Cable Viewer

Currently released so far... 19730 / 251,287

### Articles

Brazil Sri Lanka United Kingdom Sweden 00. Editorial United States Latin America Egypt Jordan Yemen Thailand

### Browse latest releases

2010/11 2010/12 2011/01 2011/02 2011/03 2011/04 2011/05 2011/06 2011/07 2011/08
2010/11/28 2010/11/29 2010/11/30
2010/12/01 2010/12/02 2010/12/03 2010/12/04 2010/12/05 2010/12/06 2010/12/07 2010/12/08 2010/12/09 2010/12/10 2010/12/11 2010/12/12 2010/12/13 2010/12/14 2010/12/15 2010/12/16 2010/12/17 2010/12/18 2010/12/19 2010/12/20 2010/12/21 2010/12/22 2010/12/23 2010/12/24 2010/12/25 2010/12/26 2010/12/27 2010/12/28 2010/12/29 2010/12/30
2011/01/01 2011/01/02 2011/01/04 2011/01/05 2011/01/07 2011/01/09 2011/01/11 2011/01/12 2011/01/13 2011/01/14 2011/01/15 2011/01/16 2011/01/17 2011/01/18 2011/01/19 2011/01/20 2011/01/21 2011/01/22 2011/01/23 2011/01/24 2011/01/25 2011/01/26 2011/01/27 2011/01/28 2011/01/29 2011/01/30 2011/01/31
2011/02/01 2011/02/02 2011/02/03 2011/02/04 2011/02/05 2011/02/06 2011/02/07 2011/02/08 2011/02/09 2011/02/10 2011/02/11 2011/02/12 2011/02/13 2011/02/14 2011/02/15 2011/02/16 2011/02/17 2011/02/18 2011/02/19 2011/02/20 2011/02/21 2011/02/22 2011/02/23 2011/02/24 2011/02/25 2011/02/26 2011/02/27 2011/02/28
2011/03/01 2011/03/02 2011/03/03 2011/03/04 2011/03/05 2011/03/06 2011/03/07 2011/03/08 2011/03/09 2011/03/10 2011/03/11 2011/03/13 2011/03/14 2011/03/15 2011/03/16 2011/03/17 2011/03/18 2011/03/19 2011/03/20 2011/03/21 2011/03/22 2011/03/23 2011/03/24 2011/03/25 2011/03/26 2011/03/27 2011/03/28 2011/03/29 2011/03/30 2011/03/31
2011/04/01 2011/04/02 2011/04/03 2011/04/04 2011/04/05 2011/04/06 2011/04/07 2011/04/08 2011/04/09 2011/04/10 2011/04/11 2011/04/12 2011/04/13 2011/04/14 2011/04/15 2011/04/16 2011/04/17 2011/04/18 2011/04/19 2011/04/20 2011/04/21 2011/04/22 2011/04/23 2011/04/24 2011/04/25 2011/04/26 2011/04/27 2011/04/28 2011/04/29 2011/04/30
2011/05/01 2011/05/02 2011/05/03 2011/05/04 2011/05/05 2011/05/06 2011/05/07 2011/05/08 2011/05/09 2011/05/10 2011/05/11 2011/05/12 2011/05/13 2011/05/14 2011/05/15 2011/05/16 2011/05/17 2011/05/18 2011/05/19 2011/05/20 2011/05/21 2011/05/22 2011/05/23 2011/05/24 2011/05/25 2011/05/26 2011/05/27 2011/05/28 2011/05/29 2011/05/30 2011/05/31
2011/06/01 2011/06/02 2011/06/03 2011/06/04 2011/06/05 2011/06/06 2011/06/07 2011/06/08 2011/06/09 2011/06/10 2011/06/11 2011/06/12 2011/06/13 2011/06/14 2011/06/15 2011/06/16 2011/06/17 2011/06/18 2011/06/19 2011/06/20 2011/06/21 2011/06/22 2011/06/23 2011/06/24 2011/06/25 2011/06/26 2011/06/27 2011/06/28 2011/06/29 2011/06/30
2011/07/01 2011/07/02 2011/07/04 2011/07/05 2011/07/06 2011/07/07 2011/07/08 2011/07/10 2011/07/11 2011/07/12 2011/07/13 2011/07/14 2011/07/15 2011/07/16 2011/07/17 2011/07/18 2011/07/19 2011/07/20 2011/07/21 2011/07/22 2011/07/23 2011/07/25 2011/07/27 2011/07/28 2011/07/29 2011/07/31
2011/08/01 2011/08/02 2011/08/03 2011/08/05 2011/08/06 2011/08/07 2011/08/08 2011/08/09 2011/08/10 2011/08/11 2011/08/12 2011/08/13

