On Location Video: Cambodia's human rights crackdown

Produced and reported by Chris Kelly
Global Post

Cambodian police arrests activists fighting for land rights

Phnom Penh police arrested activists fighting the largest mass eviction since Pol Pot emptied the Cambodian capital in 1975.

Cambodia’s Rights Environment Backsliding: Advocate

Pung Chhiv Kek, founder of the rights group Licadho. “We still have problems to solve in Cambodia.” (Photo: VOA Khmer)

Tuesday, 13 December 2011
Men Kimseng, VOA Khmer | Washington, DC

Cambodia marked Human Rights Day on Saturday, but a leading activist says the country remains mired in a culture where powerful criminals go unpunished and unjust settlements take place outside the judiciary.

Pung Chhiv Kek, founder of the rights group Licadho, said Cambodia was now sliding backwards in its adherence to human rights norms, with the government continuing restrictions on free speech and a court unable to punish wrongdoers.

“A culture of impunity still exists,” she said. “We still have problems to solve in Cambodia.”

Cambodian Communities' Resistance to Forced Eviction

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_45qcdFayMs

Mu Sochua Shares Cambodia’s Food Culture with Anthony Bourdain

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWACYZG4CQk

April 21, 2011
By Mu Sochua
Originally posted at: http://sochua.wordpress.com/

American celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain traveled to Cambodia last May to sample its seafood and learn about the deep historic and cultural underpinnings of Cambodian cuisine. He met with Mu Sochua in Kampot to discuss her story and what Cambodia means to her.

Reflecting on her lunch with Bourdain, Sochua said, “My daughters thought I was joking when I told them about the filming of this show. I had no idea who Anthony was. Tears strolled down my cheeks when watching these images of yester years. Madam Kech talked about her youth in the most elegant and eloquent way. We are many years apart but my youth is also revealed through her description of the past.”

“Anthony Bourdain brought the past life of Cambodians as well as the present fight for justice. He gives us a chance to speak the same language: food and justice and democracy,” she added.

LICADHO Condemns Censorship of Web Sites Critical of Government

Media Statement: LICADHO Condemns Censorship of Web Sites Critical of Government

February 16, 2011

“Customers deserve to know whether they are giving their money to a company that is helping to enable a government censorship campaign” - LICADHO Director Naly Pilorge

The Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights (LICADHO) condemns the ongoing censorship of the Internet in Cambodia, which has targeted news and opinion sites critical of the government.

“Until now, Cambodia’s Internet environment had been noticeably freer than in neighboring countries,” said LICADHO President Pung Chhiv Kek. “More importantly, the Internet was the only audio or visual media not fully controlled by the government. The censoring of controversial Web sites marks a significant milestone in the march toward a more oppressive media environment.”

The ongoing disruption of certain Web sites began for some Internet Service Providers (ISPs) on January 19, 2011, with the blockage of the controversial Web site KI-Media (and initially all blogs hosted by the domain Blogspot). The problem affected ISPs Ezecom, Metfone, WiCAM and possibly others.

The day of the outage, customer service representatives at Ezecom, one of Cambodia’s largest ISPs, told several of its clients that the sites had been blocked on the request of the Ministry of Interior. Ezecom management later denied in writing that it received a directive from the government. Minister of Information Khieu Kanharith also denied involvement. Over the following days, service was restored for all providers except Metfone.

In early February a new wave of outages hit, affecting KI-Media and two other sites, Khmerization, a citizen-journalist blog often critical of the government, and the blog of Khmer political cartoonist Sacrava. The affected ISPs included Online, WiCam, Metfone and Ezecom.

Groups Hail Release of Suu Kyi From House Arrest

Suu Kyi was released on Saturday, imprisoned or under house arrest for most of the last 20 years. (Photo: AP)

Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer
Phnom Penh Monday, 15 November 2010

"If the government there [Burma] wants a full democratic process, it must let her have freedom in full political activity.”

