Cambodian police officers stand guard in Phnom Penh (Photo: AFP/VNA)
Cambodia plans to deploy a total of 80,000 security personnel to ensure security and public order during the general election in July, a senior officer said on April 18.
The information was released by National Police Deputy Chief Gen. Kirt Chantharith at the opening ceremony of a training course on the election law and the code of ethics for security personnel during the election.
He noted up to 80,000 security personnel, including police, soldiers, military police and state security guards, will be deployed to protect the election.
Cambodia is committed to holding the election, slated for July 29, in a free, fair and orderly manner without any intimidation, he added.
On April 9, the National Election Committee (NEC) of Cambodia warned that anyone calling on the people to boycott the general election could be fined and face criminal charges.
An NEC statement said under the Law on Election of Members of the National Assembly, anyone preventing voters from casting ballots would be fined between 1,250 USD and 5,000 USD, and could also face criminal charges.
Meanwhile, the NEC called on eligible voters to vote in order to exercise their rights to elect their leaders.
The warning came a day after Sam Rainsy, leader of the now-dissolved opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), urged people to boycott the upcoming election if the CNRP was not allowed to participate. Sam Rainsy has been living in self-imposed exile in France since November 2015 to avoid at least eight-year-prison sentence for defamation and incitement cases.
Cambodian people will elect 125 parliamentarians during the upcoming election. According to the Ministry of Interior of Cambodia, the country has 37 recognised political parties, many of which have announced their participation in the election.
VNA
