By Prak Chan Thul
WHISTLE-BLOWERS BEWARE:PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - Cambodia's parliament passed a controversial anti-graft law on Thursday, with the government unmoved by protests from rights groups and opposition politicians who say the legislation will entrench official corruption.
He also joined rights groups in condemning a clause under which whistle-blowers making corruption allegations could be jailed for up to six months if their claims could not be proven.
The National Assembly, dominated by the ruling Cambodian People's Party, voted in favour of the long-awaited bill despite calls from the United Nations and civil society groups to postpone the vote so the public could be consulted.
Lawmakers from the opposition Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) walked out in protest at what they said was a law that lacked transparency and would deter individuals from reporting corruption.
Critics also complained the law did not require government officials or their spouses to declare their assets, which they said would promote illegal practices.
"This is a law to protect corruption," SRP spokesman and lawmaker Yim Sovann told reporters as he joined the walkout. "It doesn't mean anything. The people have not been involved in the fight against corruption."
Yim Sovann said the legislation did not guarantee members of a yet-to-be appointed Anti-Corruption National Council would be independent of the government.
WHISTLE-BLOWERS BEWARE
He also joined rights groups in condemning a clause under which whistle-blowers making corruption allegations could be jailed for up to six months if their claims could not be proven.
Cambodia has come under fire over its strict defamation laws, which rights groups and opposition lawmakers say are being used to stifle criticism of the government.
Corruption is rife and the payment of bribes is part and parcel of doing business in the impoverished Southeast Asian country, from one-off payments to state officials to guarantees of lucrative contracts or shares of company profits.
Graft watchdog Transparency International last year ranked Cambodia 158th out of 180 countries in terms of corruption, with a low-ranking denoting high instances of graft.
The United Nations had expressed concern about the bill, which took 15 years to draft, and had urged the government to provide more time for the public, aid donors and civil society to scrutinise the legislation before it was passed.
In a statement released on Wednesday, before the law was approved, it said the draft should undergo a "transparent and participatory consultation process" and "contain sufficient safeguards to protect the rights and duties of Cambodian people who will be the ultimate beneficiaries".
Deputy Prime Minister Sok An countered criticism of the draft in parliament and defended the clause that punished whistle-blowers whose claims could not be proven.
"It is not just Cambodia that prevents the issue of causing trouble or launching attacks on individuals," Sok An said.
(Editing by Martin Petty and Alex Richardson)
35 comments:
Sok An: If I and my boss Hun Sen do not want to declare our rich wealth publicly. If we do so, we are afraid that we will be hung when we are out of power.
of course, it makes sense to say that if whistle blowers allegation is not proven i.e. evidential, or substantial enough, then their intention is misleading because a person good reputation, or even worst, people could use excuses by being political and bias and thus mixing situation to confuse the public and so forth. so the law spelled out if anyone make allegation without sufficient evidence, etc, then that individual is doing a disserve or disturbing peace or libal or slandering, etc, thus they are nothing more than serving their own interest, really! look, cambodia don't need that kind of mentality again, you know! of course, in any passage of new law and so forth, we expect critics, opposing, albeit they are a minority, etc... keep in mind, the majority rules, that's the reality, really!
Hun Sen: You, NGO and Sam Ransy people, you must understand that this anti-corruption law is not made to scan our corruption but it is made to scan your corruption. We, CPP have immunization to this law. We are not going to effect by this law. So we CPP, business as usual.
you know they are open to debate now, it's not like they passed it into law without majority consent, you know! if your excuse is that it took 15 years to make it into law, then, from your hypocritcal statement, then why did you take that 15 years opportunity to polish this law, etc... why just starting to act is if people didn't give you time. maybe your true color is that you are the procastinator; you have you concept of timeliness, you play your political, bias game with gov't of cambodia, for too long already, you people need to wake up and smell the coffee, ok! time waits for no one, really! if you are unhappy with this new law, perhaps keep on waiting for another 15 years to to pass it again. get a life, please!
if only they talk openly about it, then it would be much easier, but oh no, they have attitude, a stinky one that is!
