Mimicking the scene in a voter registration billboard, a Cambodian man displays his registration card. The billboard was produced by the Information component of UNTAC. UN Photo/Pernaca Sudhakaran

1. Radio UNTAC: a minute for poems “The secret vote” បោះឆ្នោតសម្ងាត់

Radio UNTAC - 23 Oct, 2021

Prior to and after the election in May 1993, people from various provinces in the country sent letters with poems and essays to Radio UNTAC to reach out to their fellow compatriots.

In the weeks leading up to the election in May, many chose to write poetry to explain the purpose of the electoral process and remind people of their duties in this regard.

Text, selection, and summaries of poems: Katrin Travouillon

Translation of selected passages: Thun Theara

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About the Author
Radio UNTAC
Radio UNTAC was established in October 1992 to inform the Cambodian people about the peace process, democratic principles and human rights. It began broadcasting on 9 November 1992 and ended on 22 September 1993. Initially their audience could only listen to them for a half hour news segment each day, but the airtime was continuously increased. One of Radio UNTAC’s most important tasks was to motivate the Cambodian people to cast their vote in the UNTAC organized election in May 1993. In accordance with the UN’s mandated task of establishing a neutral political environment prior to the elections the radio station furthermore provided the representatives of the new political parties with a forum to present themselves to their electorate.
New Mandala is supported by the Australian National University (ANU), a world-leading centre of research and teaching on Southeast Asia that has hosted the site since its founding in 2006. New Mandala's editors make editorial decisions independently of the ANU, and the views expressed at New Mandala are solely those of contributors and do not represent the institutional position(s) of the ANU or any of its constituent parts.
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