Cambodian human rights activists welcomed the release of Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest in Burma over the weekend, hailing it as a step toward democracy but warning that more needs done there.

Suu Kyi was released on Saturday, imprisoned or under house arrest for most of the last 20 years. The release comes following the conclusion of elections in Burma, also called Myanmar, that were widely denounced as fraudulent and put the military junta in civilian power.

“The release of Aung San Suu Kyi was fair, but it is seen as an obstacle to the improvement of human rights' respect and democracy in Myanmar, because all the powers have fallen into the hands of the Myanmar government,” said Pung Chiv Kek, president of the rights group Adhoc.

Meanwhile, some 2,200 political prisoners remained, she said. “So we want to see that they are also freed.”

Suu Kyi, the former head of the National League for Democracy, is a Nobel Prize laureate and has a wide following of loyal supporters. Her party won overwhelming in an election in 1990, but the ruling junta did not recognize the results. The NLD refused to take part in this month's elections, calling the campaign rules unfair.

Thun Saray, president of the rights group Adhoc, said Suu Kyi's release was only possible due to strong international pressure and “the need of the Myanmar government for support from the international community.”

However, he said, if the government there wants a full democratic process, it must “let her have freedom in full political activity.”

Government spokesman Khieu Kanharith told reporters Monday Suu Kyi's release would “begin a process of democracy in Myanmar that Cambodia should welcome and further encourage.”

The opposition Sam Rainsy Party said in a statement it hoped the release was “the first act of many towards a day when the basic rights of Burmese citizens are defended by the rule of law, freedom of speech and freedom of expression.”

“This is a challenge for many Asean nations, but the release of Aung San Suu Kyi is certainly a step in the right direction,” the party said. “We join Aung San Suu Kyi in her expectation for the release of all political prisoners still detained unfairly.”

Rights, Border Should Be on Ban Agenda: Rights Worker

Dr. Pung Chiv Kek, founder of Licadho

Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Washington, DC Wednesday, 27 October 2010

“He has to find peace for every country in the world, as stipulated in the UN charter."

As UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon makes his first visit to Cambodia, a leading rights worker hopes he'll be able to find a solution to Cambodia's border and human rights issues.

Pung Chiv Kek, founder of the rights group Licadho, said Cambodia must appreciate the meaning of the Paris Peace Agreement of 1991.

Not only was the agreement—which brought peace after years of strife—signed by fighting factions and 18 nations, but it was signed by the UN secretary-general, as well, Pung Chiv Kek said, as a guest on “Hello VOA” Monday.

“So I believe that the current UN secretary-general, Mr. Ban Ki-Moon, also has an important role,” she said. “He has to find peace for every country in the world, as stipulated in the UN charter. So when he comes, event though it's a short time...I hope he will raise these issues.”

The Cambodian government is under pressure to shore up its borders, with a longstanding border dispute with Thailand and accusations from the opposition of Vietnamese encroachment to the east.

The UN secretary-general also has a mandate to protect human rights, Pung Chiv Kek said, “so I believe he will raise this issue with our government.”

Ban is on a two-day visit Wednesday and Thursday. He met with Prime Minister Hun Sen on Wednesday.

Kandal province authority put obstacle to US doctors’ free treatment

US army doctors providing free medical care on 09 June 2010 (Photo: Ouk Savborey, RFA)

10 June 2010
By Ouk Savborey
Radio Free Asia
Translated from French by Socheata
Click here to read the article in Khmer

US army and Cambodian army doctors have cooperated to provide medical care for people living in Kandal province, however, the provincial authority ordered this humanitarian action to be moved to another location.

The Kandal provincial authority created obstacle for US doctors who volunteered to provide free medical care inside the Pung Peng Cheng center [KI-Media note: Mr. Pung Peng Cheng was a former minister in the Sangkum Reastr Niyum regime, he is also the father of Dr. Pung Chiv Kek], located in Wat Pothisat Pagoda, Kandal Stung district. The authority ordered the doctors to move their operation from the Pung Peng Cheng center to Wat Obolchoutnaram Pagoda which is located about 6 km from the original location. This obstacle took place on Wednesday 09 June 2010.

