The Executive Committee of the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats (CALD), which convened last 25 April 2015 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, adopted a statement on Cambodia and a resolution on Thailand.

 

The statement on Cambodia congratulated Prime Minister Hun Sen and Minority Leader Sam Rainsy for ushering a “culture of dialogue” between them in the greater interest of the Cambodian people. As a proof of this, the two leaders jointly hosted an event for almost 300 Cambodian migrant workers in Malaysia in the afternoon of 25 April 2015. The gathering provided the migrant workers an opportunity to raise their issues and concerns as foreign workers, some of them undocumented, in the Southeast Asian state.

 

In the statement, CALD “welcomes the example being shown by Prime Minister Hun Sen and Sam Rainsy as they work together to promote public interest. This serves as an inspiration to political leaders from all affiliations in Asia and the rest of the world.”

 

“The Prime Minister and I want to show that the culture of dialogue works in all circumstances even when we happen to be abroad together, respectively as prime minister and as opposition leader, we continue to respect each other and to promote national unity by working together for the sake of the nation. It is our hope to see this culture of dialogue also prevail in all friendly countries as evidence of a mature democracy,” Sam Rainsy said.

 

The CALD Executive Committee also adopted a resolution calling for a nation- wide referendum on the draft of Thailand’s new constitution, and a clear roadmap to democracy that manifests commitment to return power to the people as soon as possible.

 

“(CALD) strongly believes that the new constitution, in both process and substance, must be accepted by the people through a nation-wide referendum; anything less might trigger a new vicious cycle of street demonstrations and military interventions which adversely affects Thailand’s democratic stability”, the resolution reads.

 

It also “urges the leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) who are currently gathered in Malaysia for the 26th ASEAN Summit to use the opportunity to push the Thai leadership to come up with a clear roadmap to democracy that manifests its commitment to return political power to the people as soon as possible.”