Kennel barking Embassy communiqué: H.E. Hor 5 Bora sent to the rescue of his kleptocratic bosses once again

H.E. Hor 5 Bora, son of H.E. Hor 5 Hong

Violent government response to Global Witness report

06 Feb 2009
By Maxime Revol
Cambodge Soir Hebdo
Translated from Khmer by Luc Sâr
Click here to read the article in French

"This is quite a surprising initiative promoted by an official government institution, nevertheless, it seems to demonstrate the Phnom Penh regime’s exasperation against Global Witness which is banned from Cambodia since 2007."

To the overwhelming 72-page report issued by Global Witness questioning the management of oil and mineral resources in Cambodia, the government sent a violent reply through its embassy in the UK.

Titled “Country For Sale,” the Global Witness report, which was made available on 05 Feb, indicates among others that “A corrupt elite has captured the country's emerging oil and mineral sectors while Cambodia's international donors turn a blind eye.” The finding was not appreciated by H.E. Hor Nambora, the Cambodian ambassador to London.

In a press communiqué distributed on 06 Feb, Hor Nambora portrayed the Global Witness NGO as a “pressure group leading a defamation campaign to discredit Cambodia and its leader.” According to Hor Nambora, the corruption charge against high-ranking government officials in charge of distributing oil and mineral exploration rights is unjustified, just as criticisms leveled against international donors who are accused of turning a blind eye to all this dubious undertaking.

Hor Nambora also expressed his anger by declaring that Global Witness is “mismanaged” and that it “was hurting itself in these defamation campaigns that are detrimental to everyone.” He also wishes to see an immediate investigation into the NGO’s activities. “Global Witness is very naive to imagine that international donors are not completely aware of the manner in which the royal government of Cambodia conducts the country’s affairs and its engagement to reach the best possible results,” Hor Nambora claimed.

“The government tries to act as an engine in the management of revenues from potential exploration of these recently discovered natural resources. It recognizes the importance of securing a solid law in this domain. The Cambodian government works hard to establish a solid and efficient legal framework for the practice in this sector. This framework is based on transparency and responsibility principles. Wherever possible, the government attempts to involve the population and local entrepreneurs as much as possible for the exploration of these resources. These funds will serve for healthcare, education, improving the living condition of our people, this is essential for the long term prosperity of Cambodia,” Hor Nambora added.

A photo collage concluded the press communiqué. On this collage, Gavin Hayman, Director of Global Witness, is compared to a noxious rat, and a picture depicting Global Witness report bearing its logo is shown in the trash can. Hor Nambora titled his communiqué: “Pressure group and deceptive stratagems encouraging suspicion” and “rubbish.” This is quite a surprising initiative promoted by an official government institution, nevertheless, it seems to demonstrate the Phnom Penh regime’s exasperation against Global Witness which is banned from Cambodia since 2007.