By Nicole Gaouette
Bloomberg
Cambodian AbusesCambodia was singled out for arbitrary arrests, child labor, restrictions on freedom of assembly and expression, and the use of defamation lawsuits to target opposition voices.
A new law in Cambodia is “emblematic” of international efforts to squash pro-democracy and public advocacy groups, the report said. The law would bar groups with fewer than 11 members from getting legal status, create barriers to registration for foreign non-governmental groups and then require them to collaborate with the government.
Ukraine, which began the year with free and fair presidential elections, saw an negative trend due to problematic local elections, media intimidation, and perceived selective prosecution of opposition figures, the report said.
Middle Eastern protesters calling for greater freedom, economic opportunity and meaningful political participation have the potential to improve human rights in that region and beyond, according to a State Department report released today.
“These citizens seek to build sustainable democracies in their countries with governments that respect the universal human rights of their own people,” the report noted. “If they succeed, the Middle East region, and with it the whole world, will be improved.”
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, speaking at the State Department, said the U.S. is “particularly disturbed” by crackdowns on democracy activists. She cited arrests of dissidents in such countries as China and Venezuela.
The 35th annual report examined 194 countries, singling out Colombia, Guinea and Indonesia for improvements in human rights in 2010. Ukraine, China and Cambodia, where “security forces, acting with impunity, committed arbitrary killings,” were among countries censured for their abuses.
The report identified three trends that have driven change in the Middle East and elsewhere, as it documented attempts by governments worldwide to repress them. All of them are of concern to the U.S., Clinton said.
The “explosive” growth of advocacy groups devoted to human rights, democracy and public wellbeing was one factor, the report said.
“For countries to progress toward truly democratic governance, they need free and vibrant civil societies that can help governments understand and meet the needs of their people,” Clinton said.
Repression
“As we have seen in the Middle East and elsewhere, governments cannot repress civil society indefinitely, and they can never suppress it legitimately,” the report said.
Another factor driving change is the dramatic growth of the Internet, mobile phones and other connective technology that allow instantaneous communication. Egyptians and Tunisians mobilizing in the streets used the social networking services of Facebook Inc., Google Inc. (GOOG) and Twitter Inc.
Clinton noted that more than 40 governments now restrict the Internet by censoring websites, using spyware or firewalls. The beating and death of an Egyptian blogger sparked unrest there and the top U.S. diplomat noted that in other places, “digital activists have been tortured so they would reveal their passwords and implicate their colleagues.”
Mistreatment of Women, Minorities
A third trend, that the report says is headed in a negative direction, is an escalation of violence, persecution and official discrimination against women, religious or ethnic minorities, lesbian and gay people, and those with disabilities.
Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, Michael Posner, pointed to Pakistan’s discrimination against minority Muslim groups and Christians. In the first two months of 2011, two ministers who sought to reform the country’s blasphemy law were targeted by a fatwa and assassinated.
“Issues of intolerance in Pakistan trouble us greatly,” Posner said. “We are particularly concerned about the Urdu press and the role it plays” in fomenting such intolerance.
Colombia saw “notable” improvements in its human rights situation under President Juan Manuel Santos, who has strengthened the government’s relationship with public advocacy and democracy groups.
Extra-judicial executions decreased “substantially” from 2008 to 2009 and several senior military officers were convicted of human rights abuse, the report said.
Cambodian Abuses
Cambodia was singled out for arbitrary arrests, child labor, restrictions on freedom of assembly and expression, and the use of defamation lawsuits to target opposition voices.
A new law in Cambodia is “emblematic” of international efforts to squash pro-democracy and public advocacy groups, the report said. The law would bar groups with fewer than 11 members from getting legal status, create barriers to registration for foreign non-governmental groups and then require them to collaborate with the government.
Ukraine, which began the year with free and fair presidential elections, saw an negative trend due to problematic local elections, media intimidation, and perceived selective prosecution of opposition figures, the report said.
China’s ‘Negative Trend’
Disappearances, arbitrary detention and limits on the Internet and the work of journalists and lawyers marked China’s worsening human rights record in 2010.
The report identified a lengthy list of human rights abuses in China, including extra-judicial killings, torture, a lack of due process in politically controlled courts, discrimination against women and forced sterilizations and abortions.
Chinese officials restrict and monitor Internet use, particularly to block news of public protests in the Middle East. The networking website LinkedIn was blocked after postings about the so-called Jasmine revolution in Tunisia. LinkedIn Corp. operates the largest networking site for professionals.
“A negative trend in key areas of the country’s human rights record continued, as the government took additional steps to rein in civil society, particularly organizations and individuals involved in rights advocacy and public interest issues,” the report said.
To contact the reporter on this story: Nicole Gaouette in Washington at
ngaouette@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Mark Silva at
msilva34@bloomberg.net
3 comments:
Khmer people always obey the law or have always been respected the rule of laws ever since, trying to do the right things and being afraid of the higher-up leaders or what so ever.
Khmer population is not small. It combines with Khmer Krom (Southern Vietnam), Khmer Surin (Northern Thailand) and Khmer Kandal (Cambodia today).