### Browse by creation date

66 72 73 75 79 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10
1966/12
1972/02 1972/08
1973/04
1975/03
1979/08
1985/03 1985/05 1985/06
1986/05 1986/08 1986/12
1987/06
1988/01 1988/03 1988/04 1988/07 1988/08 1988/12
1989/12
1990/01 1990/07 1990/08 1990/10
1991/05 1991/07 1991/11
1992/01 1992/03 1992/06 1992/09 1992/11 1992/12
1993/01 1993/02 1993/10
1994/11 1994/12
1995/01 1995/04 1995/06 1995/11
1996/07 1996/09 1996/11
1997/02 1997/03 1997/05 1997/06 1997/08 1997/10 1997/12
1998/05 1998/12
1999/01 1999/09
2000/05 2000/06 2000/09 2000/11 2000/12
2001/02 2001/03 2001/04 2001/05 2001/06 2001/07 2001/09 2001/10 2001/11 2001/12
2002/01 2002/02 2002/03 2002/04 2002/06 2002/07 2002/08 2002/09 2002/11 2002/12
2003/01 2003/02 2003/03 2003/04 2003/05 2003/06 2003/07 2003/08 2003/09 2003/10 2003/11 2003/12
2004/01 2004/02 2004/03 2004/04 2004/05 2004/06 2004/07 2004/08 2004/09 2004/10 2004/11 2004/12
2005/01 2005/02 2005/03 2005/04 2005/05 2005/06 2005/07 2005/08 2005/09 2005/10 2005/11 2005/12
2006/01 2006/02 2006/03 2006/04 2006/05 2006/06 2006/07 2006/08 2006/09 2006/10 2006/11 2006/12
2007/01 2007/02 2007/03 2007/04 2007/05 2007/06 2007/07 2007/08 2007/09 2007/10 2007/11 2007/12
2008/01 2008/02 2008/03 2008/04 2008/05 2008/06 2008/07 2008/08 2008/09 2008/10 2008/11 2008/12
2009/01 2009/02 2009/03 2009/04 2009/05 2009/06 2009/07 2009/08 2009/09 2009/10 2009/11 2009/12
2010/01 2010/02

### Browse by origin

A B C D F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z
Embassy Athens Embassy Asuncion Embassy Astana Embassy Asmara Embassy Ashgabat Embassy Apia Embassy Ankara Embassy Amman Embassy Algiers Embassy Addis Ababa Embassy Accra Embassy Abuja Embassy Abu Dhabi Embassy Abidjan Consulate Auckland Consulate Amsterdam Consulate Adana American Institute Taiwan, Taipei
Embassy Bujumbura Embassy Buenos Aires Embassy Budapest Embassy Bucharest Embassy Brussels Embassy Bridgetown Embassy Bratislava Embassy Brasilia Embassy Bogota Embassy Bishkek Embassy Bern Embassy Berlin Embassy Belmopan Embassy Belgrade Embassy Beirut Embassy Beijing Embassy Banjul Embassy Bangkok Embassy Bandar Seri Begawan Embassy Bamako Embassy Baku Embassy Baghdad Consulate Belfast Consulate Barcelona
Embassy Copenhagen Embassy Conakry Embassy Colombo Embassy Chisinau Embassy Caracas Embassy Canberra Embassy Cairo Consulate Curacao Consulate Ciudad Juarez Consulate Chiang Mai Consulate Chennai Consulate Casablanca Consulate Cape Town Consulate Calgary
Embassy Dushanbe Embassy Dublin Embassy Doha Embassy Djibouti Embassy Dili Embassy Dhaka Embassy Dar Es Salaam Embassy Damascus Embassy Dakar Consulate Dubai Consulate Dhahran
Embassy Freetown Consulate Fukuoka
Embassy Guatemala Embassy Gaborone Consulate Guayaquil Consulate Guangzhou Consulate Guadalajara
Embassy Helsinki Embassy Harare Embassy Hanoi Consulate Hong Kong Consulate Ho Chi Minh City Consulate Hermosillo Consulate Hamilton Consulate Hamburg Consulate Halifax
Iran RPO Dubai Embassy Islamabad Consulate Istanbul
Embassy Jakarta Consulate Jerusalem Consulate Jeddah
Embassy Kyiv Embassy Kuwait Embassy Kuala Lumpur Embassy Kinshasa Embassy Kingston Embassy Kigali Embassy Khartoum Embassy Kathmandu Embassy Kampala Embassy Kabul Consulate Kolkata Consulate Karachi
Embassy Luxembourg Embassy Luanda Embassy London Embassy Ljubljana Embassy Lisbon Embassy Lima Embassy Lilongwe Embassy Libreville Embassy La Paz Consulate Lahore Consulate Lagos
Mission USOSCE Mission USNATO Mission UNESCO Mission Geneva Embassy Muscat Embassy Moscow Embassy Montevideo Embassy Monrovia Embassy Minsk Embassy Mexico Embassy Mbabane Embassy Maseru Embassy Maputo Embassy Manila Embassy Manama Embassy Managua Embassy Malabo Embassy Madrid Consulate Munich Consulate Mumbai Consulate Montreal Consulate Monterrey Consulate Milan Consulate Melbourne Consulate Matamoros
Embassy Nicosia Embassy Niamey Embassy New Delhi Embassy Ndjamena Embassy Nassau Embassy Nairobi Consulate Nuevo Laredo Consulate Naples Consulate Naha Consulate Nagoya
Embassy Ouagadougou Embassy Ottawa Embassy Oslo
Embassy Pristina Embassy Pretoria Embassy Prague Embassy Port Of Spain Embassy Port Louis Embassy Port Au Prince Embassy Phnom Penh Embassy Paris Embassy Paramaribo Embassy Panama Consulate Peshawar
Embassy Quito Consulate Quebec
REO Basrah Embassy Rome Embassy Riyadh Embassy Riga Embassy Reykjavik Embassy Rangoon Embassy Rabat Consulate Rio De Janeiro Consulate Recife
Secretary of State Embassy Suva Embassy Stockholm Embassy Sofia Embassy Skopje Embassy Singapore Embassy Seoul Embassy Sarajevo Embassy Santo Domingo Embassy Santiago Embassy Sanaa Embassy San Salvador Embassy San Jose Consulate Strasbourg Consulate St Petersburg Consulate Shenyang Consulate Shanghai Consulate Sapporo Consulate Sao Paulo
Embassy Tunis Embassy Tripoli Embassy Tokyo Embassy The Hague Embassy Tel Aviv Embassy Tehran Embassy Tegucigalpa Embassy Tbilisi Embassy Tashkent Embassy Tallinn Consulate Toronto Consulate Tijuana Consulate Thessaloniki
USUN New York USEU Brussels US Office Almaty US Mission Geneva US Interests Section Havana US Delegation, Secretary UNVIE UN Rome Embassy Ulaanbaatar
Embassy Vilnius Embassy Vientiane Embassy Vienna Embassy Vatican Embassy Valletta Consulate Vladivostok Consulate Vancouver
Embassy Windhoek Embassy Wellington Embassy Warsaw
Embassy Yerevan Embassy Yaounde
Embassy Zagreb

