A day after the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) won a landslide victory in the national elections, the capital’s public thoroughfares saw a large deployment of the armed forces.
National Military Police spokesman Eng Hy said on Monday that many armed forces were deployed in Phnom Penh to maintain order.
“We deploy them to maintain public order and ease traffic jams for people who were returning after casting their votes,” he said, adding that an unspecified number of forces will stand guard until Tuesday."
“We also deploy [armed forces] in the provinces, especially at busy thoroughfares,” he said.
Nicfec director Sam Kuntheamy said the deployment of armed forces following the elections will cause people to worry about a potential crackdown.
“It will cause people to feel concerned. They may deploy the forces to prevent demonstrations or riots, but I don’t think there will be any demonstrations after the elections,” he said.
Hy said the deployment was not intended to intimidate people after the elections.
