Women Candidates Killed in Cambodia's Pre-election Violence

by Ma Nguyen Tong

27-1-2002

Three women seeking posts for Cambodia's political opposition were gunned down late in the first week of January 2002 in what party officials said was a lethal rash of election-related violence that threatened to mar the opening of the official campaign season. Although female candidates for the February 3 local elections had reported various forms of intimidation in what has historically been a male-dominated political arena, these deaths marked the first time women had been killed in the lead-up to a ballot. Cambodian elections are far from democratic and resmble more of a feudal conflict. Very corrupt elected officials stand to make multimillion fortunes from their scams once in office.

Election monitors feared the killings would shake the will of other female candidates, many of whom have entered politics with great caution.

"When women stand up as candidates, they know now they are going to have problems and they will be scared," said Sek Sophal, executive director of one of Cambodia's three main monitoring groups. "We are very concerned about this."

Royalist village chief hopeful Ngoun Choun, 53, was shot on January 3 and her husband injured at their home in the southern province of Kampot. Another royalist election candidate, Long Phon, 47, and her husband, royalist election worker Soun Kroeun, also 47, were fatally shot the following day in a Kampot rice field near their home, police said. Authorities also said two men shot dead 42-year-old Sam Rainsy Party election candidate Touch Sean in her house in eastern Svay Rieng province, who according to witnesses, could be heard pleading for her life before being shot once in the chest.

Police, who stand to make lots of money from brivbes and kickbacks if they protect certain elected godfather figures, insisted the killings were the result of robberies rather than politically motivated assassinations. An Interior Ministry official said at least two arrests were made on January 7 in the Kampot killings but the suspects were later released.

Still, the royalist Funcinpec party sent investigators to Kampot, where in 2001 another Funcinpec election candidate was shot dead, senior Funcinpec minister Tol Lah said. Sam Rainsy Party officials say Touch Sean's death was only the latest in a string of candidate killings. At least eight party member deaths could be tied to the elections in 2002. Opposition leader Sam Rainsy has repeatedly accused the country's ruling Cambodian People's Party of "systematic" assassinations, although many investigations by human rights workers have proved coveniently inconclusive.

"The only reason for this cowardly crime is to eliminate an active and popular candidate for the opposition party," Sam Rainsy's wife, parliamentarian Tioulong Saumura, said.

"Such acts of violence show that the ruling [Cambodian Peoples' Party] are ready to use any means to maintain their iron- fisted rule over the population and have no intention to have democratic, free and fair elections," she said.

Elections in Cambodia's 1,621 communes - groupings within villages - threaten to be contentious because of the potential loss of power they represent for long-time commune chiefs, who have ruled and made multimillion dollar fortunes since being installed by the Vietnamese Government following the Khmer Rouge's overthrow in 1979, the anniversary of which was celebrated on January 7.

Election monitors look into Cambodia murders

A team of European Union election monitors in Cambodia was to look into the deaths of the three women candidates standing for office in local elections. An official from the team Mark Stevens, said his staff had been talking to officials in the provinces where the three women were killed.

Prince Norodom Ranariddh of the Funcinpec Party said he believed the killings were linked to local leaders who feared their positions may be lost after the elections. But this manner of elimination is common in the region. During every election in Thailand the more powerful candidates arrange assassinations of other candidates.

Cambodians protest at poll violence

About one week after the assassinations, more than 200 people marched through the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, demanding an end to violence against women candidates in the forthcoming local elections. The march was led by a non-governmental organisation, Women for Prosperity, to protest at the murders of the two women candidates and a female party activist.

The director of Women for Prosperity, Nanda Pok, urged the Cambodian government to investigate the killings. She said the marchers were there to show solidarity and support for women candidates.

King tells Cambodians to vote

King Norodom Sihanouk ordered Cambodians not to let violence and intimidation stop them from voting in the country's first ever local elections on February 3. His appeal was made public as the Prime Minister, Hun Sen, ordered the armed forces to take action against political violence. Hun Sen said taking power with a gun, intimidation and violence were the most contemptible forms of power, even though he, too, was wont to resort to such means.

The comments come just days after the United Nations warned about the escalating levels of political violence. The UN said there were clear patterns of intimidation and harassment, mainly perpetrated by local authorities and police. It said 15 political activists had been murdered or died in suspicious circumstances.