Sunday, December 10, 2006
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia
Thousands of Cambodians and foreign diplomats took part in an International Human Rights Day rally Sunday, exactly one year on from the launch of a government crackdown on critics.
U.S. Ambassador Joseph Mussomeli joined human rights activists at Phnom Penh's National Stadium, some of whom were jailed after last year's rally, in urging the government to respect civil liberties.
"During the year as many as 71 community or labor activists were illegally detained and/or had spurious charges brought against them. Peaceful assemblies andd demonstrations are also routinely prohibited," Mussomeli said told the protesters.
"The government need not retain an iron grip on demonstrations, on criticism, on the ability of citizens to fight against injustice and corruption," he said.
Human rights groups that organized the rally estimated that 10,000 people attended.
After a similar rally last year, the government arrested several human rights activists because of a banner criticizing Prime Minister Hun Sen for a controversial border agreement he had signed with Vietnam.
Kem Sokha, director of the U.S.-funded Cambodian Center for Human Rights, was among those arrested with two other human right workers, a union leader and a journalist. They were accused of defaming Hun Sen.
The government's move prompted fears that Cambodia was becoming increasingly authoritarian and drew strong condemnation at home and abroad.
"Our struggle is not to no avail," said Kem Sokha, adding that the government's stance toward critics appears to have softened since last year. "After creating a disturbance with human rights activists last year, the government has began to open the door just a little bit" for human rights workers.
Following international criticism, Hun Sen had the activists released from jail but he never dropped the charges against them.
The Cambodian Human Rights Action Committee, a coalition of 23 non-governmental organizations, said in a statement Saturday that Hun Sen's reversal helped reduce fears among activists but that the government continues to ban peaceful demonstrations by activists and labor unions.
It added that widespread corruption continues to plague the country, along with illegal land grabbing by the powerful who evict the poor from their land and often provide no compensation. The long-standing problem is a violation of economic and human rights and has created more poverty among the landless victims in Cambodia, the statement said.
U.S. Ambassador Joseph Mussomeli joined human rights activists at Phnom Penh's National Stadium, some of whom were jailed after last year's rally, in urging the government to respect civil liberties.
"During the year as many as 71 community or labor activists were illegally detained and/or had spurious charges brought against them. Peaceful assemblies andd demonstrations are also routinely prohibited," Mussomeli said told the protesters.
"The government need not retain an iron grip on demonstrations, on criticism, on the ability of citizens to fight against injustice and corruption," he said.
Human rights groups that organized the rally estimated that 10,000 people attended.
After a similar rally last year, the government arrested several human rights activists because of a banner criticizing Prime Minister Hun Sen for a controversial border agreement he had signed with Vietnam.
Kem Sokha, director of the U.S.-funded Cambodian Center for Human Rights, was among those arrested with two other human right workers, a union leader and a journalist. They were accused of defaming Hun Sen.
The government's move prompted fears that Cambodia was becoming increasingly authoritarian and drew strong condemnation at home and abroad.
"Our struggle is not to no avail," said Kem Sokha, adding that the government's stance toward critics appears to have softened since last year. "After creating a disturbance with human rights activists last year, the government has began to open the door just a little bit" for human rights workers.
Following international criticism, Hun Sen had the activists released from jail but he never dropped the charges against them.
The Cambodian Human Rights Action Committee, a coalition of 23 non-governmental organizations, said in a statement Saturday that Hun Sen's reversal helped reduce fears among activists but that the government continues to ban peaceful demonstrations by activists and labor unions.
It added that widespread corruption continues to plague the country, along with illegal land grabbing by the powerful who evict the poor from their land and often provide no compensation. The long-standing problem is a violation of economic and human rights and has created more poverty among the landless victims in Cambodia, the statement said.
2 comments:
These are positive signs. Even the U. S. ambassador speaks out openly against the government. Hopefully, there is more to come.
Great job Kem Sokha and colleagues for gathering this demonstration. The CPP tries to derail your effeort, but there was no ground to stop you guys from making this demonstration come true. Demcracy or the people's power needs to be put in force to make Ah! so called "Strong man Sen" become weak hand and eventually bring him to justice for all the Commontion and destruction he causes in Khmer society.
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