A US congressman has urged his government to prevent the so-called “miracle on the Mekong” election in Cambodia from deteriorating into a violent episode of “voodoo on the Bassac.”
In a letter Tuesday to US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, US Representative Dana Rohrabacher said he was concerned Second Prime Minister Hun Sen’s CPP would use violence to break up the opposition’s sit-in.
“I am also concerned that the United Nations is not doing enough to deter the coup-installed government of Hun Sen from acts of violence and failing to credibly investigate the charges of irregularities in the election,” wrote the California Republican.
The letter also credited US Ambassador Kenneth Quinn with “saving the life” of opposition leader Sam Rainsy through negotiations with CPP officials after last Thursday’s grenade attack.
“A new intervention by Ambassador Quinn is now required to prevent violence from being directed toward peaceful protesters, including Sam Rainsy and his wife Saumura,” Rohrabacher wrote. “A clear statement by the US government also is needed to prevent the so-called ‘miracle on the Mekong’ election, where the Cambodian people expressed an overwhelming faith in democracy, from being turned into another episode of violent ‘voodoo on the Bassac.’”
