THE CEROC

One million signatures to restore the Paris Peace Agreement for Cambodia during this 26th Anniversary

Attention to:

1. Mr. António Guterres,
Secretary General, United Nations
– Mr. Joko Widodo,
President, Republic of Indonesia (Co-Chair of the 1991 Paris Conference on Cambodia)
– Mr. Emmanuel Macron,
President, The French Republic (Co-Chair of the 1991 Paris Conference on Cambodia)
2. His Majesty King Norodom Sihamoni, King of Cambodia
– Samdech Hun Sen, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia
– Kem Sokha, President, Cambodia National Rescue Party
– Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
3. Retno Marsudi, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Indonesia
4. Jean-Yves Le Drian, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development, France
5. Julie Bishop, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Australia
6. His Majesty Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Brunei Darussalam
7. Chrystia Freeland, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Canada
8. Wang Yi, Foreign Minister, People’s Republic of China
9. Sushma Swaraj, Ministerof External Affairs, India
10. Fumio Kishida, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Japan
11. Saleumxay Kommasith, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Laos
12. Dato’ Sri Anifah Aman, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Malaysia
13. Alan Peter Cayetano, Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Philippines
14. Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Singapore
15. Don Pramudwinai, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Thailand
16. Sergey Lavrov, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Russia
17. Boris Johnson, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, United Kingdom
18. Rex W. Tillerson, Secretary of State, United States of America
19. Phạm Bình Minh, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Viet Nam

BACKGROUND OF THIS PETITION:

The October 23, 1991 Comprehensive Cambodian Peace Agreement referred to as the Paris Agreement.

The Paris Agreement consists of:
· The Final Act of the Paris Conference on Cambodia;

· Agreement on the Political Settlement of the Cambodia Conflict;

· Agreement Concerning the Sovereignty, Territorial Integrity and Inviolability, Neutrality and National Unity of Cambodia

· Declaration on the Rehabilitation and Reconstruction of Cambodia.

This Paris Peace Agreement provided provisions to promote national reconciliation and to ensure the exercise of the right of self-determination of the Cambodian people through free, fair, and transparent elections. In addition, they provide for a ceasefire and cessation of outside military assistance and for the withdrawal of foreign forces from Cambodia. They also deal with Human Rights protection including the voluntary return of refugees and displaced persons and delineate the Mandate of the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC).

On its 26th Anniversary, we, the Cambodian people of both domestic and abroad wish to collect one million signatures and send them to the party signatures countries of Paris Peace Agreement-Cambodia. The eighteen (18) countries included the French and the Indonesian Foreign Minister acted as co-Presidents. Also participating in his official capacity was the Secretary-General of the United Nations. Especially, the five permanent members of the Security Council: China, France, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States. We, the Cambodian people need to remind them that, Mr. Hun Sen is breaching and violating this Paris Peace Agreement; it is unacceptable! Therefore, we, the Cambodian people needed the party signatures countries more than ever to enforce the Paris Peace Agreement. The Dictatorial politics led by Mr. Hun Sen in Cambodia violated all the provisions in the Paris Peace Agreement. Cambodian people need your immediate intervention. Otherwise, Cambodia and her people will never live in with dignity, grace, and integrity.

VIOLATIONS OF PARIS PEACE AGREEMENT:

We condemn, in the strongest terms, the calculated and systemic crackdowns on Democracy– 1991 Paris Peace Accords, Opposition Parties, Non-governmental organizations, Unions, and Independent Media, ahead of the upcoming Senate election on January 14, 2018 and general parliamentary election on July 29, 2018. These recent political developments are strangling Cambodia’s fledgling democracy.

 ATTACKS ON PARIS PEACE ACCORDS
o Paris Peace Accords is dead, declared Hun Sen on October 11, 2017. According to Hun Sen, the same 1991 Paris Peace Accords, that brought peace, democracy and human rights to modern Cambodia, is a ghost of the past.
 ATTACKS ON OPPOSITIONS
o On October 16, 2017 the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) unilaterally amended the election laws to distribute all 5,700+ elected seats of Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), the main Opposition, to other political parties
o Using the court, Hun Sen moved to dissolve CNRP in the near future
o Unconstitutional arrest of Mr. Kem Sokha, President of CNRP
o Threaten to arrest other CNRP leaders, such as Ms. Mu Sochua, VP of CNRP
o Forced exile of Mr. Sam Rainsy, former-President of CNRP
o Imprisonment of 2 opposition parliamentarians and 19 other opposition activists
o Arrests of Mr. Nhek Bun Chhay and Mr. Sourn Serey Rathat, both heads of political parties that are critical of the CPP, based on politically-motivated charges
 ATTACKS ON INDEPENDENT MEDIA
o Forced closing of Cambodia Daily, an independent English-Khmer newspaper
o Forced closing of 19 local radio stations that re-broadcasted Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Asia (RFA)
 ATTACKS ON CIVIL SOCIETY (Non-Governmental Organizations)
o The new Law on Associations and NGOs (LANGO) restricts Civil Society space
o Forced shut down of the National Democratic Institute, after 25 year of positive contribution to democracy-building in Cambodia
o Arrest of Mr. Kem Sok, a well-known political commentator, and other community activists for speaking out against Hun Sen
o Extra-judicial killing of Dr. Kem Ley, the highly-respected political commentator
 ATTACKS ON TRADE UNIONS
o The new law on Trade Unions reduces and restricts the workers’ rights

