WRITTEN QUESTION E-2042/03

by Marco Pannella (NI), Maurizio Turco (NI), Emma Bonino (NI),Marco Cappato (NI), Benedetto Della Vedova (NI), Gianfranco Dell'Alba (NI)and Olivier Dupuis (NI) to the Commission

(19 June 2003)

Subject: Murder in Cambodia of Poul Vin, representative of the Sam Raisi opposition party and EU initiative with a view to elections on 28 July 2003

On the morning of 4 June 2003, Poul Vin (23), a representative of the Sam Raisi Party, candidate and member in charge of the manifesto for the party's electoral campaign and of monitoring of the electoral process in the region, whose father has also been a leading member of the SRP for many years, was found murdered in Bous L-hong (district of O'Raing Euv, province of Kompong Cham).

In view of the steady deterioration in the human rights and political situation in Cambodia in the run-up to the 27 July elections, which will be held in the presence of Commission observers:

- does the Commission not consider that it should warn the Cambodian Government that, should criminal acts continue to be perpetrated, all forms of EU cooperation would be immediately suspended on grounds of manifest, continued and aggravated violations of human rights and democracy, which are priority objectives of the 2002-2004 cooperation plan between the EU and Cambodia?

- does it not consider that such a warning, if given promptly and as a matter of urgency, before the beginning of the election campaign, might finally constitute a practical step towards ensuring respect for the law and the agreements which have been violated, as well as the smooth, non-violent and democratic conduct of the election campaign and civil life in Cambodia?

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(15 July 2003)

The Commission is monitoring the political situation in Cambodia very closely in view of the upcoming national elections on 27 July 2003.

The Union Election Observation Mission (EOM) arrived in Cambodia in mid June 2003 with the objective of making an independent and impartial assessment of the entire electoral process. The legal framework, the independence and impartiality of the administrations involved in the management of the election process as well as the political climate during the pre- and post-election period are some of the issues that will be covered by the assessment of the Union EOM.

The level of violence during the pre-election period is a concern that has been raised by the Union both during the elections in 1998 and in 2002. Although most observers agree that the level of violence seems to be decreasing, it nevertheless remains a concern also for these elections and will be monitored closely.

The Union EOM which monitored the Communal Elections in 2002 concluded that irrespective of whether the violence which occurred during a pre-election period could be deemed to be politically motivated or not, it nevertheless influenced the electoral process in a negative way. The 2002 Union EOM thus called on the Cambodian government to swiftly ensure that those responsible for criminal acts be held to account.

In preparation for the 2003 National Assembly elections, the Government of Cambodia took a number of steps to address this issue and adopted in January 2003 an Action Plan to enhance the security of the upcoming polls. This initiative was followed up by a Joint Directive from the Ministry of Interior and the National Election Committee (NEC) late May 2003. It reiterated the role and necessary co-operation of local authorities at all levels in the conduct of the elections (recalling obligation of neutrality and impartiality, and of co-operation on all issues including security). Moreover, the NEC has initiated a public awareness campaign against violence and intimidation through television advertisement. Effective implementation of these provisions will be kept under scrutiny by all actors involved, and in particular by the Union EOM.

While the Commission sincerely hopes that the presence of the Union Election Observation Mission will help reduce the level of violence in the period leading up to election day, the Union nevertheless continues to follow closely the situation and stands ready to undertake further action, if necessary.