Majority rule? If majority does not take into account concern of minority, this is not real democracy. This is not different from communist.
god bless cambodia.
small, minute, detail that maybe necessary to adjust to this important new law can be amended as time progress. no excuses for opposition and company to further detail this law, ok!
Dear 10:3pm,
You sound like Hun Sen.
Public debate? Nothing. How can you imagine all CPP parliantarians ok to all words and sentencesa and clauses of the law? They are stupid. They do not do their job as law makers. They just ok with Mr. Hun Sen. It is unbelieveable.
Hun Sen: This anti-corruption law is tool for CPP to scan virus from NGO and opposition party. We, CPP keep doing business as usual.
for the sake of peace and civil society, the law only takes effective on the date it passed and cannot be allowed to individuals at their own will, to go back in time to dig up trash such personal assets, etc because it is personal asset before the law was in existence. it makes sense like this because even in other civilized nations like the USA for example, any new laws passed, they can never be allowed to go back in the past to ruin or jarpedize people life before the law was created, etc... yes, it is for the sake of fairness and justice. think about it, ok! opposition needs to sit down and debate this and think about this before trying to ruin people's life. that is so wrong and unjust, to say the say, really! can't have you own way all the time, you know! opposition is not perfect; they think they are that's because they are probably hypocrites! i would sit down and listen or discuss or debate the issue over again with all parties for the sake of peace, unity, justice and the sake of the nation, etc... wake up, people!
Hey Hun Sen and he rest of the CPP and their families, all of you will be forced out of power soon, not by the SRP, not by the royalists, but by the people. And when you are out of power, just know we wont let you leave so easily. Be prepared to be slowly slit at the stomach and have your bodies float in the Mekong.
yes, it makes sense to required whistle blower to have real evidence. after all, if you cannot provide evidence, then you are politically biased and disturbing peace. so gov't have the right to fine you for inciting violence! that's the law, really!
it's a fair law, i think because they are opened to future amendment, etc... plus, if whistle blower have concrete evidence, then use it in your whistle blowing, however, if you have no evidence, then, of course, be afraid because the law will get you for being stupid. now, even freedom of speech or whatever excuses you have is not enough, ok! you don't play game with the law, you know!
cambodia doesn't revolve around srp and company, really! srp and company are just a bunch of hypocrites; they used all kind excuses paint bad picture of gov't of cambodia. they often use the so-called freedom of speech, the youn puppet game, etc... oh, and they exploited the uneducated in cambodia by buying their votes. we all can see their dirty, evil tactics and bad attitude all around. what else is new, really!
CHESS OF PRIVATE PARTY! Wrong move you're OUT!
Rocket propelled grenades do not cost much. You can purchase a Chinese made type from RCAF soldiers around Phnom Penh for less than $20. Hun Sen mainly travels around Cambodia on a helicopter. When firing RPGs, the accuracy can be erratic at times and so you would not want to be too far from your target.
FBI is lookin gor terrorists in cambodia, you are on FBI list to watch! cambodia do not tolerate terrorist, you know! now go to hell, ok!
all are up to hun sen. when he say green, it will turn green. when green but he still think it red it still stay red. its a one man gang.
12:04 AM,
In addition to what I said earlier:
Rocket propelled grenades do not cost much. You can purchase a Chinese made type from RCAF soldiers around Phnom Penh for less than $20. Hun Sen mainly travels around Cambodia on a helicopter. When firing RPGs, the accuracy can be erratic at times and so you would not want to be too far from your target.
Just remember that your hit probabilities vary greatly with contrasting distance. With a B-41, the ones you can get from RCAF soldiers around Ta Kmau & Takeo you'll get 96% from at least 100 meters away and as low as 51% from a distance of 200 meters. Like I said earlier, the grenade rockets' trajectory can be erratic. Best time to get a good kill shot is when the helicopter is on its vertical takeoff. You'll have an easier and more stable target to work with.
