Miss Svay Rieng, Korn Savourn, in her promotional photo for the now-cancelled Miss Landmine Cambodia contest. (Photo by: GORM K GAARE)Wednesday, 26 August 2009
Chheat Sreang
Letter to The Phnom Penh Post
Dear Editor:
I am writing to express my utter dismay at the government's decision to cancel the Miss Landmine Cambodia 2009 beauty pageant.
This decision, taken in the apparent interest of land mine victims, strikes at the heart of the self-worth of the participants and land-mine victims in general, and is further evidence that the government has little or no regard for freedom of expression in Cambodia.
Miss Landmine Cambodia was organised in order to "highlight globally a very serious and unnecessary social problem".
In a country with 25,000 amputees among 63,000 land mine victims, this kind of awareness-raising is badly needed. Nevertheless, whether such awareness-raising is required and, indeed, whether the competition itself is one of good taste are irrelevant considerations in the discussion at hand.
The lnternational Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Cambodia acceded in 1992, and the Constitution of the Kingdom of Cambodia guarantee freedom of expression to all Cambodians.
The Miss Landmine Cambodia beauty pageant would have represented a rare opportunity for members of a marginalised group within Cambodia to exercise their freedom of expression, a freedom which is formulated on the basis of dignity and justice for all.
The government has stated that Miss Landmine Cambodia 2009 "would make a mockery of Cambodian land mine victims" and undermine their "dignity and honour".
The ICCPR states that freedom of expression may be subject to limitations where the rights and reputations of other citizens so require.
However, the beauty pageant had received the endorsement of the Cambodian Mine Action Group and the Cambodian Disabled People's Organisation. lt is apparent that the decision to cancel this pageant is entirely disproportionate and constitutes yet another violation of freedom of expression.
Whether this decision was motivated by prejudice or a genuine interest to protect what were believed to be the best interests of Cambodian land mine victims is beside the point.
The participants have the right to determine their interests and the decision to take part was theirs and theirs alone and should never have required government approval.
In 2007, at the inaugural Miss Landmine competition in Angola, the first lady of Angola presented the winners with their prizes.
The decision to cancel the Cambodian competition represents yet another blow to freedom of expression. One must ask: How long will we wait until the government embraces the rights of the people they purport to represent?
Chheat Sreang
Project Coordinator Cambodian Centre for Human Rights (CCHR) Member of the Alliance for Freedom of Expression in Cambodia (AFEC)
I am writing to express my utter dismay at the government's decision to cancel the Miss Landmine Cambodia 2009 beauty pageant.
This decision, taken in the apparent interest of land mine victims, strikes at the heart of the self-worth of the participants and land-mine victims in general, and is further evidence that the government has little or no regard for freedom of expression in Cambodia.
Miss Landmine Cambodia was organised in order to "highlight globally a very serious and unnecessary social problem".
In a country with 25,000 amputees among 63,000 land mine victims, this kind of awareness-raising is badly needed. Nevertheless, whether such awareness-raising is required and, indeed, whether the competition itself is one of good taste are irrelevant considerations in the discussion at hand.
The lnternational Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Cambodia acceded in 1992, and the Constitution of the Kingdom of Cambodia guarantee freedom of expression to all Cambodians.
The Miss Landmine Cambodia beauty pageant would have represented a rare opportunity for members of a marginalised group within Cambodia to exercise their freedom of expression, a freedom which is formulated on the basis of dignity and justice for all.
"How long will we wait until the government embraces ... the people they purport to represent?"The decision to cancel the competition is testament to the sad reality that this "freedom", like so many others that are said to be guaranteed to all Cambodians on a nondiscriminatory basis, exists only in the abstract.
The government has stated that Miss Landmine Cambodia 2009 "would make a mockery of Cambodian land mine victims" and undermine their "dignity and honour".
The ICCPR states that freedom of expression may be subject to limitations where the rights and reputations of other citizens so require.
However, the beauty pageant had received the endorsement of the Cambodian Mine Action Group and the Cambodian Disabled People's Organisation. lt is apparent that the decision to cancel this pageant is entirely disproportionate and constitutes yet another violation of freedom of expression.
Whether this decision was motivated by prejudice or a genuine interest to protect what were believed to be the best interests of Cambodian land mine victims is beside the point.
The participants have the right to determine their interests and the decision to take part was theirs and theirs alone and should never have required government approval.
In 2007, at the inaugural Miss Landmine competition in Angola, the first lady of Angola presented the winners with their prizes.
The decision to cancel the Cambodian competition represents yet another blow to freedom of expression. One must ask: How long will we wait until the government embraces the rights of the people they purport to represent?
Chheat Sreang
Project Coordinator Cambodian Centre for Human Rights (CCHR) Member of the Alliance for Freedom of Expression in Cambodia (AFEC)
6 comments:
whatever make them happy, do it! after all, they deserve better as they already have enough stuff to worry about! god bless cambodia.
but why have to make it a national celebration, why not just do it privately at your ngo organization, etc... why try to push it to be a national celebration? do you aware that not all khmer people are popular with it? what's so pretty about losing your arm or your leg? do yo see why khmer people don't see the same way as you see it? respect our differences in views, too, you know! i thought you want democracy! well, our rights is as democratic as yours! go figure!
Democratic Kampuchea Pol Pot Khmer Rouge Regime had committed:
Tortures
Executions
Massacres
Atrocities
Crimes Against Humanity
Starvations
Overwork to Death
Slavery
Rapes
Human Abuses
Assault and Battery
Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime had committed:
Assassinations
Assassinated Journalists
Assassinated Political Opponents
Assassinated Leader of the Free Trade Union
Attempted Assassinations on Chea Vichea and Sam Rainsy
Attempted Murders on Chea Vichea and Sam Rainsy
Executed members of FUNCINPEC Party
Murders members and activists of Sam Rainsy Party
Killings
Extrajudicial Execution
Grenade Attack
Terrorism
Drive by Shooting
Tortures
Intimidations
Death Threats
Threatening
Human Abductions
Human Rights Abuses
Human Trafficking
Drugs Trafficking
Under Age Child Sex
Corruptions
Bribery
Illegal Mass Evictions
Illegal Land Grabbing
Illegal Firearms
Illegal Logging
Illegal Deforestation
Illegally use of remote detonation on Sokha Helicopter, while Hok Lundy and others military official on board.
Illegally Sold State Properties
Illegally Remove Parliamentary Immunity of Parliament Members
Plunder National Resources
Acid Attacks
Turn Cambodia into a Lawless Country
Oppression
Injustice
Steal Votes
Bring Foreigners from Veitnam to vote in Cambodia for Cambodian People's Party.
Abuse the Court as a tools for CPP to send political opponents and journalists to jail.
Abuse of Power
Abuse the Laws
Abuse the National Election Committee
Abuse the National Assembly
Violate the Laws
Violate the Constitution
Violate the Paris Accords
Impunity
Under the Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime, no criminals that has been committed crimes against journalists, political opponents, leader of the Free Trade Union, innocent men, women and children have ever been brought to justice.
yes keep your useless educated brain when it shamelessly used at your home and let khmer people do what ever it take to catch up with the world,now it is not 1st century .
Thanks you
This is no banning the freedom of expression but a move to stop exploitationist from exploiting the handicapped.
How would you like it if one of your relatives is handicapped and they want to make a show out of that relative?
This is just bad taste. Learn that all you fucking freedom loving pussies. Your freedom is limited when your action looks more like an exploitation than a freedom of expression.
CPP (Canceled People Pageant)
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