The 60th anniversary of the Human Rights of 10th December 1948: Khmer M'chas Srok

KMS-COM–DH-NY-10 DEC-08-32A

COMMUNIQUE

The 60th anniversary of the Human Rights of 10th December 1948

Esplanade of United Nations– New York - USA

According to the United Nations universal declaration on Human Rights in Paris, of 10th December 1948, all UN countries have fully endorsed the principle that: "All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights ... Everyone has the right to live and to have sufficient means to ensure the health and well-being of himself and his family, including food, clothing, housing, medical care ...."

All democratic countries have established these rights and enabled laws at the national level to recognize respect and promote these fundamental rights for all human beings.

On the 60th anniversary of the universal declaration of the United Nations on Human Rights, citizens who live in the non-legislative nations, still suffer and endure abuse of their basic Human Rights.

Although Cambodia has pledged to comply with the Paris Peace Agreements dated 23rd October 1991 and to respect Human Rights by adopting a democracy and to rebuild the country, at present, Cambodia is not a legislative nation. Because of this, politicians, journalists, and patriots, are definitely not able to enjoy the value of genuine basic Human Rights. The latest clear evidence was during the elections of the 4th term of the legislative in July 2008. They include:

• Millions of Khmer people had been deliberately stripped of their right to vote by the government and names erased from the electoral rolls
• Several Khmer journalists and politicians have been intimidated, abused and oppressed and their right to speak freely violated when they exposed sensitive issues concerning the problems of bad governance. Some violations resulted in death. Legal proceedings are also been used as a tool to serve the dictatorship.
• Hundreds of thousand of Khmer people are without the right to have shelter, own land, feed the family, etc ... because the authorities have taken their land and forced them to move from their homes. Examples were the evacuation of the residents of Boeung Kak district, Sambok Chap and Dey Kraham villages etc…

It is the responsibility of the government to ensure and guarantee the respect for fundamental rights and defend the rights of innocent people. But this is not the case, however, as the Government of Cambodia, like any other dictatorship, deliberately violated the rights of its people. Even the international community has acknowledged the abuse which has been committed by the Cambodian Government and which still continues today and which the international community has had no effective method of preventing and protecting the rights of the Khmer citizens such as those described in the Universal Declaration of 10th December 1948.

In considering the cases cited above, and on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of the United Nations on Human Rights, Khmer M'Chas Srok is launching an appeal to the international community represented by the United Nations (UN) to establish a "Permanent International Mechanism" that provide the victims a special status, and immediate assistance from the International Red Cross (or other international organization within the Framework of Human Rights) and protection via the Permanent Security Council of the UN.

Only the existence of such a "Permanent International Mechanism" can reflect the true value of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of the 10th December 1948, and its intrinsic value to defend the human dignity or any person of any people of our planet.

Paris 10th December 2008

Dr. Sakhonn CHAK
President of Khmer M'Chas Srok