Jan 14, 2011
Today Online
WASHINGTON - Thailand and Cambodia were among 25 countries that showed significant declines in democracy last year, the Washington-based Freedom House reported yesterday. It was the fifth consecutive year the Freedom House has reported a decline in political rights and civil liberties worldwide - the longest period of continuous decline in the index's nearly 40-year history, according to American magazine Foreign Policy.
"Our adversaries are not just engaging in widespread repression, they are doing so with unprecedented aggressiveness and self-confidence," said Mr David J Kramer, executive director of Freedom House.
The report surveyed 194 countries and 14 territories around the world.
Other countries listed as declining in their levels of freedom were Afghanistan, Bahrain, Burundi, Ivory Coast, Djibouti, Egypt, Ethiopia, Fiji, France, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Hungary, Iran, Kuwait, Latvia, Madagascar, Mexico, Rwanda, Sri Lanka, Swaziland, Ukraine, Venezuela and Zambia.
Mexico's fall from "free" to the "partly free" category was described as "nearly unprecedented". It was blamed on the state's failure to "protect ordinary citizens, journalists and elected officials from organised crime" and drug violence, said Foreign Policy.
The report also found that China, Egypt, Iran, Russia and Venezuela continued to increase repressive measures with little significant resistance from democracies.
Among the examples cited were China pressuring foreign governments to boycott the Nobel Peace Prize award ceremony honouring jailed democracy advocate Liu Xiaobo and Russia's "blatant disregard" for judicial independence in sentencing former oil magnate Mikhail Khordokovsky after a trial widely considered fraudulent.
Eleven countries were credited with making gains last year, including Kyrgyzstan and Guinea, both of which moved from "not free" to "partly free" after holding comparatively free and fair elections.
The Middle East and North Africa remained the regions with the lowest level of freedom. Agencies
2 comments:
How can one expect Khmer Rouge to understand "democracy"?
Dear Sam, it ok, you never see yourself as inable person, and you are good at seeing in other people mistake. Like I said befor, you put Khmer nation interest in the trush, and start to act like street wild beast, very desrtuctive and provocative against your own nation. your greedy and imbitouse grabing power for bunch of your SRP company people.
Did you remmember,a Mass demonstartion 1998, 100 of demonstration ayear, you try hard to stope foreign donation, you agianst your own poorly hunger Khmer, you did it . Didn't you? Now it easy to remmember 76 factories closed. How much it pain when Khmer just about to get up, You Rainsy put them right back to the darknese and claim yourself compatriote. My freind at Suntex factory your people burn his factory down to the ground, Here he told me, I invest 2.300.ooo dollars if I did know early Cambodia are such risky, I would never think about doing any business in here. In CDC meeting with Japan invetor They siad We Japan see alot of portential in Cambodia, But we not invest here, we can't risk our capitale. Now we clearly see you Sam rainsy are killing your nation economice, Now didn't you?.
In thailand Japan invest all electronic and assemby car that produce 16 billion in revenue contribute to Thai Eco. Kick Japan and Viet out from helping Khemr didn't you?.
I ask you stop preten to talk nice Rainsy but you act very delussion dirty trick, to put Cambodia down to the floor. Your leadership skill are not good enought for even make a living very survive, survive in your smale family. don't ever think to run Cambodia. Mike
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