Sam Rainsy Party

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Cambodia’s main opposition party is a political organization with a vision and commitment dedicated toward genuine reform: quality of life and justice for all. The Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) is fully committed to building roads for a peaceful transition toward a liberalized democracy in the Kingdom of Cambodia through its motto of “Integrity, Truth, Justice.”

In January 2010, Hon. Sam Rainsy, MP and leader of the Cambodian opposition, was sentenced in absentia to two years in prison. This was in addition to a 10-year sentence handed down in 2009, after Sam Rainsy was convicted for racial incitement and the destruction of public property. Hon. Sam has since been in self-imposed exile in Europe but continues his work with the party through online conferences and international meetings.

On 21 October 2010, the European Parliament adopted a resolution on Cambodia that strongly denounced “all politically motivated sentences against representatives of the opposition and NGOs,” particularly those against Hon. Sam Rainsy. It called upon Cambodian authorities to engage in political and institutional reforms to build a democratic state and “guarantee free and fair political expression without intimidation and harassment.”

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Address No. 576 National Road No. 2, Sangkat Chak Angre Leu, Khan Meanchey, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Telephone +855 23 696 0414

Fax +855 23 425 249

Email srpcabinet@gmail.com

Website http://www.samrainsyparty.org

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On 19 October 2011, IPU Governing Council adopted unanimously a resolution that stated that the Inter-Parliamentary Union reaffirmed Mr. Sam Rainsy’s gesture of pulling out temporary order markers as a political gesture, and that, consequently, the courts should never have been seized to resolve a political matter, which rather should have given rise to debate within parliament. In the resolution, the IPU said it deeply regretted that the Prime Minister’s clear statement on the question of border post #185 had not as yet led to any initiatives with a view to settling this case, which indisputably may impair the democratic process in Cambodia. The IPU then called once again on the authorities, including Parliament, “to take action with a view to Mr. Sam Rainsy’s rehabilitation so as to enable him to resume his rightful place as a member of the National Assembly and to stand as a candidate in the next parliamentary elections.”

The Sam Rainsy Party continues to struggle to strengthen democratic institutions and instill democratic reforms in the country. In his New Year message for 2011, Hon. Sam Rainsy stated that “Cambodia needs to true progress, modernity, sustainable and equitable economic development, social justice, decent employment for the large number of young people entering the job market, increased well-being for the entire population, and an intelligent and strong defense of the vital interests of the nation.”