### Browse by tag

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
ASEC AEMR AMGT AR APECO AU AORC AJ AF AFIN AS AM ABLD AFFAIRS AMB APER AA AE ATRN ADM ACOA AID AY AG ALOW AND ABUD AMED ASPA AL APEC ADPM ADANA AFSI ARABL ADCO ANARCHISTS AZ ANET AMEDCASCKFLO AADP AO AGRICULTURE ACABQ ASEAN ARF APRC AFSN AFSA AORG AINR AINF AODE AROC APCS ARCH AGAO ASUP ADB AX AMEX ARM AQ ATFN AMBASSADOR ARAS ACBAQ AC AOPR AREP ASIG ASEX AER AVERY ASCH AFU AMG ATPDEA ASECKFRDCVISKIRFPHUMSMIGEG AORL AN AIT AGMT ACS AGR AMCHAMS AECL AUC AFGHANISTAN ACAO
BR BB BG BEXP BY BA BRUSSELS BU BD BK BL BE BO BTIO BH BM BAIO BRPA BUSH BILAT BF BX BMGT BOL BC BIDEN BP BBG BBSR BT BWC BEXPC BN BTIU
CPAS CA CASC CS CBW CIDA CO CODEL CI CROS CU CH CWC CMGT CVIS CDG CG CF CHIEF CJAN CBSA CE CY CB CW CM CHR CD CT CDC CONS CAMBODIA CN CR COUNTRY CONDOLEEZZA CZ CARICOM COM CICTE CYPRUS CBE CACS COE CIVS CFED COUNTER COPUOS CARSON CAPC CTR CV CITES CKGR CVR CLINTON COUNTERTERRORISM CITEL CLEARANCE CSW CIC CITT CARIB CAFTA CACM CDB CJUS CTM CAN CAJC CONSULAR CLMT CBC CIA CNARC CIS CEUDA CHINA CAC CL
DR DJ DB DHS DAO DCM DO DEFENSE DA DK DOMESTIC DE DISENGAGEMENT DOD DOT DPRK DEPT DEA DOE DTRA DS DEAX
ECON ETTC EFIS ETRD EC EMIN EAGR EAID EU EFIN EUN ECIN EG EWWT EINV ENRG ELAB EPET EN EAIR EUMEM ECPS ELTN EIND EZ EI ER ET EINT ECONOMIC ENIV EFTA ES EET ECONOMY ENV EAG ELECTIONS ESTH ETRO ECIP EPEC EXIM ENERG ECCT EREL EK EDEV ERNG ENGY EPA ETRAD ELTNSNAR ENGR ETRC ELAP EUREM EEB EETC ECOSOC ENVI EXTERNAL ELN EAIDS ETRDEINVECINPGOVCS EDU EPREL EINVEFIN ECA EFINECONCS EIDN EINVKSCA ETC ENVR EAP EINN EXBS ECONOMICS EIAR EINDETRD ECONEFIN EURN ETRDEINVTINTCS EFIM EINVETC ECONCS EDRC ENRD EBRD ETRA ESA EAIG EUR EUC ERD ETRN EINVECONSENVCSJA EEPET EUNCH ESENV ENNP ECINECONCS ETRDECONWTOCS ECUN
FR FI FOREIGN FAO FARC FREEDOM FAS FINANCE FBI FTAA FCS FJ FAA FTA FK FT FAC FDA FINR FM FOR FOI FO FMLN FISO
GM GERARD GT GA GG GR GTIP GE GH GY GB GLOBAL GEORGE GCC GC GV GAZA GL GOV GOI GF GTMO GANGS GAERC GZ GUILLERMO GASPAR
HR HA HYMPSK HO HK HUMAN HN HUD HU HURI HILLARY HI HUM HSTC HEBRON HUMOR
IZ IN IAEA IS IMO ILO IR IC IT ITU IV IMF IBRD IWC IPR IRAQI IDB ISRAELI ITALY ITPGOV ITALIAN IADB ID ICAO ICRC INR IO IFAD ICJ IRAQ INL INMARSAT INRA INTERNAL INTELSAT ILC IRS INDO IIP ITRA IQ IEFIN ICTY ISCON IAHRC IA INTERPOL IEA INRB ISRAEL IZPREL IRAJ IF ITPHUM IL IACI IDA ISLAMISTS IGAD ITF INRO IBET IDP ICTR IRC
JA JO JM JP JOHN JUS JAMES JOSEPH JOHNNIE JML JIMENEZ
KOMC KNNP KFLO KDEM KSUM KIPR KFLU KPAO KE KCRM KJUS KAWC KZ KSCA KDRG KCOR KGHG KPAL KTIP KMCA KCRS KPKO KOLY KRVC KVPR KG KWBG KMDR KTER KSPR KV KTFN KWMN KFRD KSTH KS KN KISL KGIC KSEP KFIN KTEX KTIA KUNR KCMR KMOC KCIP KTDB KBIO KSAF KU KHIV KNNNP KSTC KNUP KIRF KIRC KHLS KIDE KTDD KMPI KSEO KSCS KICC KCFE KNUC KGLB KIVP KPWR KR KREL KCOM KESS KCSY KWN KRFD KBCT KREC KICCPUR KFRDCVISCMGTCASCKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG