Academic Personnels at The National University of Management Protest

Academic Personnels at The National University of Management Protest
Kanika Suon
Phnom Penh, Cambodia
26/12/2005

Protesters demanding change of NUM's president and vice president
(photo by Tith Sothea)
More than 150 professors, civil servants, almost all of the academic
personnels at the National University of Management (NUM), Phnom Penh,
go on strike Monday holding banners demanding to change the president
and vice president of the school charging that the two use threats,
suppression against the professors, and practice nepotism.

The non violence strike is a way for these academics to say that the
two men are corrupt, and embezzle some money.

The NUM used to be a state university but lately it is changed to semi
state and private, after changing the name from institution to
university, under Mr. Iev Thong management. Almost 10,000 students
attend this university which has under graduate school, students
working for bachelor's degree, master's degree, and Ph.D.

The protesters' representative Ung Veasna, professor of marketing says
that these people are against Mr. Iev Thong, NUM president, and Mr.
Pich Phirum, vice president, because they employ their own people as
securities monitoring them in every move.

He says that whenever the academic personnels do something that affect
their people, they accuse these personnels of being traitors, or
opponents. He says that the two even threaten to lay them off.

Mr. Iev Thol dismisses the allegations saying these people do it for
their own interests, and that they want to be appointed Dean and want a
raise.

The protesters want Prime Minister Hun Sen to interfere. Mr. Om
Yentieng, senior adviser to Mr. Hun Sen, asks the protesters to stop
the strike, and he will report to deputy Prime Minister Sok An to
convene a meeting to solve the problem.

The Ministry of Education's Secretary, Youth and Sports Pith Chamnaan
says that he talks to both sides but does not know how they will solve
this problem.

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