provinces and citiesnationwide will join the demonstration. They are scheduled to march tothe United Nations Human Rights office in Cambodia in the afternoon tohand over a petition which contains two million signatures andfingerprints to ask the UN and the signatories of the Paris PeaceAgreement for Cambodia to intervene for justice for those who voted forthe CNRP.
On October 24 and 25 the protestors plan continue tomarch to foreign embassies, including those of the US, France, Russiaand the UK, to hand over the petition.
The Cambodian InteriorMinistry allowed the CNRP to stage a three-day demonstration fromOctober 23 at the park during daytime only, and groups of up to 1,000protestors to march to the UN office and foreign embassies to deliverthe petition.
About 1,000 policemen and military personnel havebeen deployed to ensure order and security during the protest. However,there are currently no barricades in the streets like there were in theCNRP’s previous demonstrations. The party quoted General Chuon Sovann,Commander of Phnom Penh Police, as saying they will not installbarricades if there is no violence.-VNA