KOCI KGIT KMCC KPRP KPRV KAUST KPAOPREL KCRIM KIRP KLAB KHSA KPAONZ KCRCM KICA KHDP KNAR KINR KGHA KPAOY KTRD KTAO KJUST KWAC KACT KSCI KNPP KMRS KHUM KTBT KNNPMNUC KBTS KERG KPIR KTLA KAWK KNDP KAID KO KX KVRP KFSC KENV KPOA KMFO KVIR KRCM KCFC KNEI KCHG KPLS KFTFN KTFM KLIG KDEMAF KRAD KBTR KGCC KSEC KPIN KDEV KWWMN KOM KWNM KFRDKIRFCVISCMGTKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG KRGY KIFR KSAC KWMNCS KPAK KOMS KFPC KRIM KDDG KCGC KPAI KID KMIG KNSD KWMM
LY LE LABOR LH LAB LI LTTE LO LU LA LVPR LT LG LOG
MARR MX MASS MOPS MNUC MCAP MTCRE MRCRE MTRE MASC MY MK MCC MO MAS MZ MCA MIL MU ML MTCR MEPP MG MI MINUSTAH MP MA MD MAR MAPP MR MOPPS MTS MLS MILI MEPN MEPI MEETINGS MERCOSUR MW MT MIK MN MAPS MV MILITARY MARAD MDC MACEDONIA MASSMNUC MUCN MEDIA MQADHAFI MPOS MPS MC
NZ NATO NI NO NU NG NL NPT NS NSF NA NP NATIONAL NASA NDP NIH NC NIPP NSSP NEGROPONTE NK NAS NE NATOIRAQ NGO NAR NR NZUS NARC NH NSG NAFTA NEW NRR NT NOVO NATOPREL NEA NSC NV NPA NSFO NW NORAD NPG NOAA
OTRA OECD OVIP OREP OPRC ODC OIIP OPDC OAS OSCE OPIC OMS OEXC OPCW OIE OSCI OPAD ODIP OM OFDP OFFICIALS OEXP OPEC ODPC OVIPPRELUNGANU OSHA OSIC OHUM OTR OMIG OSAC OBSP OFDA OVP ON OCII OES OCS OIC
PGOV PREL PARM PINR PHUM PM PREF PTER PK PINS PBIO PHSA PE PBTS PL POL PAK POV POLITICS POLICY PA PNAT PALESTINIAN PCI PAS PO PROV PH PROP PERM PETR PRELBR POLITICAL PJUS PREZ PAO PRELPK PAIGH PROG PMAR PU PG PDOV PTE PGOVSOCI PMIL PY PGOR PBTSRU PRAM PARMS PREO PSI PGOF PTERE PERL PINO PPA PRGOV PORG PP PS PKFK PSOE PEPR PDEM PINT PRELP PREFA PNG PTBS PFOR PUNE PGOVLO PHUMBA POLINT PGOVE PHALANAGE PARTY PECON PLN PHUH PEDRO PF PHUS PETER PARTIES PCUL PGGV PSA PGOVSMIGKCRMKWMNPHUMCVISKFRDCA PGIV PHUMPREL POGOV PEL PINL PBT PINF PRL PSEPC POSTS PAHO PHUMPGOV PGOC PNR
QA
RS RP RU RW RFE RCMP RIGHTSPOLMIL RO ROBERT RM ROOD RICE REGION RELAM RSP RF RELATIONS RIGHTS RUPREL REMON RPEL REACTION REPORT RSO
SZ SENV SOCI SNAR SY SO SP SU SI SMIG SYR SA SCUL SW SR SYRIA SNARM SPECIALIST SG SENS SF SEN SENVEAGREAIDTBIOECONSOCIXR SN SC SNA SK SL SANC SMIL SCRM SENVSXE SAARC STEINBERG SCRS SARS SWE SNARIZ SENVQGR SAN ST SIPDIS SSA SPCVIS SOFA SENVKGHG SHI SEVN SHUM SH SNARCS SPCE SNARN SIPRS
TRGY TBIO TSPA TU TPHY TI TX TH TIP TSPL TNGD TS TW TRSY TZ TN TINT TC TR TIO TF TK TRAD TT TWI TD TERRORISM TP TL TV TO TURKEY TSPAM TREL TRT TFIN TAGS THPY TBID
UK UNSC UNGA UN US UZ USEU UG UP UNAUS UNMIK USTR UY UNSCR UNRCR UNESCO UNICEF USPS UNHCR UNHRC UNFICYP UNCSD UNEP USAID UV UNDP UNTAC USDA USUN UNMIC UNCHR UNCTAD UR USGS USNC USOAS UA UE UNVIE UAE UNO UNODC UNCHS UNDESCO UNC UNPUOS UNDC UNCHC UNFCYP UNIDROIT UNCND
VE VM VT VZ VEPREL VN VTEG VTIZ VTPREL VISIT VENZ VAT VC VI
WHTI WIPO WTRO WTO WHO WFP WS WA WZ WI WMD WBG WWARD WHA WITH WTRQ WEU WMO WB
XA XW XX XK XL XM XS XF XR XY XG XT XC XH XD XE XV XB XU XZ XQ XI XTAG
YI YM YE YL YMCS
ZU ZI ZOELLICK ZP ZR ZO ZK ZF ZL ZB ZN ZH ZT ZJ ZEALAND ZA ZANU

