Violence Reporting Flawed: Monitors
Election observers are concerned the reporting process does not provide accurate information on election violence. (03 July 2008)
On Tuesday morning, Nhem Sophath, a 33-year-old commune organizer for the Human Rights Party,walked around several villages in Kampong Speu province to gather activists foran election campaign march that would be joined by party president Kem Sokha and other officials. By 6 pm, the march was finished, and Nhem Sophath went home,changed his clothes and set off for a walk to his local pagoda, to receive ablessing. On the dark road, he encountered two men. One of them beat him with abamboo pole, breaking his left arm in two places, Nhem Sophath said Thursday. Nhem Sophath fled and hid ina nearby house, and after the two assailants left, he immediately informed thelocal commune election committee, or CEC, office. He filed a complaint topolice the next day. Nhem Sophath believes the attack was politically motivated.But the CEC is not sure. "It is a criminal case," Meas Kimthon, CECchairman for Trang Rovea commune, in Udong district, Kampong Speu, said byphone Thursday. "The victim should complain to the police. We have noauthority to solve this assault case, because there is a very seriousinjury." Nhem Sophath's alleged attack and the CEC's reaction to itdemonstrate one concern that election monitors have with the reporting of potential election violence. Election observers are concerned the process does notprovide accurate information on violence, because CEC offices caninterpret an incident either as a political conflict or simply a criminal infraction, moving the case to police instead of investigating for themselves. In suchprocedures, observers say, election violence can go underreported. "If the CEC understands that the dispute is a serious crime,the CEC has no right to investigate the case, so [they] send it to the policeand the courts," Koul Panha, director of the Committee for Free and FairElections. "This decision is the right thing, but CEC has to watch over orfind out the real reason of the dispute." The concern is that there is no incentive for the CEC toinvestigate further. "We are very concerned about the violent cases duringthe election process and the NEC procedure, because when violence occurs,the CEC or PEC can transfer the violent incident from politics to a criminalcase, and not investigate or show how it relates to the election process,"Koul Panha said. This procedure is complicated and difficult for justiceto be found for the victim, he said. "NEC procedure for the CEC rules is veryconfusing," said Hang Puthea, director of the Neutral Impartial Committeefor Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia."It cannot separate clearly political violence relating to the campaignand a criminal case." In the case of Nhem Sophath, CEC officials say they willkeep his report on file, but they have so far not reported it to the provincialelection committee as a case of election violence.