Men Kimseng, VOA Khmer | Washington, DC
The law will put Cambodia at a “crossroads.”
Development experts warn that the government’s draft law on NGOs remains restrictive and will hamper future development if it is not corrected.
“The law is still problematic and the comments that were brought forward by the NGO community and associations, some of them were not entirely picked up,” said Borithy Lon, executive director of the Cooperation Committee for Cambodia, a consortium of non-governmental agencies.
Borithy Lon said those concerns include provisions for registration, which must be completed before an organization can operate in the country, making it open to government interpretation. The draft is also unclear on punishments for NGOs and recourse for legal action against them, he said.
The NGO law moved to the Council of Ministers for approval in July, after which it must be debated by the National Assembly and the Senate.
Throughout the draft process, a number of NGOs warned the law contains regulations that leave it open to political manipulation against organizations that run counter to government interests.
Oxfam America said in a statement Friday that the third draft of the law, which ignores many recommendations from the development sector, does not respond to Cambodia’s development needs.
The law could create a reluctance of investors and donors to put funding into the country, said Gregory Adams, director of aid effectiveness for the organization.
“Cambodia has been making significant progress in recent years,” he said. “It’s starting to take a bigger role on the world stage, but if this law goes forward as it is now...we’re really concerned about a lot of that progress coming to a halt or being slowed.”
Sue Gunawardena Vaughn, Southeast Asia program manager for Freedom House, agreed. A similar law restricting NGO freedom in Ethiopia led to slowed development, she said.
The law will put Cambodia at a “crossroads,” she said, and lawmakers now must decide which way they want to take the country.
2 comments:
Hi Everyone,
One of KI-Media member who has his name in Facebook as Khmer Sovannaphumi but his real name is Pang Sokhoeun, former political asylum and now living in Sweden. He always copies news from here to post in his facebook profile to promote himself, but right now, he tries to remove and blocked anyone who dares to reveal his con activity particular he tries to hide what he has cheated his wife (Sreypov Chea) by having a girlfriend (Sokunthear Sam) behind his wife back. Now, his girlfriend had run way from him after she knew his cheating.
A con man Pang Sokhoeun as well as KI-Media like to insult to the government officers who have affairs, but himself does even worse than other people. What a shame!
When one person had posted in KI-Media and accused that a con man Pang Sokhoeun is a brother of Som Ek (former Chief of Tiger's head sign guerilla, who was arrested and put in prison by Cambodian government) during that time, a cheater Pang Sokhoeun came to deny in his blogs immediately and had pointed the blame to Mr. Sourn Serey Rotha, but this time, he has bury his head in the sand because he cannot deny the truth that he has cheated his wife. Right now, all he can do is removed and blocked anyone who dared to reveal his cheating.
ស្តាយមិនគួមានមនុស្សជម្ងឺខួរក្បាលហើយមិនទៅព្រែកត្នោត ! បែជាមក comment តែអារឿងត្រឹមចង្កេះចុះក្រោម អត់មើលអត្ថបទគេសរសេរពីអី ! អូភ្លេចអាចំគួតមួយហ្នឹងត្រូវបានមីស្រីអារ៉ាត់អារាយបំរ៉ុងយកទៅស្រុកខ្មែរឆាប់ៗហើយ ! ព្រោះវាត្រូវទៅដេកមើលខួរក្បាលឆ្គួតៗ របស់វា ហិ ហិ អាប្រុសចេះត្រឹមធ្វើរឿងត្រឹមចង្កេះចុះក្រោម !!!! ពិជាពូជន៏អាអត់កំណើតមែន !!
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