### Browse by classification

CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL//NOFORN SECRET SECRET//NOFORN UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

### Community resources

Follow us on Twitter Check our Reddit Twitter this Digg this page Contact us on IRC

courage is contagious

### Viewing cable 07PHNOMPENH240, THE FIGHT FOR THIRD PLACE IN CAMBODIA'S APRIL

If you are new to these pages, please read an introduction on the structure of a cable as well as how to discuss them with others. See also the FAQs
Understanding cables
Every cable message consists of three parts:

- The top box shows each cables unique reference number, when and by whom it originally was sent, and what its initial classification was.
- The middle box contains the header information that is associated with the cable. It includes information about the receiver(s) as well as a general subject.
- The bottom box presents the body of the cable. The opening can contain a more specific subject, references to other cables (browse by origin to find them) or additional comment. This is followed by the main contents of the cable: a summary, a collection of specific topics and a comment section.

To understand the justification used for the classification of each cable, please use this WikiSource article as reference.
Discussing cables
If you find meaningful or important information in a cable, please link directly to its unique reference number. Linking to a specific paragraph in the body of a cable is also possible by copying the appropriate link (to be found at theparagraph symbol). Please mark messages for social networking services like Twitter with the hash tags #cablegate and a hash containing the reference ID e.g. #07PHNOMPENH240.

Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
07PHNOMPENH240 | 2007-02-12 06:12 | 2011-07-11 00:00 | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | Embassy Phnom Penh

`

    VZCZCXRO4424
    OO RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHNH
    DE RUEHPF #0240/01 0430612
    ZNR UUUUU ZZH
    O 120612Z FEB 07
    FM AMEMBASSY PHNOM PENH
    TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8001
    INFO RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

` `

    UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 PHNOM PENH 000240

    SIPDIS

    SENSITIVE
    SIPDIS

    STATE FOR EAP/MLS, DRL

    E.O. 12958: N/A
    TAGS: PGOV KDEM CB
    SUBJECT: THE FIGHT FOR THIRD PLACE IN CAMBODIA'S APRIL
    COMMUNE ELECTIONS

     ¶1.  (SBU)  Summary.  Recent discussions with NGOs and
    political party members suggest that the real race for the
    April 1 commune council elections will be between FUNCINPEC
    and the NRP of Prince Norodom Ranariddh probably competing
    for third place.  As the clear front-runner, the ruling CPP
    continues to dominate media coverage of the upcoming
    elections, and CPP officials are reportedly spending every
    weekend campaigning for CPP commune candidates, providing
    money and gifts to voters as well as ensuring that
    infrastructure needs of the community are addressed.  The
    opposition Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) is working on expanding its
    base of communes under SRP control, and hopes to come in a
    respectable second in the elections.  Prince Ranariddh,
    however, is not expected to return to Cambodia in the near
    term due to pending lawsuits.  The most interesting raise is
    between FUNCINPEC (aligned with Hun Sen) and the new party
    formed by Prince Norodom Ranariddh following his ouster from
    FUNCINPEC.  The fact that Ranariddh is not expected to return
    anytime soon may handicap that race.  All parties agree that
    the April 1 results will set the stage for the 2008 election
    campaign.  A UNDP election consultant's recent report details
    the shortcomings of the National Election Commission (NEC)
    and the electoral process in Cambodia.  End Summary.

    No Contest on April 1, Save for Third Place
    -------------------------------------------

    ¶2.  (U)  A series of meetings with Norodom Ranariddh Party
    (NRP) and Sam Rainsy Party officials, members of the
    Cambodian People's Party (CPP), and NGO representatives
    working on elections, revealed that the ruling CPP's hold on
    the majority of the nation's 1,621 communes will continue on
    April 1.  On that date, the country will vote for the second
    time for commune council representatives.  Commune councils
    are the lowest government body recognized by the Cambodian
    Constitution, with 11,261 seats for the country's 24
    provinces.  The CPP dominated the first commune council
    elections in 2002, winning a total of 7,695 seats and taking
    the commune chief position (i.e., dominating the vote in a
    commune) in 1,597 communes out of 1,621 total communes.
    FUNCINPEC came in second, with 2,211 seats and winning 10
    communes.  The SRP took third place, with 1,345 commune seats
    and a dominant position in 13 communes.  (Note:  These
    figures omit one commune in Banteay Meanchey province where
    the SRP victory was contested by the CPP, and an awkward
    power-sharing arrangement has remained in effect.  End Note.)

    ¶3.  (SBU)  This time, all non-CPP parties acknowledge that
    the CPP will win; the question is by how wide a margin.  Even
    CPP stalwarts assess that vote buying may not be enough
    during upcoming elections; voters demand infrastructure
    projects, wells, and roads -- if they are not satisfied, the
    CPP runs the risk of people taking the money/gifts but voting
    for another party.  One CPP central committee member
    complained that he and other senior RGC officials have been
    spending each weekend since November 2006 in the provinces
    drumming up support for CPP candidates.  This same member
    acknowledged that lower ranking CPP officials must deliver
    their districts in order to keep their jobs; this official
    said he will not lose his job but must develop an electoral
    constituency if he is to advance within the party.  While he
    dislikes the required campaign work and the associated outlay
    of cash or projects he is required to supply, he knows that
    his future within the CPP depends on his electoral work.  At
    the same time, he noted that it was good the CPP was not
    complacent about the elections; the party leadership is
    taking very seriously constituency concerns to ensure
    registered CPP voters turn out for the CPP on April 1.
    People within the party are asking questions of local
    authorities and expecting accountability, he added, which is
    making the CPP a more democratic party.

