Cambodia "continued its drift toward authoritarianism" as Hun Sen consolidated power: HRW

Conflicts, crackdowns mar 2008 Asian rights record: HRW

WASHINGTON (AFP) — Human Rights Watch (HRW) Wednesday blamed Asian giants China and India for abuses against their own citizens but also for backing military dictatorships such as Myanmar.

In its annual report for 2008, the New York-based group detailed worsening trends in much of Asia, including China's Olympic-year crackdown on civil liberties and its repression of protests across the Tibetan plateau.

Wars turned more bloody in Afghanistan, which saw the "worst violence since the fall of the Taliban," and Sri Lanka, where the government last January formally scrapped a ceasefire with the separatist Tamil Tigers.

Conflicts also flared up again in less-watched hotspots, including Muslim regions of Thailand and the Philippines, while Indonesian forces in remote West Papua "continue to engage in abuses ... with virtual impunity," it said.

HRW pointed to some progress in parts of South Asia, including the return to civilian rule in Pakistan after the end of the Pervez Musharraf presidency, and improvements ahead of polls in Bangladesh last month.

Elections in Nepal, where Maoists took power and the king abdicated, "marked a new era... after a decade of conflict that claimed over 13,000 lives."

But HRW also highlighted tighter restrictions on freedom of association, expression and religion in China, which it said "broke its promise to improve human rights in conjunction with its hosting of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games."

In Tibet, where simmering anger against Chinese rule erupted into major protests last March, HRW said that following mass arrests of suspected demonstrators the whereabouts of several hundred detainees remained unknown.

HRW also criticised Asia's other population giant, India, for "serious abuses," including in the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir, which was again rocked by major unrest in 2008.

The report pointed to India's "pattern of denial of justice and impunity" and a "failure to protect women, children and marginalized groups such Dalits, tribal groups and religious minorities."

India, as an emerging global player, was now often placing economic and strategic interests over rights concerns as it tried to compete with China in countries such as Myanmar, said HRW.

"As the world's most populous democracy, India might be expected to be at the forefront of global efforts to promote human rights," it said. "However, its current foreign policy often would make a confirmed dictator proud."

In Myanmar, also known as Burma -- which HRW said also draws support from China, Russia and Thailand -- democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi went into her sixth straight year of house arrest, one of over 2,150 political prisoners.

"The Burmese military continues to violate the rights of civilians in ethnic conflict areas and extrajudicial killings, forced labour, land confiscation without due process and other violations continued in 2008," said the report.

When Cyclone Nargis struck the country last May, "more than two million people waited for weeks for relief operations to reach them" after the reclusive regime denied access to foreign aid groups.

Life in Asia's other hermit state, North Korea, remained even more dire, with the regime continuing to "enslave" citizens in prison camps and executing people for crimes that include hoarding food, said the report.

Reports that leader Kim Jong-Il suffered a stroke in September "could have far-reaching consequences for human rights and governance," the group said.

Across much of Southeast Asia, human rights were also on shaky ground.

In Thailand "the end of a military-installed administration has not led to the restoration of rights and democracy" as political tensions "led to protracted protests and occasional deadly clashes."

Cambodia "continued its drift toward authoritarianism" as Prime Minister Hun Sen consolidated power through flawed July elections, while a tribunal to address Khmer Rouge-era crimes made slow progress.

CSD points out election irregularities

Election complaints were collected at the SRP headquarters (Photo: DR, Cambodge Soir Hebdo)

31 July 2008
By A.L.G.
Cambodge Soir Hebdo
Unofficial translation from French by Tola Ek
Click here to read the original article in French

The Center for Social Development (CSD) estimates that between 100 to 200 voters per polling station could not vote, each polling station serves between 400 to 700 registered voters.

“Serious irregularities” are affecting the 27 July ballot, CSD said in a communiqué issued on 30 July.

“In some polling stations, CSD observers were not allowed to check the process, even though they have their observer’s identifications issued by the National Election Committee (NEC),” the CSD reported.

The NGO added in its communiqué that: “Furthermore, the election process imposed by the NEC is extremely complicated. Several people did not receive their voter’s information pamphlet distributed by the NEC. Some voters had this information pamphlet or their identification cards, but their names did not appear on the voters’ list. Others could not vote because their birth date was not the same as the one on the list and their documents. Finally, the election rule allows voters to vote with their family book, officials at the polling station did not allow them because their photos were not stamped.”

CSD also deplores the fact that “local authorities, police offices, military police officers, and village chiefs” were present in front and inside the polling stations, thereby creating “an atmosphere of intimidation for the voters.”

Richard Marles witnesses Cambodian [troubled] democracy

INTERNATIONAL WATCH: Corio MP Richard Marles led an Australian delegation observing the recent Cambodian election.