This corruption law is bullshit.
Democratic Kampuchea Pol Pot Khmer Rouge Regime
Members:
Pol Pot
Nuon Chea
Ieng Sary
Ta Mok
Khieu Samphan
Son Sen
Ieng Thearith
Kaing Kek Iev
Hun Sen
Chea Sim
Heng Samrin
Hor Namhong
Keat Chhon
Ouk Bunchhoeun
Sim Ka...
Committed:
Tortures
Brutality
Executions
Massacres
Mass Murder
Genocide
Atrocities
Crimes Against Humanity
Starvations
Slavery
Force Labour
Overwork to Death
Human Abuses
Persecution
Unlawful Detention
Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime
Members:
Hun Sen
Chea Sim
Heng Samrin
Hor Namhong
Keat Chhon
Ouk Bunchhoeun
Sim Ka...
Committed:
Attempted Murders
Attempted Murder on Chea Vichea
Attempted Assassinations
Attempted Assassination on Sam Rainsy
Assassinations
Assassinated Journalists
Assassinated Political Opponents
Assassinated Leaders of the Free Trade Union
Assassinated over 80 members of Sam Rainsy Party.
"But as of today, over eighty members of my party have been assassinated. Countless others have been injured, arrested, jailed, or forced to go into hiding or into exile."
Sam Rainsy LIC 31 October 2009 - Cairo, Egypt
Executions
Executed over 100 members of FUNCINPEC Party
Murders
Murdered 3 Leaders of the Free Trade Union
Murdered Chea Vichea
Murdered Ros Sovannareth
Murdered Hy Vuthy
Murdered Journalists
Murdered Khim Sambo
Murdered Khim Sambo's son
Murdered members of Sam Rainsy Party.
Murdered activists of Sam Rainsy Party
Murdered Innocent Men
Murdered Innocent Women
Murdered Innocent Children
Killed Innocent Khmer Peoples.
Extrajudicial Execution
Grenade Attack
Terrorism
Drive by Shooting
Brutalities
Police Brutality Against Monks
Police Brutality Against Evictees
Tortures
Intimidations
Death Threats
Threatening
Human Abductions
Human Abuses
Human Rights Abuses
Human Trafficking
Drugs Trafficking
Under Age Child Sex
Corruptions
Bribery
Embezzlement
Treason
Border Encroachment, allow Vietnam to encroaching into Cambodia.
Signed away our territories to Vietnam; Koh Tral, almost half of our ocean territory oil field and others.
Illegal Arrest
Illegal Mass Evictions
Illegal Land Grabbing
Illegal Firearms
Illegal Logging
Illegal Deforestation
Illegally use of remote detonation bomb on Sokha Helicopter, while Hok Lundy and other military officials were on board.
Lightning strike many airplanes, but did not fall from the sky. Lightning strike out side of airplane and discharge electricity to ground.
Source: Lightning, Discovery Channel
Illegally Sold State Properties
Illegally Removed 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.
Use Dead people's names to vote for Cambodian People's Party.
Disqualified potential Sam Rainsy Party's voters.
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
Persecution
Unlawful Detention
Death in custody.
Under the Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime, no criminals that has been committed crimes against journalists, political opponents, leaders of the Free Trade Union, innocent men, women and children have ever been brought to justice.
hey, people will listen to you more if they respect you. that's the reality. keep running your mouth like diarrhea, you go no where, really!
12:30am, good that you care about injustice in cambodia. but keep in mind that's problem in society not gov't. if you really care and wanted to make a real different, i suggest you lobby each respective gov't ministries in cambodia to be tough and responsible in their respective duty as ministry e.g. ministry of culture, ministry of finance, ministry of justice, ministry of foreign affairs, ministry of interior, etc, etc, etc... however, if you just attack mr. hun sen, you are not smart because you put too much pressure on one person for other people ill intention, etc... now, how fair is that? call for reforms is more like it, really!
no more rule of the jungle in cambodia, ok! cambodia had come a long way pass that already! cambodia is a civilized nation. get used to it for a change, ok!