An anonymous provincial official said about this order that: “The change is due to the fact that the Wat Pothisat health center is an illegal clinic, therefore, it has be moved here instead.”

Dr. Pung Chiv Kek, the organizer of the free medical care said after the order was issued to prevent the medical care: “I regret this. People traveled here since yesterday, and they came to sleep here overnight. When I got here this morning, I saw more than one thousand of them who were waiting. Then they told them to go to another pagoda instead!”

After Ben, a US embassy official who declined to interview with RFA and who cooperated with Licadho, contacted the Kandal provincial authority to ask the authorization from the provincial governor, at about 10AM, the authorization was provided for the medical care operation to be moved to Wat Obolchoutnaram Pagoda – aka Wat Phnoun Pagoda – located in Kandal Stung district, but at a distance of 6 km away from Wat Pothisat Pagoda.

Hundreds of villagers from Kampong Speu, Kandal and Takeo province had to queue up to get their number and they had to wait until 2PM before the medical care started.

22 US army doctors and 15 Cambodian army doctors volunteered to provide eye care, dental care and general medicine care to Cambodian people inside Wat Phnoun Pagoda following the obstacle set by the authority.

Following his medical care, a patient from Takeo province indicated: “The US doctors gave me medicines for foot pain, vitamins, toothbrush, tooth paste, and even a backpack…”

The free medical care will last 3 days from 09 to 11 June. The US army doctors have prepared medicines and materials to be distributed to about 1,000 patients per day. They distributed pills, serum fluid that last for a week and they also handed out materials for use by the patient also.

Sam Rainsy and Dr. Pung Chiv Kek on RFA

Click here to listen to the audio program in Khmer

NGO representatives to attend the UN Geneva Human Rights meeting

28 Nov 2009
By Sok Serey
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Socheata
Click here to read the article in Khmer

Representatives for Human Rights NGOs plan to attend a yearly meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, at the beginning of December. The meeting will also be focused on the current situation of human rights violation in Cambodia.
Major NGO activists who will attend the meeting include: Dr. Pung Chiv Kek, Licadho president, and Thun Saray, Adhoc president.

Prior to her departure, Dr. Pung Chiv Kek said that she plans to raise a number of issues during the upcoming meeting. “Land dispute problems in Cambodia, freedom of expression, freedom in the various lawsuits, and the freedom to receive information, even though these freedoms are the bases of the convention for the people’s rights and political rights, I want to see Cambodia clearly put into application this convention,” Dr. Pung Chiv Kek said.

Yim Sovann, SRP MP and SRP spokesman, said that he wants to see SRP MPs being invited to attend the meeting also. “To find a resolution, we must do all we can so that Cambodia does not lose face due to human rights violations because it strongly reflects on our economy, as well as on social and political development in the country,” Yim Sovann indicated.

There is no indication as to whether the Cambodian government plans to send a government representative or Om Yentieng, chairman of the government human rights committee, to attend this meeting.

Tith Sothea, a government advisor and a member of the Press and Quick Reaction Unit of the Council of Ministers said: “I can say that the human rights situation in Cambodia is good, and criticisms on the human rights situation in Cambodia deteriorating is a wrong evaluation. We cannot accept them,” he claimed.

The yearly UN Human Rights Council meeting will take place in Geneva, Switzerland. It will take place on 01 December and it will be attended by 40 important countries that are members of the advisory committee.

The upcoming review of the respect of human rights situation is taking place at the same time when various sources, such as the civil society and international organizations, are criticizing land-grabbing, use of violence in raids, tightening of the freedom of expression, lawsuits against government critics, and lifting of parliamentary immunity of opposition MPs – such as the cases of Mr. Sam Rainsy, Mr. Ho Vann and Mrs. Mu Sochua – that took place in 2009.

