Opposition Sam Rainsy Party members claimed yesterday that Phnom Penh residents had been removed from voter registration lists in Sen Sok district’s Teuk Thla commune without proper documentation confirming that they had relocated or died.

Bun Khet, SRP second deputy chief of Teuk Thla commune, and district council member Pov Sam Oun, said that some of the among 1,075 names removed from the lists for commune elections next year had been taken off by commune authorities based only on reports from police and village chiefs.

“This cancelling does not include a certificate from the person concerned confirming that he moved from the commune,” Bun Khet said, adding that people who still lived in the commune had reportedly been removed from registries.

NEC secretary general Tep Nytha said that 13,000 names would eventually be removed from registries in Phnom Penh and that 1,539 names had been removed so far. He added that any officials who deleted names from the voter lists without proper legal documents would face punishment.

“To cancel peoples’ names [officials] must have documents for people. If [officials] cancel names improperly we would punish them,” Tep Nytha said, adding that voters could file a complaint if their name was mistakenly removed for up to 10 days after the closure of voter registration on October 15.

Teuk Thla commune chief Tan Navin denied that officials had removed names from voter lists without proper documentation.