Assistant Secretary of State Barry Lowenkron, holds the disc, containing the 2006 country reports on human rights practices, during its release at the State Department in WashingtonUS: Cambodia Rights Record Remains Poor
Khemara Sok
VOA Khmer
Washington
06/03/2007
Cambodia's human rights record is still poor, and its government shows no political will to change that, according to an annual human rights report issued Tuesday by the US State Department.
Cambodia, which warranted 50 pages in the report, fell into the same category as North Korea, Cuba, China and Afghanistan. Worse countries were Burma, Iran and Laos.
"The government's human rights record remained poor," the report says of Cambodia. "Government agents committed extrajudicial killings, and security forces acted with impunity. There was little political will to address the failure by government authorities to adhere to the rule of law."
Cambodian embassy officials in Washington, DC, could not be reached for comment.
Cambodia was praised for its release of five human rights activists jailed in 2005; restoring parliamentary immunity to opposition leader Sam Rainsy; and decriminalizing defamation, among other examples.
Kem Sokha, director of the Cambodia Center for Human Rights, who was among those activists arrested in 2005 and released in 2006, mostly welcomed the report, saying Cambodia's human rights situation has not changed.
"The key matters especially remain," he said, "such as blocking peaceful demonstrations, such as those in land disputes where protesters have been threatened with arrest."
"The matter of judicial reform is still difficult," he said, citing as well corruption and forced evictions.
Relations between Cambodia and the US have thawed recently, with the US restoring direct aid to the country just last month.
"That is a political issue," Kem Sokha said. But "even if they have a close relationship, [the US] never forgets to talk about human rights issues."
Cambodia, which warranted 50 pages in the report, fell into the same category as North Korea, Cuba, China and Afghanistan. Worse countries were Burma, Iran and Laos.
"The government's human rights record remained poor," the report says of Cambodia. "Government agents committed extrajudicial killings, and security forces acted with impunity. There was little political will to address the failure by government authorities to adhere to the rule of law."
Cambodian embassy officials in Washington, DC, could not be reached for comment.
Cambodia was praised for its release of five human rights activists jailed in 2005; restoring parliamentary immunity to opposition leader Sam Rainsy; and decriminalizing defamation, among other examples.
Kem Sokha, director of the Cambodia Center for Human Rights, who was among those activists arrested in 2005 and released in 2006, mostly welcomed the report, saying Cambodia's human rights situation has not changed.
"The key matters especially remain," he said, "such as blocking peaceful demonstrations, such as those in land disputes where protesters have been threatened with arrest."
"The matter of judicial reform is still difficult," he said, citing as well corruption and forced evictions.
Relations between Cambodia and the US have thawed recently, with the US restoring direct aid to the country just last month.
"That is a political issue," Kem Sokha said. But "even if they have a close relationship, [the US] never forgets to talk about human rights issues."
12 comments:
Assistant Secretary of State Barry Lowenkron has right.Srok Hun Xen is the Noth Korea and Cuba,because they are friendship between the foolish Sihanuk and dictator Hun xen,Youn Hanoi is the best friend from Hun xen and Hun xen is Ah young youn Hanoi.
So long Hun xen on the the government Khmers will be not better.
We have to chang this regime.
Please stand up all Khmers!!!!!!!!!!
Sometimes I wonder how much foreigners understand about Cambodia. They just come to Cambodia for a while and they claimed Cambodia is corrupted, Cambodia is poor at human rights, and blah blah blah. Which poor country like Cambodia is not in this situation? It's true that government is unable to immediately fight against corruption, and it might be true that Hun Sen is not a good leader or he is a dictator, but have you ever thought who dragged Cambodia into this miserable feature? If we talk about human right, why did they stay still during the 1970s? Of course, they did know what the heck happened in Cambodia, but they just ignored it since there was no benefit for them to involve. To me, I feel US is good at talking, but not good at doing. Japan is different from US.
I cannot understand the writer of this article can compare Cambodia to China? At what topic?