August 1st, 2008
Danny Lannen
Geelong Advertiser (Australia)

MEMBER for Corio Richard Marles has returned from observing Cambodian general elections confident democracy is moving forward.

Mr Marles said troubling issues remained in the country 15 years on from its first elections but people's pride in the democratic process was clear.

"It's fair to say Cambodia still has a way to go to becoming a fully democratic country," Mr Marles said.

"But having said that, from an optimistic point of view and Australia's point of view, which is important given its investment in the country, they're making progress."

Mr Marles led an Australian delegation including MPs Mark Coulton, Nola Marino and Senator Rachel Siewert.

They were part of a 17,000-strong team of local and international people who monitored the election, won by Prime Minister Hun Sen with a sweeping majority.

International observers said the election process fell short of international standards.

Mr Marles said the Australian Government had pointed to areas of concern.

A journalist who wrote a scathing comment about Hun Sen was murdered a few days later along with his son and, in a separate incident, a newspaper editor was jailed for comment.

"I guess the extent of the use or support of the public service for the ruling party was also a concern, and they are concerns Australia has raised with the Cambodian Government," Mr Marles said.

He said he found the visit emotionally moving as the group spent time at Cambodia's killing fields and noted that trials of Khmer Rouge leaders were still under way.

One in four voters lost their rights to vote: Investigation

30 July 2008
By Ros Dina
Ka-set
Unofficial translation from French by Tola Ek
Click here to read the original article in French
Click here to read the original article in Khmer

On Tuesday 29 July, NICFEC, NDI (National Democratic Institute for International Affairs) and CAS (Center for Advanced Studies) issues the summary of an investigation conducted on Sunday 27 July, the date of the Cambodian general election, based on a sample of 378 polling stations. While the ballot organization was “globally good,” representatives of the three organizations said that, in some polling stations, almost one quarter of the voters lost their rights to vote.

At a technical level, the investigation conducted in these 378 polling stations “randomly selected” showed that almost all of them respected the election rules: the stations were placed in a neutral location, they had appropriate election materials, and they opened and closed at the schedule time.

Investigators noted some rare cases of “violence and intimidations” in 2.2% of the stations evaluated.

On the other hand, secret voting was not well assured: close to 14% of the stations investigated did not have appropriate voting booth to preserve the confidentiality of the votes.

Furthermore, investigators noted that, in 15.1% of the polling stations, election officials “did not accomplish their duty correctly and they tried to influence the votes.”

More alarming is the number of voters who, even though they had all the appropriate documents, lost their right to vote, Hean Sokhom, CAS president, underscored.

At the polling stations where at least 5 frauds took place, about 1 in 4 voters (24.9%) came to vote but couldn’t do it because his name did not show up on the voting lists.

Without extrapolating this issue to the national level, this percentage is only based on the polling stations where the sample was selected, and in which at least 5 people faced this type of problem. Hang Puthea, Nicfec executive director, said that he was “very concerned by this loss of the right to vote,” which “brings in a loss of confidence by the public in the election process.”

Finally, the same study highlighted the drop in the turnout rate: 75.1% versus 83.2% during the last general election.

Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner on the elections in Cambodia

Thursday, July 31, 2008
7th Space Interactive

Benita Ferrero-Waldner, European Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy, underlined the importance of these fourth parliamentary elections since the signing of the Paris Peace Accord in October 1991.

“I congratulate the Cambodian voters for showing their commitment to peaceful elections. In comparison to previous elections important progress has been made including efforts to improve transparency guarantees. However, a number of key international standards for democratic elections, mostly related to the uneven playing field between political parties, have not been met. I call upon all political actors to seize the opportunity to address the problems encountered and to commit to further strengthening democracy in Cambodia. The EU stands ready to accompany these efforts. I also want to thank Chief Observer Martin Callanan, MEP, and the whole observation mission for their hard work and commitment.”

The European Commission deployed an EU Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) for the 27 July 2008 National Assembly elections in Cambodia led by Mr. Martin Callanan, Member of the European Parliament. The EU EOM is as a further contribution by the European Commission to support democracy in Cambodia. The preliminary statement was presented by the Chief Observer Mr. Martin Callanan together with the Head of the European Parliament delegation, Mr. Glyn Ford, on the 29th of July.

The mission concluded that the conduct of these elections shows improvements to previous elections. Polling and counting were well organized; election authorities established transparency guarantees for corroborating polling station results; also, civil society participated more actively than in past elections. Despite these positive notes, the mission also concluded that the elections fell short of a number of key international standards. Inter alia, there was a lack of confidence in the impartiality of electoral authorities; the campaign period was marked by widespread use of state resources; access to media was difficult for opposition parties; and civic education was assessed as biased in favor of the ruling party.

The EU EOM deployed 130 observers from 25 EU Member States and Norway throughout Cambodia to observe and assess the electoral process in accordance with international standards for election observation and the laws of Cambodia. The EOM will stay on the ground until the end of August to observe the tabulation of results and post-election developments. A final report covering the whole electoral process including recommendations for future elections will be published by the EU EOM in the coming months.

