Cambodia: Voter Registration a Success; Cease-Fire Violations Continue

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The UN peace-keeping operation in Cambodia chalked up both successes and disappointments as it entered its second year, completing massive voter registration and repatriation processes despite ongoing cease-fire violations and demobilization problems.

Some 4.7 million persons were registered to vote during a three-month effort which began in October 1992, a "remarkable success" in the words of Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali. On 30 March, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) announced that the last of the Thai border camps, which over 18 years had sheltered nearly three quarters of a million Cambodian refugees, had been dosed.

Meanwhile, the refusal of the Party of Democratic Kampuchea (PDK) to participate fully in phase II of the peace process had made it impossible, the Secretary-General reported, to carry out the cantonment, disarmament and demobilization of the factions' armed forces, as required by the October 1991 Paris Agreements.

And reports of a growing climate of violence spawned from politically motivated acts of intimidation clouded continuing efforts to secure a peaceful settlement.

The Security Council on 8 March endorsed the decision of the Supreme National Council of Cambodia (SNC) that the election for a constituent assembly should be held from 23 to 27 May and urged all Cambodian parties to cooperate fully with the UN Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) towards that end.

The Council has declared the SNC "the unique legitimate body and source of authority in which, throughout the transition period, the sovereignty, independence and unity of Cambodia are enshrined".

In unanimously adopting resolution 810 (1993), the Council called on UNTAC to continue to make every effort to create and maintain a neutral political environment conducive to the holding of free and fair elections.

All Cambodian parties were urged to help create in the minds of their followers tolerance for peaceful political competition and "to ensure adherence to the code of conduct during the forthcoming political campaign", which was to begin on 7 April. They were particularly urged to take all measures to ensure freedom of speech, assembly and movement, as well as fair access to the media for all registered political parties during the electoral campaign, and …