SOLUTION PROPOSAL:
Due to current political tension in Cambodia which is turning towards dictatorship leading by single-party government, we undersign to propose the United Nations and 18 signatory countries of the Paris Peace Agreement on October 23, 1991, to join together to solve the political problem in Cambodia in urgent.
1. The United Nations and the 18 signatory countries could not ignore the ongoing setback of democracy development in Cambodia especially the intent of government-led party that is planning to dissolve and take away the parliamentary seats of the opposition party Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) prior to the upcoming elections.
2. To urge the two largest political parties that have seats in the Assembly ie. Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) and Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) come to the dialogue table according to the spirit of Constitution to ensure normal political climate for Cambodian people, and to release those political prisoners.
3. To urge a free, fair and transparent election, free of threats towards political parties and National Election Committee (NEC) for the upcoming Senate election in January 14, 2018 and the Parliamentary election in July 29, 2018.

Thank you very much,
Committee for Election Rights of Overseas Cambodians (The CEROC)
Issued in BC, Canada
October 23, 2017

ស្របតាមស្ថានការណ៍ខ្មៅងងឹតនៃការបត់ក្បាលទៅរកលទ្ធិផ្តាច់ការដឹកនាំបែបឯកបក្សនៅកម្ពុជានាពេលបច្ចុប្បន្ន យើងខ្ញុំចុះហត្ថលេខាខាងក្រោមនេះដើម្បីស្នើរដល់អង្គការសហប្រជាជាតិនិងប្រទេស ហត្ថលេខី នៃកិច្ចព្រមព្រៀងសន្តិភាពទីក្រុងប៉ារីសថ្ងៃ២៣ ខែតុលា ឆ្នាំ១៩៩១ ទាំងអស់ រួមគ្នាជួយ ដោះស្រាយបញ្ហាកម្ពុជាជាបន្ទាន់៖
1. អង្គការសហប្រជាជាតិនិងប្រទេសហត្ថលេខីទាំង១៨ប្រទេសមិនអាចព្រងើយកន្តើយចំពោះដំណើរដើរថយក្រោយនៃលទ្ធិប្រជាធិបតេយ្យដែលកំពុងកើតមាន ក្នុងប្រទេសកម្ពុជាសព្វថ្ងៃនេះទេជាពិសេសបំណងរបស់គណបក្សកាន់អំណាចដែលប្រាថ្នាចង់រំលាយនិងដកហូតអាសនៈសភារបស់គណបក្សជំទាស់គឺគណបក្សសង្គ្រោះជាតិមុនថ្ងៃបោះឆ្នោតឈានចូលមកដល់។
2. ជំរុញអោយគណបក្សមានអាសនៈក្នុងសភាធំៗទាំងពីរគឺគណបក្សប្រជាជនកម្ពុជានិងគណបក្សសង្គ្រោះជាតិងាកមករកតុសន្ទនាគ្នាតាមស្មារតីនៃច្បាប់រដ្ឋ ធម្មនុញ្ញដើម្បីបង្កើតបរិយាកាសនយោបាយដែលមិនប៉ះទង្គិចដល់ប្រជាពលរដ្ឋខ្មែរ និងអោយមានការដោះលែងអ្នកទោសនយោបាយទាំងអស់។
3. ជំរុញអោយមានការបោះឆ្នោតប្រកបដោយសេរី យុត្តិធម៌ និងមានតម្លាភាព មិនមានការគំរាមកំហែងទៅលើគណបក្សនយោបាយនិងស្ថាប័នគណកម្មាធិការជាតិរៀបចំការបោះឆ្នោត សំរាប់ការបោះឆ្នោតព្រឹទ្ធសភាថ្ងៃទី១៤ ខែមករា ឆ្នាំ២០១៨ និងការបោះឆ្នោតរដ្ឋសភាថ្ងៃទី២៩ ខែកក្កដា ឆ្នាំ២០១៨ នាពេលខាងមុខនេះ។

សូមអរព្រះគុណនិងសូមអរគុណ
គណកម្មាធិការដើម្បីសិទ្ធិបោះឆ្នោតរបស់ពលរដ្ឋខ្មែរនៅក្រៅប្រទេស
Issued in BC, Canada
October 23, 2017