Kathmandu, April 03, 08: General Saiyud Kerdphol (Retd.), the former Supreme Commander of the Royal Thai Army and current Chairman of ANFREL, arrived IN Kathmandu April 3, 2008 to lead the ANFREL mission to the Nepal CA elections.
He landed at the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu at 1 pm.
General Saiyud is accompanied by Mr. Damaso G. Magbual from the Philippines, Deputy Chief of Mission and spokesperson for ANFREL.
Along with them, 78 international observers also arrived. This brings the total number of ANFREL’s observers to over 100. These observers are leading civil society members from 22 Asian countries.
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) is conducting one of the largest observation missions in Nepal. Its 20 long term observers have already been deployed in the field since 14 March 2008.
Other distinguished members of the observation team include Mr. Kingsley Rodrigo, the Chair of the People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL) in Sri Lanka and Secretary General of ANFREL, Mr. Koul Panha, Executive Director of the Committee for Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia (COMFREL), Prof. Nobuhiko Suto, Professor at Tokai University, Japan, Mr. Tomas Do Rosario Cabral (East Timor), Director of the Technical Secretariat for Electoral Administration (STAE) in Timor Leste, Mr. Sakool Zuesongdham, board member of the Poll Watch Foundation, Thailand and former member of the Election Commission of Thailand, besides other leading civil society representatives from Asia.
On the eve of his arrival to Kathmandu, ANFREL’s Chief of Mission General Saiyud Kerdphol sent a goodwill message from Bangkok to the people of Nepal:
“Asian communities are in solidarity with the Nepali people in their desire for a free and fair election. This is a critical and historical opportunity for Nepal to restore peace and democracy. The Nepali people deserve a non-violent election environment in which they can vote without fear”
This Asian Network for Free Elections news received from Indra Adhikari in Nepal
