Sebastian Strangio and Vong Sokheng
The Phnom Penh Post
GOVERNMENT critics have slammed Prime Minister Hun Sen’s appointment of Om Yentieng as head of the country’s new Anticorruption Unit (ACU), saying the choice does not bode well for efforts to eradicate graft.
Om Yentieng, a senior adviser to the prime minister and chairman of the government-run Cambodian Human Rights Committee, confirmed Thursday that Hun Sen appointed him to the post last week and pledged to carry out his duties in accordance with the law.
“We will focus toward cooperation in the process of investigation and the law,” he said.
The ACU – one of two bodies established by the new Law on Anticorruption, passed by the National Assembly in March – will be responsible for directing investigations into public and private-sector corruption. The body is set to begin its work once the law comes into effect in November.
But opposition officials said Om Yentieng’s track record raises concerns about his suitability for the position.
Sam Rainsy Party spokesman Yim Sovann said that during Om Yentieng’s tenure as head of the Council of Ministers’ National Anticorruption Committee, the government’s pre-existing anti-graft body, corruption only worsened.
“Based on past experience, I don’t think that he can curb corruption,” he said.
“How can he work independently? He will be under the influence of the prime minister or the Council of Ministers.”
In February 2009, the London-based watchdog Global Witness reported that Om Yentieng was one of several high-ranking officials “quietly awarded” exploratory mining licences in a “non-transparent and highly dubious” manner.
The report accused Om Yentieng of involvement in the Float Asia Friendly Mation Company, which Global Witness alleged has extracted marble from areas in Pursat province that are protected under Cambodian law.
George Boden, a Global Witness campaigner, said Thursday that the group had “serious concerns” about the effectiveness of the new Anticorruption Law.
One “major area of concern”, he added, is the ability of the prime minister to appoint an effective anticorruption staff.
“This severely undermines the independence of the anti-corruption authorities in Cambodia, including the Anticorruption Unit,” he said by email.
When contacted Thursday, Om Yentieng rejected claims that he is unfit for the post.
“We are not surprised about the criticisms from opposition groups such as the SRP and Global Witness. For us there is nothing strange and they have never helped us – they only mock us,” he said.
Sar Sambath, a permanent member of the ACU, said he supported the appointment.
“I think he has enough ability to fulfill his duty and has done a good job so far in his work to fight against corruption. He is cooperative in bilateral discussions, regional discussions and global discussions that are finding ways to fight corruption,” he said.
But Ou Virak, president of the Cambodian Centre for Human Rights, said Om Yentieng’s appointment was discouraging.
“This appointment was an opportunity to send a signal of something new,” he said.
“This was an opportunity for them to make a statement, and I think they’ve missed the opportunity.”
Om Yentieng, a senior adviser to the prime minister and chairman of the government-run Cambodian Human Rights Committee, confirmed Thursday that Hun Sen appointed him to the post last week and pledged to carry out his duties in accordance with the law.
“We will focus toward cooperation in the process of investigation and the law,” he said.
The ACU – one of two bodies established by the new Law on Anticorruption, passed by the National Assembly in March – will be responsible for directing investigations into public and private-sector corruption. The body is set to begin its work once the law comes into effect in November.
But opposition officials said Om Yentieng’s track record raises concerns about his suitability for the position.
Sam Rainsy Party spokesman Yim Sovann said that during Om Yentieng’s tenure as head of the Council of Ministers’ National Anticorruption Committee, the government’s pre-existing anti-graft body, corruption only worsened.
“Based on past experience, I don’t think that he can curb corruption,” he said.
“How can he work independently? He will be under the influence of the prime minister or the Council of Ministers.”
In February 2009, the London-based watchdog Global Witness reported that Om Yentieng was one of several high-ranking officials “quietly awarded” exploratory mining licences in a “non-transparent and highly dubious” manner.
The report accused Om Yentieng of involvement in the Float Asia Friendly Mation Company, which Global Witness alleged has extracted marble from areas in Pursat province that are protected under Cambodian law.
George Boden, a Global Witness campaigner, said Thursday that the group had “serious concerns” about the effectiveness of the new Anticorruption Law.
One “major area of concern”, he added, is the ability of the prime minister to appoint an effective anticorruption staff.
“This severely undermines the independence of the anti-corruption authorities in Cambodia, including the Anticorruption Unit,” he said by email.
When contacted Thursday, Om Yentieng rejected claims that he is unfit for the post.
“We are not surprised about the criticisms from opposition groups such as the SRP and Global Witness. For us there is nothing strange and they have never helped us – they only mock us,” he said.
Sar Sambath, a permanent member of the ACU, said he supported the appointment.
“I think he has enough ability to fulfill his duty and has done a good job so far in his work to fight against corruption. He is cooperative in bilateral discussions, regional discussions and global discussions that are finding ways to fight corruption,” he said.
But Ou Virak, president of the Cambodian Centre for Human Rights, said Om Yentieng’s appointment was discouraging.
“This appointment was an opportunity to send a signal of something new,” he said.
“This was an opportunity for them to make a statement, and I think they’ve missed the opportunity.”
8 comments:
Ah om yentieng neung youn soth ! pourk ah youn sabay chith khlang nas, vear rith thè roloy teath hay srok khmer.
Ah norourk Hun appointed ah om yentieng as head of the country's Anticorruption for Cambodia's ruined harder before. and the Khmer people is slave of Viets life.
It's about time for Khmers living outside Cambodia to tell your brother, sisters, cousin, and all your friends living inside Cambodia to rises up against a dictatorship regime. Wake up Cambodian if you want to have basic right and freedom of speech you MUST stand up for your self.
There are no good men in Cambodia. All men in Cambodia can't handle the truth. The only good person is one year old Cambodian boys
12:22 AM, you are a stupid man, most of Cambodians are good, some of us only are bad, if all of us were bad while Pol Pot era, no Khmer would still be alive today.
Just for the fun of it, we can list all the names who are qualified for this position and did not get this job.
We need some one who the majority of Cambodian can trust. Otherwise we are just wasting time of pointing fingure and have no our own solution for it. It is more productive that way.
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.
No confirmation hearing?
Most of Cambodian are still live and thinking as in primitive period. If most of them are self control or liberal oriented, they will not end up living under this type of opproession until today. They should collectively find the way to get out of this situaction. Every individual wants to retain power and control but if majority let them have it ways they will have it. No complain Khmer. You choose to live that way that's why.
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