Thursday, March 05, 2009

ASEAN Human Rights Commission: CHRAC fears it might just be an empty shell

03-03-2009
By Duong Sokha
Ka-set


Two days after the closing of the 14th ASEAN summit in Hua Hin, Thailand, the civil society in Cambodia reiterated its concerns about the terms of reference of the future institution in charge of Human rights within the regional organisation of Southeast Asian nations, and questioned “its independence, its accountability and effectiveness”.

On the occasion of a press conference held on Tuesday March 3rd in Phnom Penh, Cambodian Human rights activists first insisted on reasserting their support to the approach adopted by governments of ASEAN country-members, which led to a first draft of the terms of reference of “a Human rights body”, in accordance with Article 14 of the ASEAN Charter ratified by Cambodia on November 20th 2007. But because recommendations made by the civil society were not taken into consideration, Human rights defenders fear this future commission might well resemble an empty shell.

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