Members of the newly formed Hang Dara Democratic Movement Party have been attacked and threatened by local ruling party officials in Prey Veng province, Hang Dara charged Thursday.
Lim Rem, Moa Sen and Ham Chan, all 33, and Long Samit, 39, of Peam Ro commune in Peam Ro district, all claim to have been threatened to stop politicking for the party and have had their photos taken away, Hang Dara said.
In a separate incident, Hang Dara party activist Khut Sann, 40, of Bar Phnom district, had his ear sliced off in a nighttime raid during which his attackers tossed his personal identification into a nearby pond. That attack, too, was politically motivated, Hang Dara claimed.
Hang Dara offered no evidence for his claims of intimidation, and no local officials in either district could be reached for comment Thursday.
“If our activists and members leave their houses to recruit their neighbors, the local authorities threaten them,” he said.
Hang Dara, who claims he is a former Funcinpec member, formed his party two months ago in advance of the national elections, which are scheduled for next July.
Hang Dara said Thursday he had sent an aide to Prey Veng to discuss his party’s status with ruling-party leaders and to find a way to quell the alleged violence.