People in glass houses should not be throwing stones

16/11/2009
Veera Prateepchaikul
Bangkok Post

So the next time Hun Sen or any of his men want to badmouth the Thai justice system, they should better clean house first. Otherwise they will be seen as just a clown.

When Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said he had no respect for the Thai justice system during his lengthy interview with local and foreign media at Phnom Penh's Pochentong airport on Nov 9, I was not surprised and thought he had said so because he might have felt very strongly for his "eternal friend", ousted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, whom he believed was a victim of political persecution in Thailand.

But Hun Sen should have been fully aware, as the Abhisit government had already clarified, that the charges against Thaksin, which eventually resulted in his conviction and sentencing of two years' imprisonment, are not politically related, but concern corruption in connection with his wife, Khunying Potjaman's, acquisition of a huge land plot in Bangkok.

Yet the Cambodian government leader chose to ignore the government's explanation and used his emotions rather than conscience to judge the Thai justice system.

Like other bureaucratic organisations, the Thai judiciary is not perfect. Every year, a handful of judges are penalised or dismissed after being found guilty of wrongdoing.

Yet the system as a whole is widely respected and perceived as the people's "last resort" compared to the executive branch and the legislature which are often held in low esteem.

Obviously Hun Sen might be biased against the Thai justice system just as he has held in contempt the system in his home country.

The system is a sham and can hardly be trusted, and the blame is largely attributable to the Cambodian leader who sees the system as a tool to serve his political ends rather than as an arbiter for justice.

The testimony of Dr Chhiv Kek Pung, president and founder of the Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defence of Human Rights, to the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission in September will provide those who are not familiar with Cambodian affairs an insight into the justice system in Cambodia. Aside from this testimony, Human Rights Watch has also recorded human rights abuses in Cambodia.

Here are some excerpts from the testimony:

- Cambodia's justice system fails to uphold the rule of law and on a daily basis it deprives justice to countless victims of crimes and rights abuses. Corruption is endemic in the police and judiciary, as well as political interference. Impunity is rampant, and the gravest of crimes, including murder, torture, rape and trafficking of women and children frequently go unpunished if the perpetrators have money or influential connections.

- The government uses the courts to attack its critics and political opponents. Rather than honour its repeated promises to strenghen the independence of the judiciary, the government continues its long history of interference in the courts for political purpose.

How the justice system can be twisted or distorted in cases involving influential people is clearly evident in the case between Hun Sen and Mu Sochua, an opposition MP, which was described as "a mockery of justice" by the Sam Rainsy Party.

In April Mu Sochua sued Hun Sen for defamation claiming that the premier had uttered a derogatory statement against her during a press conference. A few days later, Hun Sen filed a counter-suit against her and her lawyer, Kong Sam Onn. Her parliamentary immunity was eventually suspended by the parliament.

Threatened with the defamation suit and disbarment, the lawyer withdrew from defending the opposition MP, forcing her to go on trial without legal counsel.

In August the municipal court found Mu Sochua guilty of defamation and fined her 6.5 million riels, or about 140,000 baht. The verdict was upheld by the Appeals Court on Oct 28. She filed an appeal to the Supreme Court on Nov 10.

Meanwhile, her lawsuit against Hun Sen was dismissed.

So the next time Hun Sen or any of his men want to badmouth the Thai justice system, they should better clean house first. Otherwise they will be seen as just a clown.

Veera Prateepchaikul is a former editor, Post Publishing Co Ltd.

Penal Code Insufficient Under Accords: Rights Leader

By Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Washington
13 October 2009

A leading Cambodian rights advocate said Monday the penal code passed by the National Assembly does not meet the requirements of the 1991 Paris Peace Accords, as it does not sufficiently safeguard freedoms of assembly and expression.

“I see that some of the articles are still of concern,” said Pung Chiv Kek , founder of the rights group Licadho, as a guest on “Hello VOA.”

