A local association for survivors of the Khmer Rouge regime has decided to wait until after the July 28 national election to hold a meeting on ousting its president, Chum Mey, over his overt political support for the government.
Senior leaders of the Victims Association of Democratic Kampuchea, minus Mr. Mey, announced their plans on June 8 to hold their first ever general assembly for the purpose of replacing their president, but gave no date for the event.
In the written announcement, they accused Mr. Mey of threatening the unity of the group by politicizing it with his very public campaign to have opposition leader Kem Sokha apologize for comments he made apparently claiming that Vietnam fabricated the torture of thousands of people at Tuol Sleng prison during the Khmer Rouge regime. Mr. Sokha has denied making the comments.
On June 9, Mr. Mey, one of the few people to survive Tuol Sleng, lead thousands of people in a demonstration against Mr. Sokha in Phnom Penh at which local government authorities supplied everything from water to transportation for participants and protest material. During the rally, Mr. Mey also criticized Mr. Sokha’s party, the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), and lavishly praised the ruling CPP.
Though Mr. Mey has repeatedly denied any government support for his campaign and insisted that he was acting as a private citizen, the Victims Association feels his actions are bringing the group into disrepute.
Bou Meng, another Tuol Sleng survivor and the association’s second deputy president, said Monday that the group would hold the general assembly after the elections but declined to explain why.
“What I can say is that our association has been facing a complicated issue,” he said. “We don’t want to do anything during the election time.”
Mr. Mey has said we would step down without a fight if voted out but added Monday that we would not resign beforehand. “It is up to the majority of the members of the association to vote for anyone to be president,” he said
