February 18, 2009By A. Gaffar Peang-Meth
Pacific Daily News (Guam)
The price for human rights and freedom can be very high, but many have been willing to pay the price.
Achieving a balance between those who see activism on behalf of increased civil liberties and a condition of political stability as mutually exclusive has been an historical struggle that continues today.
Western philosophy has focused on human rights and individual freedom. Non-Western philosophies have argued there can't be human rights and freedom in an unstable, disorderly, chaotic society, and that Westerners have been preoccupied with "procedural" democracy more than "substantive" democracy.
Recently, increasing numbers of Western governments have leaned toward supporting stability, security and economic development -- at the expense of rights and freedom -- in the world's societies.
The United States has always been a country that tended to ground American ideals in a pragmatic realism that acknowledges contemporary circumstances without capitulating on principle. This flexibility has been its genius.
On Nov. 4, 2007, the Sunday Washington Post published "What Burma's Junta Must Fear," by a 28-year-old Buddhist monk using the pseudonym U Gambira. In hiding, he was one of the leaders of the All-Burma Monks Alliance that led the September 2007 Saffron Revolution against Gen. Than Shwe's military junta's dictatorial rule.
"We adhere to nonviolence, but our spine is made of steel," U Gambira said. He said he was "awed by the bravery of so many" of his compatriots and "a new generation of activists (who) join to issue an unequivocal call for freedom. ... It matters little if my life or the lives of colleagues should be sacrificed on this journey. Others will fill our sandals, and more will join and follow," he wrote.
On the day his words appeared in the Post, the junta arrested Gambira in Burma. He was disrobed, thrown in the infamous Insein Jail, tortured and sentenced to 68 years.
Then-President George W. Bush and his wife, Laura, sided with Burma's pro-democracy groups while more liberal donor groups called for engagement with Shwe.
On Nov. 24, 2008, the Post's "The Freedom Challenge, In Burma, a test of Barack Obama's attitude toward promoting democracy," editorialized, "the global struggle for liberty will rage on long after George W. Bush takes his 'freedom agenda' home to Texas"; and "abandoning the promotion and support of democracy as core American goals would be a terrible mistake."
Cambodia, under Premier Hun Sen, is Burma's mirror.
Business as usual
Domestic and international human rights groups call for actions against Sen's abuses of rights and freedom, but many of the world's governments do business as usual with the government.
Sen lost the 1993 United Nations-organized elections, when nine out of 10 voters chose Prince Ranariddh to lead them. But Sen refused defeat, threatened war, and the world community gave in, creating a "second prime minister" position for the vanquished politician.
Then, as the world watched, in July 1997 Sen ousted Ranariddh in a military coup and seized full power.
On Feb. 3, ADHOC, a leading Cambodian civil rights group, charged in its 8th annual report that the Sen government: restricts public demonstrations -- "Of the 155 peaceful strikes and demonstrations that took place, 108 (70 percent) were suppressed forcibly by the armed forces"; intimidates journalists -- "Journalists were subject to various forms of threats throughout the year, and in one case a journalist was shot dead"; the Sen military is increasingly involved in land grabs -- 125 cases in 2008, compared to 40 in 2007 -- with 164 rights activists threatened and 62,500 families lost land to military seizures of 200-500 hectares of land in each case.
In its January 2008 "Dey Krahorm Community Land Case Explained," LICADHO Canada, a nonprofit, grass-roots organization that seeks to promote justice and human rights in Cambodia, presented a comprehensive description of the Phnom Penh's Dey Krohorm community's forced evictions of residents by authorities.
A 2007 report, "Cambodia's Family Trees," by London-based Global Witness, an anti-graft non-governmental organization, charged Sen and his "kleptocratic" officials with alleged exploitation of forests for personal profit.
On February 5, 2009, in its 70-page "Country for Sale," Global Witness wrote that the same "corrupt elite has captured the country's emerging oil and mineral sectors while Cambodia's international donors turn a blind eye," and listed 13 countries, including the United States, and five international institutions, including the United Nations, as Cambodia's donors.
A must-read document that lists names and shows photos, the report by Global Witness is based on investigations in 2008. The report says, "Cambodia today is a country for sale. ... Over the past 15 years, 45 percent of the country's land has been purchased by private interests." It charges that "millions of dollars" that were "paid to secure concessions ... do not show up ... in the 2006 or 2007 revenue reports from the Ministry of Economy and Finance."
Calling for "a fundamental shift in mindset to go beyond the sanitized rhetoric of good governance," the report urges "a recognition that stripping a country of its assets for personal gain represents a mass violation of the social and economic rights of the country's people."
A. Gaffar Peang-Meth, Ph.D., is retired from the University of Guam, where he taught political science for 13 years. Write him at peangmeth@yahoo.com.
Achieving a balance between those who see activism on behalf of increased civil liberties and a condition of political stability as mutually exclusive has been an historical struggle that continues today.