If Khmer people don't care about Buddha or did not show respects, Khmer could be very aggressive like Thai and Vietnam or China, and would have more power and become a very developed nation in the world. The enemies like SIAM (Thailand) and Die Viet (Vietnam) are betrayal and hypocrite races when Khmer people have been so soft and so kind to the neighbors (like Vietnam, Thailand, Laos/Hmong, China, etc) until the neighbors (Thailand and Vietnam) took for grants and stole things and destroyed Khmer people. What on earth the Vietnam and Thailand are doing to Khmer (Cambodia) until today?
It is sad that the Thailand and Vietnam have been using Khmer people as unthinking and forgotten people as their strategies to destroy the real Khmer history to regain their rewritten and false histories. They plan to brainwash their young generations to act very weird and rude until today as you know. Many young people of Thailand and Vietnam have learned their false histories on earth and then their histories will not have the values to learn.
Thailand and Vietnam compare themselves to be like the U.S., British Empire, etc. That is stupid.
KAMPUCHEA KROM AT A GLANCE
Kampuchea Krom is composed of 68,965 square kilometers, 21 provinces and municipalities, two large islands - Koh Tral and Koh Tralach, 171 districts, 1,368 communes, 14,778 villages, more than 13 million Khmers, more than 567 Buddhist pagodas and more than 20,000 Theravada Buddhist monks.
99% of populations are Theravada Buddhists.
The Khmer kings, governments, regimes and citizens have never relinquish (give up) this part of their country to foreigners.
Kampuchea Krom has been under an ongoing colonial control since her division from motherland, Cambodia.
June 4, 1949 is the date that the Khmer Kampuchea Krom citizens grieve. The Khmer Kampuchea Krom people have organized Buddhist Service annually to honor the fallen Khmer Buddhist monks and heroes, who sacrificed their lives for Kampuchea Krom and Theravada Buddhism.
Colonial France divided, ceded and transferred Kampuchea Krom to colonial Vietnam on this date. The freedom of Khmer Kampuchea Krom has been mostly stripped by the Vietnamese ruling regimes and governments since. The French colonial administration committed injustice upon the more than 13 million Khmers of this beautiful fertile land.
Justice remains elusive for Cambodia, Kampuchea Krom and her citizens.
And...The struggle to regain freedom and human rights by the Khmers in Kampuchea Krom continues as long as injustice commits by the ruling Vietnamese regime(s) has not produced a fruitful result.
Koh Tral (Tral Island)
in Vietnamese - Phu Quoc island
circa 1939 Vietnamese encroached and conquered
Koh Tral Island has an area of 567 square kilometers; about 62 kilometers long and between 3 kilometers and 28 kilometers wide. The island physically is located closest to Cambodia's Kep seaside city. Visitors can see Koh Tral Island from the coastline of Kep. It is about a 30-minute motorized boat ride.
By Smart Khmer Girl, Ms. Rattana Keo
Koh Tral Island must not be forgotten
By Ms. Rattana Keo
Why do Koh Tral Island, known in Vietnam as Phu Quoc, a sea and land area covering proximately over 10,000 km2 [Note: the actual land size of Koh Tral itself is 574 square kilometres (222 sq miles)] have been lost to Vietnam by whose treaty? Why don’t Cambodia government be transparent and explain to Cambodia army at front line and the whole nation about this? Why don't they include this into education system? Why?
Cambodian armies are fighting at front line for 4.6 km2 on the Thai border and what's about over 10,000km2 of Cambodia to Vietnam. Nobody dare to talk about it! Why? Cambodian armies you are decide the fate of your nation, Cambodian army as well as Cambodian people must rethink about this again and again. Is it fair?
Koh Tral Island, the sea and land area of over 10,000 square kilometres have been lost to Vietnam by the 1979 to 1985 treaties. The Cambodian army at front line as well as all Cambodian people must rethink again about these issues. Are Cambodian army fighting to protect the Cambodia Nation or protecting a very small group that own big lands, big properties or only protecting a small group but disguising as protecting the Khmer nation?
The Cambodian army at front lines suffer under rain, wind, bullets, bombs, lack of foods, lack of nutrition and their families have no health care assistance, no securities after they died but a very small group eat well, sleep well, sleep in first class hotel with air conditioning system with message from young girls, have first class medical care from oversea medical treatments, they are billionaires, millionaires who sell out the country to be rich and make the Cambodian people suffer everyday.
Who signed the treaty 1979-1985 that resulted in the loss over 10,000 km2 of Cambodia??? Why they are not being transparent and brave enough to inform all Cambodians and Cambodian army at front line about these issues? Why don't they include Koh Tral (Koh Tral size is bigger than the whole Phom Phen and bigger than Singapore [Note: Singapore's present land size is 704 km2 (271.8 sq mi)]) with heap of great natural resources, in the Cambodian education system?
Look at Hun Sen's families, relatives and friends- they are billionaires, millionaires. Where did they get the money from when we all just got out of war with empty hands [in 1979]? Hun Sen always say in his speeches that Cambodia had just risen up from the ashes of war, just got up from Year Zero with empty hands and how come they are billionaires, millionaires but 90% of innocent Cambodian people are so poor and struggling with their livelihood every day?
Smart Khmer girl Ms. Rattana Keo,
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