Long Beach Press Telegram
LONG BEACH — He began the year in a jail cell in the Prey Sar prison in Cambodia. This weekend he will attend Cambodian New Year celebrations in Long Beach and throughout the Southland for his role as a human rights activist in his homeland. And on Monday Kem Sokha returns to Cambodia where he will again be under the watchful and wary eye of Prime Minister Hun Sen and the Cambodian government.
This is precarious time for human rights in Cambodia, according to a number of international watchdog foundations. And at the forefront of the struggle are dissidents such as Kem.
In a recent phone interview, Kem spoke about his vision of his role in Cambodia.
"Cambodian people are suffering. We need peace. We need the empowering of people in nonviolent ways," Kem said. "We provide information, but not for the violent way. We want to let politicians know the Cambodian people can make decisions."
Or as Kem told the Phnom Penh Post, "We want to change the culture of the people and help them get what they want. People should know that they can control their own lives that they are the boss. Our people think the leader is the boss; I want to change that."
Kem's supporters invoke names such as Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi. Opponents suspect his motives. But there is no denying Kem is a powerful force.
Across the rural sections of Cambodia, hundreds and even thousands of farmers, Buddhist monks and villagers will leave their rice fields and jobs to listen to Kem attend forums sponsored by Kem's Cambodian Center for Human Rights and air grievances. Forums are broadcast in Cambodia on the radio program "Voice of Democracy."
This weekend, Kem will be a guest at a series of Southland Cambodian New Year events, including Long Beach's annual celebration Saturday at El Dorado Park and Sunday's Cambodian New Year's parade. The new year begins today.
Kem will conclude his visit at a candlelight vigil Monday at MacArthur Park in remembrance of the April 17 anniversary of the Khmer Rouge's 1975 rise to power and the subsequent "killing fields" campaign of genocide that left anywhere from 1 million to 3 million Cambodians dead.
For more than a decade, Kem has been a lightning rod in the Cambodian political and social scene and has sparred repeatedly with Hun Sen and the government.
From 1993 until 2002 he was in politics in Cambodia and chaired the National Assembly Human Rights Commission. He resigned to form CCHR, an NGO or nongovernmental organization.
Over the years, Kem has had to flee the country after the coup in 1997 or seek asylum in 1998 for 50 days inside the U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh.
This year, Kem was jailed for 17 days for criminal defamation. He was later released and charges were dropped.
Crackdown on dissidents
The arrest came during a crackdown on dissidents that drew immediate rebukes from the international community, human rights activists and watchdog organizations.
Kem credits the quick actions for forcing the prime minister to back down.
"When I was arrested, the international community took action with one voice," Kem said. "The Cambodian community took strong action inside and outside (Cambodia). But I don't know how long and how far (Hun Sen) moved back."
Brad Adams, Asia director of Human Rights Watch, said of the arrests. "Hun Sen appears to be following the Burmese model by imprisoning peaceful critics of his increasingly authoritarian government. The arrest of human rights activists, as well as recent show trials of opposition politicians, is a throwback to the days when Hun Sen ran a one-party state."
Sidiki Kaba, president of the International Federation for Human Rights, told the Washington Post, "moves to release people who never should have been arrested in the first place should not be seen as meaningful progress."
Whether Hun Sen's gestures were a sign of openness or a gambit to obtain international aid remains to be seen.
In March, foreign donors meeting in Phnom Penh pledged $600 million in aid, a 20 percent increase of the previous year, according to the Washington Post.
Because of Kem's steadfastness in the face of government intimidation, he has gained admirers in the United States.
Among them is Long Beach activist Tippana Tith, who says Kem "risked his life for democracy. He's one who found a way to punch through to the people."
In Cambodia, however, where no actions, no matter how seemingly noble, go unchallenged, there are those who question if Kem is truly dedicated to human rights or simply using CCHR to mask political ambitions and raise international funds.
Kem's harshest critics have been opposition leader Sam Rainsy and the Sam Rainsy Party.
The SRP recently announced it would boycott CCHR forums and said Kem had "aims at conquering the SRP electorate for his future political party."
Kem, however, demurs from the political fray, saying he has no time for infighting.
For the moment Kem says the CCHR is his sole focus.
