Khmerintelligence.org : Cambodia's first scientifically conducted opinion poll on political preferences
A national public opinion survey of Cambodian political attitudes was conducted in January and February this year by a Washington-based professional organization (Ayres, McHenry & Associates) with the support of the International Republican Institute. The results were published today on I R I Web site: http:// www.iri.org /pdfs / camb-poll-02-04.pdf . Main conclusions:
1- 73 percent of Cambodians say the country is not doing so well now, and 53 percent say life will be about the same or worse off five years from now.
2- 88 percent of Cambodians view poverty as a very important problem. Border integrity is also considered a very important problem by a majority of 86 percent.
3- Prince Norodom Ranariddh is Cambodia's most popular figure with 67 percent of Cambodians expressing a favourable opinion of him, followed by Chea Sim (66 percent), Hun Sen (66 percent) and Sam Rainsy (62 percent).
4- 36 percent of Cambodians have a favourable view of the Alliance of Democrats (Funcinpec + SRP), but 49 percent have never heard of that political grouping.
5- 49 percent of voters say they voted for the CPP in the July 27, 2003 elections (actual score: 47 percent); 18 percent say they voted for Funcinpec (actual score: 21 percent); 25 percent say they voted for the SRP (actual score: 22 percent). This tends to show that ballot counting did not significantly on the whole distort the actual voters' will. But it does not mean that the will of the people (citizens) has not been distorted given the fact that some 1.5 million potential voters (out of 6.7 million) had been methodically excluded from the registration and voting processes, which most international observers did not see.
6- Among foreign countries, Cambodians like the U.S.A. most (83 percent) and Vietnam least (23 percent).

N.P. : What to think about that ?
3- Prince Norodom Ranariddh is Cambodia's most popular figure with 67 percent of Cambodians expressing a favourable opinion of him, followed by Chea Sim (66 percent), Hun Sen (66 percent) and Sam Rainsy (62 percent).
               
67%                   62%                       66%                        66%
It recalls me the saying of a lawyer at La Maison du Cambodge (where we're both residents) after March 18, 1970 : "Pibak Qit Nass! Sralainh Samdech Doch Ovpouk, Sralainh Lok Lon Nol Doch Mday!"
Ils sont pas fous ces Cambodgiens!

ChimS1 : I believe it's a fairly representative assessment. It's fair enough.

N.P. : C'est pourquoi j'ai dit : They are not crazy, those Cambodians!

Propriété privée et droits de l'homme dans la Constitution chinoise
14 MARS 2004

Lemonde.fr : Le parlement chinois a amendé dimanche la Constitution du pays afin de protéger la propriété privée et les droits de l'homme. Ces amendements ont été adoptés à 99 % des quelque 3 000 délégués de l'Assemblée nationale populaire (ANP), au dernier jour de la session parlementaire annuelle. (AFP)

Julien Khouth : China has empowered human rights and private property in its Constitution to further enrich China and the Chinese. Why the second Cambodian kingdom does not do the same to reduce poverty in Cambodia ?

N.P. : Because Hun Sen and CPP members wanted to become rich. And "becoming rich" and "reducing poverty" are not the same thing.