Concern over Plan to Crack Down on Post Election Demonstrations
Published on 25 July 2003; Cambodia Human Rights Action Committee (CHRAC)
The Cambodian Human Rights Action Committee (CHRAC), a coalition of 17 local NGOs, is very concerned about the warning announced by the Director General of the National Police on Tuesday July 22,2003 that the Government is preparing to crack down on violent demonstrations or protest contesting the results of Sunday's National Election.
According to the Cambodia Daily publication on 23 Wednesday July,2003, the director General of the National police Hok Lundy told Municipal police officers who attended a security meeting at Phnom Penh's city Hall " if any demonstrators commit violent acts, police and military police must crack down on it". He said" the police will employ vicious attack dogs to break up large, violent gatherings, we have only 30 dogs but each of them can fight against 200 people."
CHRAC believes that the Director general of the National Police's official announcement on using the dogs to break up demonstrations is a threat to freedom of expression and people's safety due to the fact that in other countries, dogs are not used to break up demonstrations.
CHRAC wishes to appeal as follows:
1- The Royal Government especially the National police and military police must protect the right to freedom of expression and public gatherings as guaranteed in articles 37 and 41 of the Constitution of the Kingdom of Cambodia and article 19 and 21 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
2- The police and military police should use other means to disperse violent demonstration by preventing the demonstrators from being seriously wounded.
3- All armed forces must protect the demonstrators' safety and protect them from people who intentionally cause the peaceful demonstration to be violent contrary to the demonstrator’s intentions.
4- Relevant authorities should authorize people to hold peaceful demonstrations and seriously protect them whenever information is given.
For more information, please contact:
▪ Mr. Thun Saray, Chairman of CHRAC Tel: 016 880 509
▪ Mrs. Pung Chhiv Kek, President of LICADHO, Tel 012 802 506
▪ Mr. Sok Sam Oeun, Executive Director of CDP, Tel: 012 901 199