But when pressed about a political future, he hedges just a bit.
"I don't know for the future," Kem said. "I can't say for 100 years."
Greg Mellen can be reached at greg.mellen@presstelegram.com or (562) 499-1291.
This is precarious time for human rights in Cambodia, according to a number of international watchdog foundations. And at the forefront of the struggle are dissidents such as Kem.
In a recent phone interview, Kem spoke about his vision of his role in Cambodia.
"Cambodian people are suffering. We need peace. We need the empowering of people in nonviolent ways," Kem said. "We provide information, but not for the violent way. We want to let politicians know the Cambodian people can make decisions."
Or as Kem told the Phnom Penh Post, "We want to change the culture of the people and help them get what they want. People should know that they can control their own lives that they are the boss. Our people think the leader is the boss; I want to change that."
Kem's supporters invoke names such as Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi. Opponents suspect his motives. But there is no denying Kem is a powerful force.
Across the rural sections of Cambodia, hundreds and even thousands of farmers, Buddhist monks and villagers will leave their rice fields and jobs to listen to Kem attend forums sponsored by Kem's Cambodian Center for Human Rights and air grievances. Forums are broadcast in Cambodia on the radio program "Voice of Democracy."
This weekend, Kem will be a guest at a series of Southland Cambodian New Year events, including Long Beach's annual celebration Saturday at El Dorado Park and Sunday's Cambodian New Year's parade. The new year begins today.
Kem will conclude his visit at a candlelight vigil Monday at MacArthur Park in remembrance of the April 17 anniversary of the Khmer Rouge's 1975 rise to power and the subsequent "killing fields" campaign of genocide that left anywhere from 1 million to 3 million Cambodians dead.
For more than a decade, Kem has been a lightning rod in the Cambodian political and social scene and has sparred repeatedly with Hun Sen and the government.
From 1993 until 2002 he was in politics in Cambodia and chaired the National Assembly Human Rights Commission. He resigned to form CCHR, an NGO or nongovernmental organization.
Over the years, Kem has had to flee the country after the coup in 1997 or seek asylum in 1998 for 50 days inside the U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh.
This year, Kem was jailed for 17 days for criminal defamation. He was later released and charges were dropped.
Crackdown on dissidents
The arrest came during a crackdown on dissidents that drew immediate rebukes from the international community, human rights activists and watchdog organizations.
Kem credits the quick actions for forcing the prime minister to back down.
"When I was arrested, the international community took action with one voice," Kem said. "The Cambodian community took strong action inside and outside (Cambodia). But I don't know how long and how far (Hun Sen) moved back."
Brad Adams, Asia director of Human Rights Watch, said of the arrests. "Hun Sen appears to be following the Burmese model by imprisoning peaceful critics of his increasingly authoritarian government. The arrest of human rights activists, as well as recent show trials of opposition politicians, is a throwback to the days when Hun Sen ran a one-party state."
Sidiki Kaba, president of the International Federation for Human Rights, told the Washington Post, "moves to release people who never should have been arrested in the first place should not be seen as meaningful progress."
Whether Hun Sen's gestures were a sign of openness or a gambit to obtain international aid remains to be seen.
In March, foreign donors meeting in Phnom Penh pledged $600 million in aid, a 20 percent increase of the previous year, according to the Washington Post.
Because of Kem's steadfastness in the face of government intimidation, he has gained admirers in the United States.
Among them is Long Beach activist Tippana Tith, who says Kem "risked his life for democracy. He's one who found a way to punch through to the people."
In Cambodia, however, where no actions, no matter how seemingly noble, go unchallenged, there are those who question if Kem is truly dedicated to human rights or simply using CCHR to mask political ambitions and raise international funds.
Kem's harshest critics have been opposition leader Sam Rainsy and the Sam Rainsy Party.
The SRP recently announced it would boycott CCHR forums and said Kem had "aims at conquering the SRP electorate for his future political party."
Kem, however, demurs from the political fray, saying he has no time for infighting.
For the moment Kem says the CCHR is his sole focus.
But when pressed about a political future, he hedges just a bit.
"I don't know for the future," Kem said. "I can't say for 100 years."
Greg Mellen can be reached at greg.mellen@presstelegram.com or (562) 499-1291.
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