Responsability to Protect to be hosted in Cambodia when Cambodians are evicted by force from their lands in drove?

Norodom Sirivudh

Cambodia hosts talks on protecting civilians from atrocities

June 16, 2010
ABC Radio Australia

After World War Two and revelations of the Jewish Holocaust, the world vowed never again. Yet genocide, ethnic cleansing, and other mass atrocites have continued, from the killing fields of Cambodia to the violence of Rwanda and the abuses in Darfur. Five years ago, world leaders at a UN summit agreed that it's the responsibility of each nation to protect their populations from abuse. That commitment was called R2P, the Responsibility To Protect. It has since been reaffirmed by the UN Security Council. Cambodia is hosting the first in a series of talks on the R2P, to investigate its effectiveness in the Asia Pacific region.

Presenter: Sen Lam
Speakers: His Royal Highness Prince Norodom Sirivudh, chairman Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace

Click here to listen to the audio program (Windows Media)

LAM: Tell us about this two day conference in Phnom Penh?

PRINCE SIRIVUDH: It is very important for us Cambodians for our institute as one of the leading think tanks. As you mentioned here in Cambodia we have passed through a lot of suffering, genocide, the Khmer Rouge and a lot of the population has been killed. So the idea is to bring a new concept as you mentioned for responsibility, to protect. I think because there are a lot of provisions on the structure of the United Nations, even in the Security Council but we must cross the line because the problem is always the notion of serenities and the duty to intervene, that is the problem. And personally and a lot of Cambodian academic people in society now try to engage the Royal Government of Cambodia and the National Assembly Senate all the stakeholders to think about how we can move forward on responsibility to protect its citizens.The state needs to be responsible for its own people and not to allow genocide tohappen.

LAM: And how do you think the Cambodian Government is performing on this front, this responsibility to protect?

SIRIVUDH: I think idea is there, any civil society and think tank has a duty to bring the notions to the National Assembly, so the reason why the two day wash up is to stabilise stakeholders, the civil society and we bring people together and once again thanks to our Australian friends, through Queensland Universities to bring this concept. So I am very encouraged that it seem to me that following the Secretary-General in 2009, we members of the United Nations as a country must implement the responsibility to protect and emphasis the treaty, absolutely. But the problem you must understand that this region, Asia is not only the state, but we must bring the responsibility to the regional grouping, like the EU, like the African Union and ASEAN, and ASEAN must be more flexible to welcome the notion about responsibility.

LAM: Well ASEAN as you know, last year brought out this widely reported charter on human rights, and yet the various performances of the various governments is quite mixed in ASEAN. You can compare say a country like Burma, for instance, where human rights is virtually non-existent, to a country like say Malaysia or Singapore. Where Cambodia is concerned, do you think that the government is taking this notion of the responsibility to protect seriously?

SIRIVUDH: Absolutely, I think it is taking a long time for Cambodia to stabilise and achieve this. But now I think the notion about a charter, we in Cambodia are very supportive about the human rights notion and of course once again about non-interference is still there, but at least we have achieved some progress to have one charter and we have agreed to sit down to talk about human rights.

LAM: Just briefly, do you think that R2P should also extend to land rights? I mean many people in Cambodia, particularly near the cities have been forced off their land and forced to move out of their homes?

SIRIVUDH: Absolutely, when I talk about the state, it must be to protect its people, protect from genocide, from ethnic cleansing and crime. So the land, what is affecting the land conflict is only one part of R2P, but absolutely. I am very, very supportive and will do everything in my capacity as member of the institute and perhaps on behalf of the civil society we will work on this.