Posted by Arno Maierbrugger on September 16, 2013
Violent clashes erupted on September 15 in Cambodia’s capital Phnom Penh between opposition party protesters and riot police, leaving at least one person dead and several wounded, according to local media.
Police have fired tear gas and water cannon to disperse thousands of demonstrators who demand an independent investigation into the July 28 election they suspect was rigged.
Clashes broke out between separate groups of protesters hurling rocks at hundreds of riot police who used baton charges after supporters of the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) tried to remove razor-wire barricades. Military police spokesman Kheng Tito insisted that security forces had not fired live ammunition.
Carrying banners reading "my vote, my nation" and "where is my vote?" – in a reference to the alleged poll fraud which saw the Cambodian’s People’s Party (CPP) win 68 seats compared to the 55 alloted to the CNRP – many protesters carried backpacks apparently in preparation for a long stay.
The clashes with riot police, known for cracking down hard on dissent, added to political tension not seen for years,
heightened by the discovery of a bomb and some grenades around the city two days earlier.
