Monday, August 10, 2009

Decreasing Freedom in Cambodia

SRP MP Mu Sochua was surrounded by a sea of Hun Xen's regime cops

Monday, August 10, 2009
By Kimberly Curtis
Foreign Policy Blog


Cambodia has never been known as a haven for free speech and political dissent, but several recent developments in the country have observers even more concerned about the shrinking space for political expression.

Last week, a Cambodian court found an outspoken opposition MP guilty of defamation for filing her own defamation suit against Prime Minister Hun Sen. The case has been a high profile one for months in the Southeast Asian country and has polarized the public, but observers claim that the conviction of Mu Sochua is proof of a growing crackdown on dissent by the Cambodian government.

The case arose out of a speech Sen made in April in Kampot province, the province that Sochua represents in parliament and one of the provinces that has seen forcible evictions by the army for their land. Although Sochua was not mentioned by name, comments that Sen made deriding and insulting the province’s parliamentary representation were clearly aimed at her. Sochua responded by doing the unthinkable - she filed a defamation suit against the Prime Minister for his comments. The case was immediately rejected by the courts, but Sen fired back by filing his own defamation suit against Sochua for filing against him. The courts upheld his suit and last Tuesday, handed down a ruling in Sen’s favor against Sochua and fined her $4000.

The result was not surprising in a country where the government has a long history with interfering with the courts. But it is also just the most recent development in the government’s mission to silence criticism. There have been numerous lawsuits filed against prominent opposition members, journalists, and human rights activists in recent months that seem aimed at intimidating dissent. The charges usually involve libel or disinformation, and the cases always end with conviction. Some of the targets have been jailed, some have fled the country to avoid jail, and some have capitulated and abandoned their critical positions to swear allegiance to the ruling party in order to avoid the courts.

This trend is not new, but continues without consequences from the international community. The government is even suspected of interfering with the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, the hybrid tribunal set up by the UN to try people for grave crimes committed during the Khmer Rouge regime in the 1970s. But all the international community does is weakly protest such interference before allowing it to continue. The same appears to be happening regarding the domestic courts, where the rule of law is actually the rule of Sen’s law.

Opposition parties are now divided about what to do. Continuing to criticize government policies is a losing battle that some seem keen to give up, while others feel that it is their duty as political representatives, activists, and journalists to keep fighting that battle, especially because of the growing pressures on dissent. It is likely that in the future, Sochua’s trial will be seen as a turning point for the Cambodian opposition, but at this moment it is unclear what that future will be.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Civil societies have been choked with the pressure interfered by the RGC ruled bt Samdach Hun Sen, and internal communities and donors aware of that,even the UN convoys concened about that.

But to Samdach Hun Sen, he is indestructible.
That is kingdom of cambodia where kingdom is only scapegoat.

Neang SA

Anonymous said...

correct: international communities

Anonymous said...

Mr. Hun, you're doing a great job intimidating the very innocent and invulnerable people. Consequently, your action is being watched by the international community.

--Janitor

Anonymous said...

what international can do? they keep pouring money into hun sen account! law of the strong prevail! TVEU LAOR VAN ACH TVEU AKRAK BAN LEAP!

Anonymous said...

correction tveu laor ban ach tveu akrak ban leap!

Anonymous said...

cambodia can't be freed until all the top official is free of khmer rouge and youns.

Anonymous said...

None of this khmer rouge or killing would have happened if there were no vietnam war, and US bombing in cambodia.

Anonymous said...

5:00 PM

Despite of dreary news about the treatment of vulnerable people, some of these NGOs are shamefully still pouring their donations into the government pockets, because it's part of their jobs to avoid become jobless themselves. Shame on those NGOs that are conducting and condoning this type of behaviors.

--Janitor

Anonymous said...

what about sdach sihanouk who supposed to lead cambodia as neutral non align nation had let the vietcong used khmer land as sanctuary and transport all weapons? That;s what US had no choice! Sihanouk is the cause of all!

Anonymous said...

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 Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime, no criminals that has been committed all of these crimes above within Hun Sen Khmer Rouge government have ever been brought to justice.

Anonymous said...

UNDER AGE CHILD SEX
Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime had committed under age child sex.
Svay Sitha is a senior government official from Cambodian People's Party.
Svay Sitha had a sexual relationship with Tat Marina, she was only 16 years old.
Source: Human Rights Watch

ACID ATTACK ON TAT MARINA
Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime had committed acid attack.
"On December 5, 1999, Tat Marina, age 16, was severely disfigured in an acid attack in Phnom Penh. The attack was allegedly committed by Khun Sophal, the wife of a senior government official, Svay Sitha, because she was angry her husband had a sexual relationship with Tat Marina. Neither Khun Sophal nor those suspected of being her accomplices in the attack were brought to justice. Intense media publicity compelled the Phnom Penh Municipal Court to issue an arrest warrant for Khun Sophal for attempted murder, but the police claimed that they could not locate her, although journalists reported that she was living at home as usual."
Source: Human Rights Watch

TORTURE AND MURDER ON PRAK SITHA WHILE IN CUSTODY BY MISNISTRY OF INTERIOR OFFICIAL
Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime had committed torture and murder.
"On the night of January 16, 2003, a street youth named Prak Sitha was beaten to death at the Ministry of Interior (MOI) headquarters after he was arrested and detained by off-duty MOI officers on suspicion of theft. His body - bearing numerous injuries to the head, torso, arms, and legs - was dumped at a Phnom Penh pagoda the following morning by ministry officers, in violation of police regulations regarding deaths in custody. No criminal charges were filed in connection with this death. In December 2004, the case was cited by the UN secretary-general's special representative for human rights in Cambodia - who stated that Prak Sitha died at the ministry "following beatings by a known police officer" - as an example of a "consistent and continuing pattern of impunity" in Cambodia."
Source: Human Rights Watch

PUT SAMPHORS WAS SHOT DEAD BY MEAN SOKCHEA, A RCAF MAJOR WORKING IN BRIGADE 70.
Hun Sen's personal Bodyguards Unit (Brigade 70) is a terrorist organization.
Hing Bunheang is a March 30, 1997 Grenade Attack suspect identified by the FBI.
Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime had committed murder, again.
"On September 4, 2008, Mean Sokchea, a RCAF major working in Brigade 70, shot dead 21-year-old waitress Put Samphors at a restaurant in Kandal province. Mean Sokchea, in a drunken stupor, fired his gun and apparently mistakenly hit Put Samphors in the stomach. She was taken to a hospital but later died of her wounds. Mean Sokchea was detained by the police overnight but was then released, allegedly after intervention by Hing Bun Heang. Put Samphor's family received US$2,700 from Mean Sokchea, and the police told them that their daughter was shot while authorities were chasing robbers."
Source: Human Rights Watch

Anonymous said...

stop crying wolf already; this is an isolated incident because someone is being unruly! it has nothing to do with the bigger picture of cambodia and gov't. please treat it as an isolated incident, a personal event, etc... don't try to drag the entire cambodia into this ignorant thing between some individuals who, no matter what, nobody can really saitisfy them. remember the reminder that there are more to cambodia than this nonsense event! i'm sure not all cambodians are sided with her and her company of political maverick. to me, they are like an indenpendence political party in the USA, who cannot win the majority vote due to their small constituency, etc... that said, i guess it is already for them to make protest and demonstration, as it is their rights, perhaps. however, just don't let them blame or drag the entire cambodia nation into this quagmire of theirs. cambodia and majority of naive khmer people out there do deserve better treatment and better time than this! god bless cambodia and all our beautiful khmer people and citizens.