The National Assembly passed the new penal code on Monday, but it mostly ignored recommendations from civic groups, she said.

Groups sent “46 points to the National Assembly…but none of it was considered,” she said, including that defamation not be a criminal charge.

In signing the Peace Accords in October 1991, Cambodia signed onto many conventions and treaties meant to follow human rights norms, including rights in politics, assembly, information, speech and expression, she said.

Laws limiting freedoms can hurt development, she added, as sometimes people need to voice their concerns if they find themselves victims of legal violations.

Still, she thanked the government for passing the code, an improvement over Untac laws that had been followed in the meantime.

Rights Leader Urges Reconciliation With Government

Dr. Kek Galabru (C) (Photo: SRP)

By Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Original report from Washington
25 September 2009

Kek Galabru, founder and president of the rights group Licadho, testified before a US congressional hearing on human rights earlier this month. Following the Sept. 10 hearing, which was held amid concerns the government was cracking down on dissenters, Kek Galabru spoke to VOA Khmer in Washington.

She urged reconciliation between the government and civic groups, and outlined the necessary components of a working democracy, including freedoms and the rule of law.

“I regret that the government still doesn’t understand our intention and classifies NGOs as the enemy of the government,” she said.

Cambodia is like an ill patient, she said, but the symptoms need diagnosed, she said. “It’s just like the doctor. If we want the right medication, we need to tell this kind of sickness or that kind of sickness.”

She said she wanted to work as a partner of the government, not an antagonist.

“Let’s sit down together as Khmer and work with the same intention,” she said. “The government and NGOs are not different at all. It’s just that the government has more financial and human resources. For my group, we need to ask for assistance from outside.

“So we’ll sit together, Khmer and Khmer, and we can find the same formula and cooperate together, and when our country has prosperity, when the people are happy, have enough money, when everyone has land, who will receive the credit? Not the NGOs. They will say, ‘Oh! This government is working good to serve the people; behold.’”

In the meantime, a democracy requires freedom of access to information; freedom of assembly, for peaceful demonstrations and other association; and freedom of expression.

It requires not just a high quantity of newspapers, but quality as well, “good quality writing, without fear, complaint, criminal charges, imprisonment,” she said.

Modern Cambodia is a product of the Paris Peace Accords, signed by 18 countries, including the US, she said. Donors came together to help restore Cambodia, including its court system, to be independent.

“Why so?” she said. “Because any real democratic country, where the people have a good standard of living and the people are in good shape, with good development of their society and economy—they need an independent court system, and if it’s not independent, it’s impossible.”

“So I asked the US, do they have any means to please help reform our court system,” she said.

Kek Galabru also said she did not support the concept of cutting aid money from the US over alleged rights abuses.

“I’m concerned that the people and the poor would be impacted,” she said. “I do not want a cut in aid money. But I want a superpower country that has more abilities, like the US, to seek all means to cooperate with the Cambodian government, to reform them well.”

Congressmen fear for speakers’ fate

Left to right: Mu Sochua, Dr. Pung Chiv Kek, Moeun Tola (Photo: SRP North America)

Thursday, 17 September 2009
Meas Sokchea and James O’toole
The Phnom Penh Post

Advise US Embassy to offer ‘island of freedom’ to Lantos commission witnesses.
REPRESENTATIVES from the US Congress sent a letter to the US Embassy in Phnom Penh urging the protection of three Cambodians who testified in Washington, as the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs sought to downplay the significance of the US hearing.

Last Thursday, Sam Rainsy Party parliamentarian Mu Sochua testified with Licadho rights group president Kek Galabru and Community Legal Education Centre labour programme head Moeun Tola in front of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, a US congressional body that monitors human rights norms around the world. All three witnesses offered fierce criticisms of the government, with Mu Sochua testifying that Cambodian democracy is “experiencing an alarming free fall”.

On Tuesday, two members of the Tom Lantos commission sent a letter to US Ambassador Carol Rodley urging her to monitor the safety of the three witnesses when they return home to Cambodia.