    ¶4.  (SBU)  SRP officials say that they are prepared for a CPP
    victory, but their aim is to expand the SRP's current base of
    control within the commune councils.  In 2002, they won 13
    communes, but in the national elections in 2003, the SRP won
    enough seats in the National Assembly to represent majority
    control in roughly 140 communes -- particularly those in
    urban areas.  SRP Secretary General Mu Sochua said that the
    SRP's goal for the 2007 elections is to consolidate their
    hold on those communes, and possibly expand control to as
    many as 300 communes-- i.e, to double their base.  The party
    has worked hard to identify the best candidates to run, and
    in some cases, they have dropped non-performing SRP commune
    council incumbents.  Sochua described a situation in Poipet
    where their commune chief had grown unpopular, so the party
    polled local citizens who identified a local physician as the
    best candidate; the SRP enlisted him as their candidate.
    Sochua noted that the CPP does a similar exercise, but the

    PHNOM PENH 00000240  002 OF 004

    ruling party only asks citizens to name the best candidate
    from a CPP-provided list; the SRP takes a more open-ended
    approach and tries to identify the person whose name appeals
    to the widest swath of voters.  (Note:  Separate
    conversations with CPP officials indicate that Mu Sochua's
    outline of CPP candidate selection procedures is accurate;
    one CPP Senator noted that CPP provincial leadership approves
    the final choices.  End Note.)  SRP also wants to take the
    deputy commune chief position in every commune where they do
    not come in first, in order to solidify their position as the
    leading second party in Cambodian politics.

    ¶5.  (SBU)  The NRP is confident they will take third place
    and embarrass FUNCINPEC and the CPP in the process.  Even
    without Ranariddh's presence in Cambodia and no party
    organizational structure (two Ranariddh advisors noted that
    they have 35 people running the party and the rest are
    candidates and supporters at the grassroots level -- there is
    no provincial party structure in between), Ranariddh
    loyalists claim that the royalist voters associate NRP
    candidates with the royal family and former King Sihanouk's
    legacy -- and that is going to mean a third-place victory for
    the NRP, they say.  Despite press reports to the contrary,
    Ranariddh's office in Phnom Penh says that negotiations
    between the CPP and Ranariddh that would eliminate the legal
    problems facing the Prince are continuing.  The ability of
    the NRP to gather so many defectors from the ranks of
    FUNCINPEC commune councilors is proof that FUNCINPEC rank and
    file will not support FUNCINPEC at the polls and do not view
    FUNCINPEC as the standard bearer of the monarchy, say
    Ranariddh's people.  The CPP's continual claim that FUNCINPEC
    will remain a coalition partner of the CPP in a future
    government also serves to discredit FUNCINPEC, as the voters
    see a vote for FUNCINPEC as a vote for the CPP -- so perceive
    that they might as well vote for the CPP, according to the
    NRP.  In effect, the CPP is destroying FUNCINPEC, and will
    either try to cut a deal with Prince Ranariddh to keep the
    opposition split, or eliminate royal family members from
    participating in politics -- a topic that continues to be
    raised by the CPP.  In that event, say Ranariddh loyalists,
    the Prince will renounce his title, just as the former King
    did.  NRP members point to their ability to register NRP
    party lists in the majority of communes in a relatively short
    period of time as an indication of the degree of NRP support
    among grassroots FUNCINPEC members.

    COMFREL:  Improvements Since 2002; Difficulties Remain
    --------------------------------------------- ---------

    ¶6.  (SBU)  In a meeting with Koul Panha, director of the
    Committee for Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia (COMFREL),
    Panha described for Pol/Econ Chief the differences between
    the 2002 elections and the lead up to the April 1, 2007
    elections.  On a technical level, NEC has brought
    improvements to the electoral system, said Panha.  Two SRP
    appointees have been added to the NEC and there was broader
    recruitment of Provincial Electoral Committee (PEC) and
    Commune Electoral Committee (CEC) members, said the COMFREL
    official.  The number of registered voters increased and the
    NEC deserves credit for that, added Panha.  The NEC remains a
    strongly partisan organization dominated by the CPP, as are
    the PECs and CECs where over 70 pecent of the members are
    with the ruling party, but it's better than 2002, Panha
    allowed.  Registration of party candidate lists has been
    smoother this time, Panha added, as the 2002 legal framework
    made it easy to reject lists of candidates over a single
    problem; that has been eliminated this time.  The NEC has
    also dispensed with the "NGO Coordinating Committee," which
    Panha said was actually an impediment to NGO participation in
    the electoral process.  Now, NGOs can work directly with the
    NEC and cooperation has improved, he said.

    ¶7.  (SBU)  The mechanism for resolving election-related
    complaints has not improved, however, affirmed Panha, and is
    obviously skewed against non-ruling parties.  The NEC's plan
    for the provision of voter information slips was a good idea
    in theory, but the implementation through the largely
    CPP-affiliated village chiefs was a failure.  During the 2002
    and 2003 elections, added Panha, each party did its own voter
    information checks.

