Thomas Miller
The Phnom Penh Post
A Ministry of Interior official who has been central to the drafting of the government’s NGO law lashed out today at a United States diplomat for comments he made about the controversial legislation on a visit this week, while talks with NGOs continued at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In a letter to Daniel Baer, deputy assistant secretary in the bureau of democracy, human rights and labour at the US State Department, Nouth Sa An, secretary of state at the Ministry of Interior, said he was “disappointed” by Baer’s remarks on the law, according to a copy of the letter obtained by The Post.
“The consultation is still ongoing between the Government and the NGOs,” Nouth Sa An wrote.
“Your statement ‘we don’t see the need for the law at this point’ now has broken the consultation process.”
Nouth Sa An said the government believed the presence of NGOs following the 1993 elections was an “asset”, but that by 2009, they had “mushroomed to more than 2000 organisations”.
“Subsequently the rule of law is the necessity for Cambodia to ensure the activities of the national and international NGOs to be protected from the unnecessary activities that may hamper their objectivity,” Nouth Sa An wrote.
NGOs have expressed concern that the government would use the law to curb activity it deemed “political” or overtly critical, arguing that the draft allows excessive and arbitrary government authority without recourse to outside appeal.
Mark Wenig, US embassy spokesman, referred a request for comment to the statements made by Baer on Tuesday.
Baer had said one of his “chief aims” in his visit was to learn more about the draft legislation and meet with government and civil society to discuss it.
At the end, he maintained the US position: That it sees no necessity for the law, and urges the government to continue consulting widely on it with civil society.
Nouth Sa An and Khieu Sopheak, spokesman for the Ministry of Interior, could not be reached for comment.
Ouch Borith, secretary of state at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said consultations were still ongoing, and he met today with representatives of Medicam and the Cambodian Human Rights Action Committee, while a colleague discussed the issue with NGO Forum.
He declined to comment further, preferring to “wait until everything is finished”.
He said he would meet Anne Höglund, the Swedish ambassador, about the law tomorrow.
Chith Sam Ath, executive director of NGO Forum, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had agreed, if in word only, to an important change to the law that would allow coalitions between international and domestic NGOs to operate if the lead person is Cambodian.
Chith Sam Ath said NGOs still hope to see a second draft of the law and have a chance to provide further comments on it.
4 comments:
KHMER People Power (KPP)
All Khmer people must be protecting and saving CAMBODIA from the Vietnamese expansion or we will be Khmer Krom number 2 and nothing remain for Khmer younger generation.
Khmer people must thinking a long term solutions for CAMBODIA. The Vietnamese never helped CAMBODIA since the first Century. The Vietnamese always took an opportunities to weaken and used the Khmer Krazy Kings to broke them self apart, so the Khmer people are powerless and unable to reclaim the Khmer Krom land and unable to protecting CAMBODIA from the Vietnamese expansionism.
Vietnamese using Hun Sen and Khmer people to fight Thai, so Khmer people will have no strenght, men power, money, supplies, and etc. to protecting their motherland CAMBODIA from the Vietnamese expansion.
Khmer people cannot protected Angkor Wat inside CAMBODIA from the Vietnamese took over. Angkor Wat owned by the Vietnamese tycoon Sok Kong and owner of Sokimex oil company operated in CAMBODIA. Most of the big buildings, structures, companies, land, farms, parks, forests, etc. in CAMBODIA are sold by Hun Sen to foreigners. Khmer people only sight seeing and living in slums.
Now which country is taking over CAMBODIA? Vietnamese or Thai?
Why Khmer people trusted and supported the Vietnamese puppet HUN SEN on Preah Vihear temple?
How many Khmer people can live in Preah Vihear temple? After CAMBODIA is fully control by the Vietnamese Government liked Khmer Krom.
Khmer people needed Khmer people power inside CAMBODIA, Khmer oversea, and United Nations in order to protect CAMBODIA from the Vietnamese expansion. Khmer people power must take back the power from Hun Sen and stop allowing him controlling and treating Khmer people like human wastes. Every governments in every country is running by people power, the President or Prime Minister alone cannot run the country without people.
Royal Thai Military Weapons are
Equipment Quantity
High quality main battle tanks 581
Medium and low quality tanks 460
APCs, IFVs, ARVs, LCVs 1414
Self-propelled artillery 1079
Combat warplanes 171+AV8 168
Transport warplanes 114
Training warplanes 74
Military helicopters 300
aircraft carrier batteries 110
Warships 17 17 2 LPD
Fast Attack Craft-Missile (FAC-M)s 660
Patrol boats 127
Imagine how Cambodia would be withtout NGOs and SRP after the first election in 1993.
To the 3 notorious traitors, NGOs an SRP are nothing but both a stumbling block and a thorn in their flesh. That's why they have been trying to get rid of them ever since.
The NGOs do in Cambodia what the government doesnt want to do:
Help orphans, HIV, vacine, hospitals, everything what the GOV should do is done by the NGOs with private donators from abroad.
Good for the GOV and their comrades: More money for Lexus and more millionaires.
Congratulations for the good idea NGO LAW: New bribe money for the licence, new Lexus. Many new Benz also.
ROFL
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