“The US Embassy should represent an island of freedom in a country such as Cambodia, where dissidents and human rights defenders often face threats and discrimination by the government and government-controlled security forces,” US congressmen James Moran and Frank Wolf wrote.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs secretary of state Ouch Borith dismissed concern for the safety of Mu Sochua and the other witnesses on Wednesday as overblown, comparing them to other prominent figures associated with the opposition.

“Have we ever arrested [SRP head] Sam Rainsy?” Ouch Borith asked. “Sam Rainsy is a leading party representative, and he always wants to speak badly about Cambodia when he travels abroad.... As for [Mu Sochua’s] return to Cambodia, don’t worry about this.”

Ouch Borith went on to dispute Mu Sochua’s characterisation of a meeting she had with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton last Friday. On Sunday, Mu Sochua told the Post that Clinton expressed interest in sending a US State Department delegation to Cambodia later this year, and “made it very clear that she does not wish to see further deterioration” in the Kingdom’s rights situation.

Ouch Borith said that during a recent meeting with Carol Rodley, the US ambassador clarified to him that the meeting between Clinton and Mu Sochua “was not official – it took place outside [Clinton’s] office”.

To the issue of the US delegation, Ouch Borith said Clinton “didn’t respond at all”.

US Embassy spokesman John Johnson confirmed in an email on Wednesday that Clinton “did meet briefly with Mu Sochua to discuss the current situation in Cambodia” but did not offer further details regarding the meeting.

US Ambassador Carol Rodley asked to ensure that Mu Sochua, Dr. Pung Chiv Kek and Moeun Tola do not come under the pressure of the PPenh regime

Click on the letter to zoom in

Congress of the United States
Washington, DC 20515

September 15,2009

Ms. Carol A. Rodley
Ambassador
Kingdom of Cambodia
c/o Department of State

Dear Ambassador Rodley:

We write today to ask the assistance of the U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh in ensuring that three Cambodian individuals who recently traveled to the United States to speak at a congressional hearing do not come under any pressure from the government of Cambodia.

As you may know, the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission held a hearing on Thursday, September 10, on human rights and the rule of law in Cambodia. We were fortunate to have the following individuals travel from Cambodia to share with us firsthand accounts of the current situation: Mu Sochua, member of Parliament; Pung Kek, founder of the Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights, and Moeun Tola, head of the labor program at the Community Legal and Education Center.

The U.S. Embassy should represent an island of freedom in a country such as Cambodia where dissidents and human rights defenders often face threats and discrimination by the government and government-controlled security forces. Such is the case with Mu Sochua who was stripped of her Parliamentary immunity and sued for defaming Prime Minister Hun Sen.

We ask that the embassy monitor the fate of these individuals upon their return to Cambodia and keep members of Congress informed.

Thank you for your attention to this important matter.

Best wishes.

Sincerely,

Frank R. Wolf
Member of Congress

James P. Moran
Member of Congress

Congressional Hearing Scrutinizes Rights Abuses

Rep. James McGovern (left) and Rep. Frank Wolf (centre), co-chairmen of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission.
Mu Sochua (left), Kek Galabru (centre) and Moeun Tola (Right) testify at a US Congressional hearing on Thursday.
Sophie Richardson (right) testifies at a US Congressional hearing.

By Men Kimseng, VOA Khmer
Original report from Washington
14 September 2009

“Speaking for myself, if there is any harm or ill-will done to any of you, I personally will offer an amendment to cut aid across the board, zero doubt, military, non-military, everything, to Cambodia.” - US Congressman Frank Wolf (R-Va)

Click here to watch the PHOTO SLIDESHOW by Taing Sarada.

A US congressional committee turned its attention to Cambodia on Thursday, with six members of the US House of Representatives and four advocates for human rights in Cambodia all stating strong concern for rights setbacks in Cambodia over the past several years.

