SMD to Send its Members to Observe Voter Registration

In order to promote and implement the principles of democracy and encourage youth participation in the social activities, Students’ Movement for Democracy (SMD) in cooperation with Neutral and Impartial Committee for Free and Fair Election in Cambodia (NICFEC), organized a training course on “The observation on the voters’ list verification and voter registration to elect commune/sangkat councilors in the second mandate (April 01, 2007)” on September 28, 2006 at NICFEC head office in Phnom Penh.

This half-day training was participated by 50 SMD activists who are students of various educational institutions in Phnom Penh. This training course which aimed to help participants understand about voter registration procedure, focused on the law on commune/sankat election, regulation and procedure of National Election Committee (NEC) on voters’ list verification and voter registration, the observer’ s code of ethics and the report form on the voter registration observation.

We expected that after this training, students, under the supervision of SMD, will gain new knowledge related to voter registration process so that they will have enough capacity to participate in voter registration observation in each voter registration station in order to improve democracy in Cambodia.

    

Be notified that, annual voters’ list verification and voter registration will take place from October 01 to 20, 2006. And, the upcoming commune/sangkat election will hold on April 01, 2007. 

SMD celebrated its 8th Anniversary

The 8th anniversary of Students’ Movement for Democracy (SMD) was held on September 07, 2006 at its head office in   Sangkat Boeng Keng Kang I, Khan Chamkamon, Phnom Penh which participated by more than 50 people, including students, monks, NGOs’ staffs and a lawmaker.

The purposes of this event is to mark the eighth anniversary of SMD and remember the deaths of democracy lovers who died during a brutal crackdown by the government forces on peaceful demonstration led by students and monks against fraud election result in 1998.

 

At the beginning, participants sang national anthem and followed by short presentations on the activities and background of SMD by Mr. Mao Veasna, SMD President and Mr. Sorn Sarath, SMD General Secretary respectively.

H.E. Keo Remy, MP, said that he has strongly supported this movement since its inception in 1998 because the movement has always tried its best to protect our homeland and find justice for ordinary people.

After received some blessing from the monks, participants offered foods and other materials for the monks in hoping that the spirits and souls of those who died during demonstration against unfree and unjust 1998-election would live in peace and harmony.               

The anniversary was finished after participants went on to lay the wreath and pay respect at the memoral site in front of Cambodiana Hotel where dozen of students and monks were gunned down by the govenment forces.

 

Finally, Mr. Sorn Sarath made an interview with journalists about the position of SMD on the border issue and human rights situation in Cambodia.

See below for the names of people who donated for this event:

1. Mr. Saro Sivutha, Former President of SMD    100$
2. H.E Keo Remy, Member of Parliament            200,000R
3. Mr. Ir Channa, Former Sec-Gen of SMD         50$