Western philosophy has focused on human rights and individual freedom. Non-Western philosophies have argued there can't be human rights and freedom in an unstable, disorderly, chaotic society, and that Westerners have been preoccupied with "procedural" democracy more than "substantive" democracy.
Recently, increasing numbers of Western governments have leaned toward supporting stability, security and economic development -- at the expense of rights and freedom -- in the world's societies.
The United States has always been a country that tended to ground American ideals in a pragmatic realism that acknowledges contemporary circumstances without capitulating on principle. This flexibility has been its genius.
On Nov. 4, 2007, the Sunday Washington Post published "What Burma's Junta Must Fear," by a 28-year-old Buddhist monk using the pseudonym U Gambira. In hiding, he was one of the leaders of the All-Burma Monks Alliance that led the September 2007 Saffron Revolution against Gen. Than Shwe's military junta's dictatorial rule.
"We adhere to nonviolence, but our spine is made of steel," U Gambira said. He said he was "awed by the bravery of so many" of his compatriots and "a new generation of activists (who) join to issue an unequivocal call for freedom. ... It matters little if my life or the lives of colleagues should be sacrificed on this journey. Others will fill our sandals, and more will join and follow," he wrote.
On the day his words appeared in the Post, the junta arrested Gambira in Burma. He was disrobed, thrown in the infamous Insein Jail, tortured and sentenced to 68 years.
Then-President George W. Bush and his wife, Laura, sided with Burma's pro-democracy groups while more liberal donor groups called for engagement with Shwe.
On Nov. 24, 2008, the Post's "The Freedom Challenge, In Burma, a test of Barack Obama's attitude toward promoting democracy," editorialized, "the global struggle for liberty will rage on long after George W. Bush takes his 'freedom agenda' home to Texas"; and "abandoning the promotion and support of democracy as core American goals would be a terrible mistake."
Cambodia, under Premier Hun Sen, is Burma's mirror.
Business as usual
Domestic and international human rights groups call for actions against Sen's abuses of rights and freedom, but many of the world's governments do business as usual with the government.
Sen lost the 1993 United Nations-organized elections, when nine out of 10 voters chose Prince Ranariddh to lead them. But Sen refused defeat, threatened war, and the world community gave in, creating a "second prime minister" position for the vanquished politician.
Then, as the world watched, in July 1997 Sen ousted Ranariddh in a military coup and seized full power.
On Feb. 3, ADHOC, a leading Cambodian civil rights group, charged in its 8th annual report that the Sen government: restricts public demonstrations -- "Of the 155 peaceful strikes and demonstrations that took place, 108 (70 percent) were suppressed forcibly by the armed forces"; intimidates journalists -- "Journalists were subject to various forms of threats throughout the year, and in one case a journalist was shot dead"; the Sen military is increasingly involved in land grabs -- 125 cases in 2008, compared to 40 in 2007 -- with 164 rights activists threatened and 62,500 families lost land to military seizures of 200-500 hectares of land in each case.
In its January 2008 "Dey Krahorm Community Land Case Explained," LICADHO Canada, a nonprofit, grass-roots organization that seeks to promote justice and human rights in Cambodia, presented a comprehensive description of the Phnom Penh's Dey Krohorm community's forced evictions of residents by authorities.
A 2007 report, "Cambodia's Family Trees," by London-based Global Witness, an anti-graft non-governmental organization, charged Sen and his "kleptocratic" officials with alleged exploitation of forests for personal profit.
On February 5, 2009, in its 70-page "Country for Sale," Global Witness wrote that the same "corrupt elite has captured the country's emerging oil and mineral sectors while Cambodia's international donors turn a blind eye," and listed 13 countries, including the United States, and five international institutions, including the United Nations, as Cambodia's donors.
A must-read document that lists names and shows photos, the report by Global Witness is based on investigations in 2008. The report says, "Cambodia today is a country for sale. ... Over the past 15 years, 45 percent of the country's land has been purchased by private interests." It charges that "millions of dollars" that were "paid to secure concessions ... do not show up ... in the 2006 or 2007 revenue reports from the Ministry of Economy and Finance."
Calling for "a fundamental shift in mindset to go beyond the sanitized rhetoric of good governance," the report urges "a recognition that stripping a country of its assets for personal gain represents a mass violation of the social and economic rights of the country's people."
A. Gaffar Peang-Meth, Ph.D., is retired from the University of Guam, where he taught political science for 13 years. Write him at peangmeth@yahoo.com.
10 comments:
i write with a disclaimer, always, that i am no cambodian expert, etc... everything i write on this blog came from my understand and the way i may see the situation in cambodia. anyway, i will leave it to the experts in the field. my opinion is that if the world donors are to ignore the plight of corruption in cambodia, it's like they are encouraging corruption culture in cambodia. instead, i think everyone should try to discourage corruption at all cost because it only hurt the poors, the needy people, the disadvantaged people, the misfortunate people and so on the most. we all must do what is right to discourage corruption by educating people to understand the consequences, to respect the laws, etc... because if everyone is not doing their part, then, no matter how hard someone else may do their part to curb this illegal practice, it won't be affective. so, if the report by global witness is true at all, then it is indeed very sad for cambodia and for the donor nations to not say anything about this and to just allow it to go on without any kind of attention, etc... we all know that's not good at all! thank you.