China is even far better than USA. China didn't have a province of people as poor as New Orlean. China do not have gangster roaming the street like Washington, LA and Phyladephy. China do not have the poverty of USA has. Now China has all their good people and good living of standard. THe writer must have slept for so long and has never visited CHina and writing this article to his dream.
And You 2:29.AM, are you been in China, and see good life there?
Lot and lot of chinese are escaping China to come to USA, to sale vegetable on the side walk.
lot, lot of them can not make it to USA die in the sea.
lot, lot of them even come to Cambodia the poorest country in Asean.
And you think china is better in USA, you FOOL, fool yourslf and your children, no one believe you even Ah Hun Xen!
Cut the crap, idiots. Chineses have
been migrating out of China even
before America was born. It has
nothing to do with government.
TO THOSE who PRO FUCKING CHINESE COMMUNIST,i'm chinese born in CAmbodi and victim of fuckingg Cmmunist ruling by POL POT NOW by kwak. i'd like to let you know,IF the fuckingg Chinese COmmunist Country is rich,Why alot of fucking
chinese people smugling their people abroad too manies.
Who said anything about China is
rich, you stupid idiot. All we are
saying is Chineses have been
migrating out of China before it
became Communist and before the US
was born. Get it?
Dear War SamuraiOrochimaru,
You said :"Japan is different from US ".
You're very right on it.
Japanese had tortured people in Asia during Second World War ...small sample in Nanjing ,after 2 weeks of the invasion in Nangjing,China,you guy
has killed the innocent Chineses arount 300,000...and perhaps up to 80,000 women were raped.Their age ranging from infants to the elderly(as old as 80)raped were often performed in public during the day,sometimes in front of spouse or family members.The women were then killed immediately after their rape,often by multilation.
Youtube-Nangjing Massacre.
To you,Japan,ex war criminal can't see Human rights are abused in Cambodia....cuz you had exploited from Cambodia during UNTAC,Akashi.
Do you know that Japan is the biggest Timber Buyer by causing deforestation & envirement ?
Your Empire was deserve to get 2 Nuclear Bombs from Uncle Sam...to stop your evil war against humanity.The world never forget those holocausts were causing by Japan & Nazis Hitler....
Your Nation,Japan, not only killed people but also to kill the most beautiful creatures on earth :" Whales" for your insanity scientific research for your:" SUSHI".
Stop your evil ACTS against those unharmed Whales!!!
You idiot 10:06 missed the point. Look at the present situation now or how many Chinese people want to live in China. Remember the Tenemen Square event? If China is better than New Orleand, why you think Chinese people want to live there? How come the New Orleand residents do not want to live in China, you idiot?
And post1:14 The fact is not that the government was unable to fight corruption. It is that they were unwilling to do it. This is their way of earning their bloodsucking income, you idiot. Are you blind? Cambodia has no anti-corruption law since Ah Khvak comes to power. The drafted law still sitting on his Cabinet for 13 years. It's already dusty beyond recognition.
Naruto said...
2:29 AM
comparing the standard of living in China and the U.S., overall, is like comparing to someone living in a mansion (US), to someone living in a shack (China).
China is booming economically, but if you look at it closer, the rise is due to low wage old school style factories. In other words, cheap labor. Coal, a very polluted source of fuel, is still being used at a HUGE scale in China. You must have been reading properganda. China is better off economically, but it is still way behind the U.S.. It is not a super power, but a regional power.
Cambodians are displaced from their land (land grab), but if you look at China, about a hundred million Chinese peasants are displaced. Ancient lands and temples are destroyed by modern dams and flooding rivers. In the U.S. a very poor family can sucessfully sue the government if their property are taken away without above market-compensation. In China, N. Korea, and Cambodia, a poor peasant can never sucessfully sue the government.
Orochimaru, no country is perfect. Every one has their ups and down, and Japan is no exception. Japan's slaughter and rape of Nanking (in China) is still a black eye on their history.
Hey most of us know the truth!
Ah Hun Xen why you try to be stupid like that, you want to stay unsivilized after thousand and thousand of years like China?
The 2:29AM is sure a communist chinese frog.
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