“Therefore, as a first step, we must consider these declarations to be made in secret, but we must make is such that these officials dare declare their personal wealth.
Wow, I can't believe he saying this?
What is the purpose of the law?
Is it transparent?
SRP is not the only one concerned about the draft, NGOs are as well really, really against their participation ban also really!
Not just NGOs and independent group inside Cambodia, but really, the U.N too!
How would you really call for the SRP and oppositions to sit down and debate with others for unity when the CPP didn't even give the law a chance for debate, really! They already passed it, really! So it's real now!
By the sound of it, when they say that it was only a few days before it was set to be discussed that the draft was passed out to all MP meanings only a certain group of people, through all those 15 years of long wait really had the role to write the draft, really! And no one else was part of it except that few group until the debate time, really!
whistle blower go to jail? really! Whistle blower just exposes, if it not true, than no damage can be done. If true, really, what happen when the body decide it go against their business as usual in CPP? really! So the whistle blower gets jail anyway! really!
A really! really! paradoxical statement of living in Cambodia, really!
Take this, a law on transparency was made secret, really! A real paradox!
Allegations of groping, illicit questionable minority have led to some quick exits./.
rollimg dyce!
well, to them false accusation matters, so whistle blower is allowed, however better come prepared with concrete evidence and not just mouth running like diarrhea, ok! that's all they're saying, really! they don't want people to exploit gov't like they exploited uneducate population,ok! we all know about people who exploit by mean of political bias, you know!
I am not belonging to any political party, but for what I read so far there is nothing wrong with the law. It is the similar to the US law.
If the opposition party think that the law is not good for the country then it should be good for the party. They can prove their point during the election to get more vote.
Public display is just the show it doen't meant much to regular voters.If you realy beleive that you are right, now you have some thing to convince the voters for the next election. If the opposition is right then they should gain more vote in the next election.
I just wonder what the opposition is doing everyday, digging up dirt on the gov. or spending time solving problem in the local level ?????? any body know ?????
11:11 PM this crony 10:3pm ect, also writes under another screen jayakhmer or you can write to it jayakhmer@gmail.com
it's a kantop as with khmer skin. Be careful this kantop as the rest of kantop or with kantop brain are wreckful, has multiples screens and play multiple personality (for and against) to trick some naives who are easy to manipulate. This one plays pro srp in day but in dark its heart is full of hated and revenge for srp
cpp belong to khmer rouge clan so yuon poltical tools,
remember, no matter time, space, laws or conditions, these yuon tools will do anything just to kill Khmer and destroy Cambodia for yuons,
international community must views its regard and policy toward this kind of criminal system to end crimes and tragedy in Cambodia
Totally agree with 2:31 a.m
The law is passed! Majority rules! Let's get on with our lives and business as usual. This law is similar to U.S law. For now, let give it a chance. Try not to dig any more false documents. Who are these whistle blowers anyway? Now that the law passed by the majority, the minority (whistle blowers) beware!
It's fair and just, and as a Cambodian citizen, I have to respect and obey. For those who don't agree, may be you can join those whistle blowers, who knows? we'll see you in jail? Let's keep things the way they are. WE all know, how corrupted PM Hun Sen's clan are and have been. Until this way, no one can't proof it. In the meantime, let's focus on the future. This law doesn't effect on working people. It does effect on Sam Rainsy and his party. Let him and his followers continue with their nonsense craps. For us normal folks, business as usual.
All in all, I am pleased with the new law. May teveda bless Cambodian and its people!
3:43 AM ah crook jayakhmaoch
3:43 AM, it's a pity that you just can't understand a thing about what is called good morality and ethics. Your comment suggests that you're one of the corrupted clan of the ruling party.
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