This is my oppinion, say what you will, I dont care but give my oppinion some thought.
Those of you who hate Hun Sen must realize that this man is totally backed by the Vietnamese. Throughout history, we see that Siam and Vietnam were very successful in dividing Kampuchea. How did they divide us Khmers? Simple, their greatest weapon was to make us FIGHT one another. Hun Sen lost the elections of 1993 and he threatened war. A civil war is not what we need right now, it will further destabilize Cambodia. The great question I pose to all of you is this: How can we topple Hun Sen and his corrupt regime without spilling the blood of Khmers?? Hun Sen will not let go of his power, and if his power is threatened, he will wage war. He is indeed a tyrant and a fool, only thinking of himself and not the country.
I felt that each country has donated their aids moneys to Cambodia through their Government agency and these agencies from different government have been bribed by Hun Sen wife to shut up face problem like Professor Yash ghais or like Global witness. Each new agency coming into Cambodia would be bribed by Hun Sen wife and CPP. To fight with corruption, opposition party need to work very hard with various government in overseas to make sure that they care about Cambodia or not. I also find that overseas aids is an obligation of most of developped countries to put out from their yearly budget from 2%-3%. Each government didn't care very much about what their aids are using for because their moneys were also from their tax payers too. As long as they have signed their check out, their obligation has been done. So Cambodia needs to fight by herself of these corruptions and do not rely to foreign countries at all. I did talk about this in overseas many times already. Noone wants to care about these. What they want is good relation.
There are nothing the international community can do to help Cambodia. The China, US and others want to get access, and be "friend" when time is called for. Cambodia is very important geopolitical region. The US and China have their dirty hands in Cambodia. Just look at recent history. Democracy is mean nothing. It is used only when it applys beneficially to the US. The China is just want the resource and location.
The only thing is needed to change bad goverment is one bullet.
4:56
Its not that easy, one bullet at Hun Sen and what will you have? Another Hun Sen in his place or probably worse. You have Chea Sim and Heng Samrin next in line. Even if you take out those leaders, the generals at the bottom are the most ruthless of them all!
7:40 AM...Same place but different time...somebody got to do it for the good of the country...can't wait any longer! Good luck to all of us Khmer!
china can't be suppressed. after all, isn't china is one of the superpower nations out there? so, i think it is better to go diplomatic, then aggression with superpower nations. hello, wake up!
You're right on that, the donors turn blind eye on corruption because they care only their own interest. They will take whatever steps are necessary as long as they get what the need.
The US too turns blind eye on Vietnamese administrates Cambodia over the CPP goverment. While the US speaks of democracy but the fact is the US only care to influence their fake democracy in the poor nations, but the US never made an effort to make good on their ideas of democracy.
Look what the US did in Afghanistan, to Hmong, Laos, Montagnards, the minority freedom fighters? The US arrested their former allies, former Lao Gen. Vang Pao who sacrificed his life to support the US so to free his country. 11 men were accused on Laos coup plot by the Vietnamese Communist, US's former enemy.
Because of the US wants China out of S. East Asia, and with the Vietname helps, that's what happened to the fate of those warriors.
The US foreign policy is deadly cold, dangerous. Both China and the US are no special, but do we have a choice when we are so small and poor.
Yeah right, the whole world turn blind eye on corruption except you (9:25).
Who are you trying to kid, fool?
If you voted for CPP (Cambodian People's Party):
Also known as:
Communist People's Party
Khmer Rouge People's Party
Khmer Krorhorm People's Party
You're support the killing of 1.7 million innocent Khmer peoples.
You're support the killing of innocent men, women and children in Cambodia on March 30, 1997.
You're support murder of Piseth Pilika.
You're support assassination of journalists in Cambodia.
You're support political assassination and killing.
You're support attemted assassination and murder of leader of the free trade union in Cambodia.
You're support corruption in Cambodia.
You're support Hun Sen Regime burn poor people's house down to the ground and leave them homeless.
These are the Trade Mark of Hun Sen Regime.
Hun Sen, Chea Sim and Heng Samrin are Khmer Rouge commanders.
When is the ECCC going to bring these three criminals to U.N. Khmer Rouge Trail?
Khmer Rouge Regime is a genocide organization.
Hun Sen Regime is a terrorist organization.
Hun Sen Bodyguards is a terrorist organization.
Hun Sen Death Squad is a terrorist organization.
Cambodian People's Party is a terrorist organization.
I have declare the current Cambodian government which is lead by the Cambodian People's Party as a terrorist organization.
Whoever associate with the current Cambodian government are associate with a terrorist organization.
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