The hearing room in Washington was standing room only, as Mu Sochua, a member of parliament from the opposition Sam Rainsy Party, Kek Galabru, president of the human rights group Licadho, and Moeun Tola, head of the labor program for the Community Legal Education Center, appeared before the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission.

More than 200 others attended, as the Cambodians testified to the repression of free expression, the stripping of opposition parliamentary immunity, a lack of independence in the judicial system, land-grabs and repressed labor rights.

“This is not about American interest,” said Jim Moran, a Democrat from Virginia and member of the commission. “This is about human interest, human rights and the ability of the Cambodian people to express themselves freely, to move freely, to organize freely, and certainly to engage in a free and fair election, and that’s what we’re concerned about.”

The hearing was undertaken after reports of a worrying trend in Cambodia, of an apparent government crackdown on dissent, especially of lawmakers and journalists supportive of the opposition parties. One editor has been jailed for alleged incitement and another has closed his newspaper for fear of similar charges, while SRP lawmakers Mu Sochua and Ho Vann have both been taken to court by ruling party officials.

“We want to give Hun Sen, the prime minister, every opportunity to correct the situation, to the change some of his policies,” Moran said. “Maybe he’s just getting bad advice and he can sack whatever minister is giving him that advice. We don’t want to suggest how he might want to deal with this, but things need to turn around, and I think that’s the point of this hearing. It is unacceptable what’s going on there.”

Mu Sochua told the hearing that suspension of parliament immunity for members of the opposition meant a threat to democracy, as they cannot fulfill their tasks if they are worried about being prosecuted.

Referring to human rights reports by the UN, EU and local rights groups, Mu Sochua described a rights situation in Cambodia that has deteriorated to an alarming level, worries the government has repeatedly dismissed.

“We believe that such a denial and the continued grave violations of the rights of our people deserve immediate action to restore the vision of the Paris Peace Accords,” Mu Sochua said. “We need to crack the facade of democracy in Cambodia.”

Her concerns were echoed by a Kek Galabru, who as the founder of Licadho is a well-respected rights advocate. She said she worried that some laws, like the draft NGO law and law on public protest, need immediate US intervention.

Kek Galabru said she wanted the US to persuade the government of Cambodia to eliminate penal punishment of government critics and to kill a law that would put increased restrictions on nongovernmental organizations. She also recommended arrests and criminal charges against suspects still at large but wanted in connection with the murders of journalists, union activists and others.

These measures, however, were only temporary solutions, she said. In the long run, the US should aid in establishing an independent national human rights body, in accordance with UN conventions.

“If we can get this kind of institution with your support, we can promote and protect human rights in Cambodia, and maybe the lives of many Cambodians will be better,” she said.

Moeun Tola told the hearing that garment workers suffer from short term contracts, depriving them of long-term benefits, such as annual leave, while the un-prosecuted murders of activists remain a threat to union activities.

The public hearing was held at the Rayburn Congressional Office Building, directly across the street from the US Capitol in central Washington. Rarely do members of the US Congress conduct public hearings on issues specifically related to Cambodia.

Sophie Richardson, Asia advocacy director for Human Rights Watch, also testified on the panel. She said members of the Cambodian armed forces, police, and bodyguard units were involved in human rights abuses, like land-grabbing, evicting the poor, killing former members of the royalist party Funcinpec, intimidating rights activists, and illegal logging.

“All of these problems are really a function of impunity in Cambodia,” Richardson told the hearing. “There are a few people ever prosecuted, perhaps with the exception of Sochua, for real crimes.

“And, certainly, since the people in the government are not held accountable, ending on-going abuses and a culture of impunity really has to be one of the main purposes of US policy in Cambodia,” she said. “Otherwise we are nowhere further down the track than we were in 1991, the signing of the Paris Peace Agreement.”

Cambodian Embassy officials at the hearing declined to comment on the hearings, saying they were not officially invited to take part, but the embassy has issued a statement calling the hearing “biased.”

