LYNN — Three members of the Lynn delegation, state Sen. Brendan Crighton and Reps. Daniel Cahill and Peter Capano — all Democrats who live in the city — announced Monday that they have co-signed a resolution condemning political oppression and encouraging free and fair elections in the country of Cambodia.
Lynn City Councilor-at-Large Hong Net, who was originally born in Cambodia but fled at a young age to escape persecution, is also an avid supporter of the resolution.
Crighton said Lynn has one of the largest Cambodian populations in the country and the resolution would send a message to those in the federal government that the Lynn delegation stands in solidarity with their Khmer constituents. The legislation is meant to send a message to the federal government that Massachusetts acknowledges and stands against the political injustices that are occurring in Cambodia, Crighton’s office said.
“This resolution will let our partners at the federal level know that the people of the commonwealth recognize that the situation in Cambodia is unacceptable,” said Crighton. “It will also let the rest of the world see that we stand with the Cambodian community and stand by our democratic values and principles.”
Cahill agreed, saying that, “I stand firmly with the Khmer people here in Lynn in demanding the observance and protection of democracy and freedom in Cambodia.”
The resolution, known as S.2406, was filed by state Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Lowell) on March 29, 2021 and concurred by the House of Representatives on the same day. Along with the three members of the Lynn delegation, state Sen. James B. Eldridge (D-Acton) and Rep. Vanna Howard (D-Lowell) also co-signed the resolution.
Kennedy said he was happy Crighton, Cahill and Capano co-signed his resolution. He said it is important to let the Cambodian community know that the state’s lawmakers are paying attention.
“I am pleased to hear the Lynn delegation is supporting S.2406,” said Kennedy. “After Lowell, the city of Lynn is home to the second-largest Cambodian-American population in the commonwealth. It is important that the Cambodian community in Massachusetts knows that we stand with them in support of free and fair elections.”
The resolution states that the 1991 Paris Peace Agreements, which formally ended the Cambodian-Vietnamese War and the Third Indochina War, call for free and fair elections in the country of Cambodia. According to the text of the resolution, the five elections held for prime minister were marked by fraud, voter intimidation and the suppression of opposition candidates and parties of the ruling Cambodia People’s Party (CPP) led by Prime Minister Hun Sen.
Sen has served as prime minister of Cambodia since 1985 and his government was responsible for the dissolution of the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) and the arrest of its president, Kem Sokha, Crighton’s office said.
The resolution is a message from the Massachusetts legislature to President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris that calls for them to support sanctions on Cambodia’s ruling government based on these actions of subverting democratic elections.
“The legislature calls (for the) president of the United States and the vice president to support and enact legislation imposing sanctions on the government of Cambodia to promote democracy and prevent the further erosion of human rights in the nation,” the text reads.
This resolution is currently before the Joint Committee on Veterans and Federal Affairs.
A hearing was held before the committee on Jan. 7, where elected officials, activists and community members testified as to why the legislature should adopt this resolution.
Net said Sen and the CCP will continue to use the military and the government at their disposal to influence elections in Cambodia and as a democracy, the United States must do more to support free and fair elections in Cambodia.
“In future Cambodian elections, Hun Sen and the CPP plan to practice the same old methods to win,” said Net. “We, the democracy lovers, must do everything we can to put pressure on them to respect voting rights for free and fair elections, as the Cambodian Constitution guarantees. They must allow the CNRP to participate in the next elections.”