    ¶8.  (SBU)  There has been an overall improvement in the
    electoral environment with less overt violence so far, said
    Panha, but while physical attacks have decreased, other forms
    of intimidation have arisen.  Family members are threatened
    with physical violence or loss of jobs if their
    relative/candidate is a threat to the CPP, said Panha, who
    provided an example of a female SRP candidate whose husband
    was told he would lose his military position if he could not

    PHNOM PENH 00000240  003 OF 004

    convince his spouse to withdraw.  Vote buying and gift giving
    by the CPP has increased this time, said Panha.  Another
    negative factor that has not changed since 2002 is the lack
    of media access accorded to non-CPP candidates.  Although the
    official campaign period is only 15 days before the
    elections, already the radio and television programs are
    promoting CPP candidates while other parties are denied
    access, according to COMFREL.

    UNDP Report Cites Shortcomings, Areas for Improvement
    --------------------------------------------- --------

    ¶9.  (SBU)  A UNDP consultant recently completed an assessment
    of Cambodia's electoral system and made a number of
    recommendations to address inherent problems in the conduct
    of elections.  The report identifies the NEC's affiliation
    with the Ministry of Interior as problematic, and notes that
    the body's independence remains in question.  The report also
    cited many of the shortcomings noted by COMFREL and other
    NGOs; namely, the lack of a neutral electoral dispute
    resolution body, the media dominance by the CPP, and the
    overly complex and detailed regulations governing elections
    (while even the most basic application of election laws is
    not done equitably), lack of oversight of campaign finances,
    and a number of other points.  In a meeting with Pol/Econ
    Chief, the consultant noted that while Cambodia's elections
    may be technically adequate, they fall short of achieving
    their Constitutional mandate of promoting true political
    pluralism by virtue of the weaknesses outlined in the report.
     He urged that future donor funding go towards rectifying the
    inequities in the electoral system as a whole, and not focus
    on the technical aspect of the elections.

    USG Assistance to Elections
    ---------------------------

    ¶10. (U)  USAID is supporting the National Democratic
    Institute (NDI) and election monitoring NGOs COMFREL, NICFEC,
    and the Youth Council of Cambodia (YCC) in a variety of
    activities surrounding the elections on April 1.  NDI will
    print 45,000 copies of an election day manual for polling
    agents; NDI also trained 240 political party representatives
    from the CPP, SRP, FUNCINPEC, NRP to act as party monitoring
    trainers for their respective parties; NDI will assist local
    NGOs develop voter guides highlighting party issues; NDI will
    organize 30 candidate debates in 10 provinces that will be
    broadcast on Radio Free Asia; NDI has trained 36 female
    representatives (12 each) from the CPP, SRP, and FUNCINPEC to
    improve the communication skills of women candidates.
    COMFREL and NICFEC have worked with field monitors in
    election coverage both before and after election day, and
    NICFEC has produced 120 commune-based theater performances to
    educate the populace on good governance and women as leaders.
     USAID has funded the International Republican Institute
    (IRI) to work with the YCC to encourage youth as poll
    monitors.

    Teachers as Electoral Workers
    -----------------------------

    ¶11.  (U)  USAID has noted that during a January 2007
    Education Joint Technical Working Group meeting of donors
    highlighted UNESCO concerns that teachers had been recruited
    as Commune and Provincial electoral officials for the CECs
    and PECs.  NEC policy states that only non-teaching education
    staff may perform election-related functions, but reportedly
    many teachers (who make an average of USD 30 per month) are
    attracted to the higher salaries -- USD 80 for CECs and USD
    200 for PECs.  USAID education partners report noticeable
    absences among teaching staff, and in Mondulkiri province,
    roughly 30 percent of teachers are allegedly working as
    electoral officials in some capacity.  During a recent USAID
    field visit to Kratie province where USG personnel met with
    five local election officials, three of the five were school
    officials who planned to be absent from their educational
    duties for three months.

    Comment
    -------

    ¶12.  (SBU)   Some donors have evinced little interest in the
    commune elections, characterizing them as "unimportant."
    However, commune councilors select the members of the Senate
    as well as the village chiefs, so have a stronger political
    role beyond the local level.  While it may be tempting to
    overlook Cambodia's upcoming commune council elections as a
    foregone conclusion before they are even held, no one party
    appears to be taking the outcome for granted and all are
    continuing to jockey to improve their positions.  The CPP is

    PHNOM PENH 00000240  004 OF 004

    not giving into complacency but is looking to its candidates
    to appeal to constituencies based on performance and services
    delivered -- and is not relying on the standard gifts of
    5,000 riel ($1.25) or a bag of sugar.  The SRP is being
    realistic and trying to secure the uncontested second
    position; the NRP looks to come in a respectable third and
    most observers (even some FUNCINPEC members) agree that is
    likely.  What everyone does agree on is that the April 1
    results will be the starting point for the 2008 national
    election campaign -- which is why human rights leader Kem
    Sokha is waiting quietly to see how the parties fare before
    making his decision whether to form a party to contest the
    national elections next year.  End Comment.
    MUSSOMELI

`