Meanwhile, rights activists have called for several specific actions from the government: the release of jailed journalists and union members and reinstatement of parliamentary immunity for opposition party members, along with visa sanctions on corrupt governmental officials and their children.

Other members of the Human Rights Commission present were co-chairmen James McGovern, a Democrat from Virginia, and Frank Wolf, a Republican from Virginia, as well as Ed Royce, a Republican from California, Anh Joseph Cao, a Republican from Louisiana, and Niki Tsongas, a Democrat from Massachusetts.

Each praised the Cambodians for coming forward and testifying.

“I want to make it clear that every single member of this committee will remain in contact with you, and we will follow closely with you what will happen to you when you go home,” McGovern said. “There should be no retribution for telling the truth.”

“Speaking for myself,” Wolf said, “if there is any harm or ill-will done to any of you, I personally will offer an amendment to cut aid across the board, zero doubt, military, non-military, everything, to Cambodia.”

Sacrava's Political Cartoon: Tom Lantos [Human Rights Commission Hearing]

Cartoon by Sacrava (on the web at http://sacrava.blogspot.com)

Cambodian-Americans discuss on the problem of human rights violations in Cambodia

Left to right: Dr. Pung Chiv Kek, Mr. Tung Yap of CAHRAD and Mrs. Mu Sochua

11 September 2009
By Moeung Tum
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Socheata
Click here to read the article in Khmer

In the evening of Thursday 10 September 2009, over 60 Cambodian-Americans met at the Harvest Moon Restaurant near Washington DC to discuss their concerns on the human rights violations and the violations of freedom of expression in Cambodia.

These Cambodian-Americans came from the states of Virginia, Maryland, Philadelphia and a number of other US states. The met each other last night with the presence of three guest speakers: Dr. Pung Chiv Kek, Licadho President, Mr. Moeun Tola, Labor Director for the Community Legal Education Center (CLEC) NGO, and Kampot SRP MP Mu Sochua.

The 3 speakers showed slides on the actual situation befalling in the Cambodian people: the hardship of poor Cambodians who are evicted by force from their homes, the use of armed violence on the Cambodian people, the melee scene from Mrs. Mu Sochua showing up at the tribunal to answer to the lawsuit brought up by Hun Xen’s defamation claim.

Dr. Pung Chiv Kek told the audience that, currently, freedom at the grass root level in Cambodia is violated and threatened. Moeun Tola said that, union activists who defend the workers’ rights are threatened, sued and fired by factory owners.

The meeting was organized by the Cambodian American for Human Rights and Democracy (CAHRAD) organization to review the latest situation on human rights violations and violations of freedom of expression in Cambodia. The goal is to provide a forum where Cambodian-Americans can help provide their input in the resolution on these issues based on their abilities and in compliance with the US law.

Photos from the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission Hearing

Attendants to the packed-room hearing (All Photos: SRP North America)
Panel members of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission
US Congressmen James P. McGovern (C) and Frank R. Wolf (R), the co-chairs of the TLHRC
Attendants to the hearing
Sophie Richardson (R), Asia advocacy director of Human Rights Watch, gives her testimony. Sitting next to her are, from left to right: SRP MP Mu Sochua, Dr. Pung Chiv Kek, and Mr. Moeun Tola
Sophie Richardson, Asia advocacy director of Human Rights Watch, gives her testimony
Mrs. Mu Sochua giving her testimony
TLHRC panel members

Photos from the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission Hearing

A panel member of the TLHRC, Congressman James P. McGovern, the co-chair of the TLHRC, with Mrs. Mu Sochua and Dr. Pung Chiv Kek (All Photos: SRP North America)
Dr. Pung Chiv Kek and Mr. Moeun Tola talk with the hearing attendants
Mrs. Mu Sochua greets the attendants to the hearing
Mrs. Mu Sochua greets the attendants to the hearing

An attendant shows which party he is supporting
Attendants to the hearing