Cambodian elections not bad, but not good, Brussels says

Jul 31, 2008
DPA

Brussels - The weekend's parliamentary elections in Cambodia were an improvement on earlier polls, but important shortfalls remained, the European Union's executive said Thursday.

'In comparison to previous elections, important progress has been made, including efforts to improve transparency guarantees,' EU foreign-affairs commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner said in a statement.

'However, a number of key international standards for democratic elections, mostly related to the uneven playing field between political parties, have not been met,' she said.

Ahead of Sunday's election, the EU sent 130 officials to Cambodia to observe the conduct of the vote.

'The mission concluded that the conduct of these elections shows improvements to previous elections,' the commission statement said.

However, it also concluded that 'there was a lack of confidence in the impartiality of electoral authorities; the campaign period was marked by widespread use of state resources; access to media was difficult for opposition parties; and civic education was assessed as biased in favour of the ruling party,' the statement said.

The election ended in a landslide victory for the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP), with at least 90 out of 123 seats.

The EU's observation mission is set to stay in Cambodia until the end of August, with a final report due 'in the coming months,' the commission statement said.

Cambodian opposition parties complain to king over election

Cambodian opposition leader Sam Rainsy

PHNOM PENH (AFP) — Cambodian opposition parties have filed a complaint to King Norodom Sihamoni against election officials for allegedly preventing one million people from voting in last weekend's poll.

The opposition Sam Rainsy Party, Human Rights Party, and Norodom Ranariddh Party told the king that one million registered voters were cut from the rolls by National Election Committee (NEC) officials.

"This act is an intentional mistake which is committed by election officials," the parties said in the joint letter, relased late Wednesday.

"This is a serious mistake committed by NEC officials at all levels which prevented at least one million people from voting," the letter said, asking the king to find a way for them to cast ballots before the announcement of official election results.

Prime Minister Hun Sen's ruling Cambodian People's Party has claimed a landslide victory in Sunday's election, saying it captured at least 90 of the 123 seats in parliament. Final results of the poll are expected in September.

More than six million out of 8.1 million eligible voters cast ballots in the poll.

European Union election observers have said only about 50,000 could not find their names registered when they attempted to vote.

The NEC has denied opposition allegations that voters were left off the rolls on purpose.

International monitors said earlier this week that the election was flawed and did not meet key standards, despite a more peaceful campaign and improvements in the electoral process.

The opposition parties have rejected the results of the election and demanded a re-run of the poll.

Flawed system sullies Cambodia's election

July 30, 2008
By Lao Mong Hay
UPI Asia Online

Column: Rule by Fear

Hong Kong, China — Cambodia held a general election on Sunday, and while the National Election Committee was still gathering the election returns, Prime Minister Hun Sen’s ruling Cambodian People’s Party already announced it had won 91 out of 123 seats, 18 seats more than in the last election and way ahead of its nearest rival, the Sam Rainsy Party, which had secured 26 seats.

The Sam Rainsy Party and three other parties that also won seats, according to the same announcement, quickly joined forces on Monday to denounce the results, charging that they had been “manipulated and rigged” by the ruling party. They cited “illegal and fraudulent practices” relating to “deletion of countless legitimate voters' names and artificial increase” in votes for the ruling party due to “illegitimate voters.”

The ruling party’s victory and the denouncement of it by the four non-ruling parties have come as no surprise. In fact this victory had been widely predicted even months before the polls. Some have cited the economic growth achieved over recent years by the ruling party and the electorate’s unity behind it in the face of Thailand’s recent encroachment on Cambodia as the main factors contributing to the win.

In fact, the ruling party’s victory should be attributed to the system of government it put in place when it was a full-fledged communist party in the 1980s. To this system was added a democratic veneer in 1993 when the country theoretically embraced parliamentary democracy, but it has remained basically intact and in firm control. The ruling party has utilized this system to get itself re-elected over and over since its defeat in the U.N.-organized election in 1993.

The ruling party has controlled all the state apparatus – including the National Election Committee, the judiciary, security forces, civil service and educational institutions – since the communist days. It has manned all important posts with its members, so that the state apparatus and the party apparatus are but one.

Such fusion can be seen in the proximity of the offices of the party, police stations and administrative offices, whose respective buildings are located next to one another in many provinces, districts and communities. Almost all village chiefs and heads of groups in villages are also members of the ruling party. All party cadres from top to bottom enjoy high social status, impunity and material benefits gained through illicit means.

Several months before the election, the ruling party was able to successfully tempt with such privileges thousands of members of the opposition parties, including some senior members of the opposition Sam Rainsy Party, to defect to it. The ruling party has proved very successful in enrolling members, so much so that just before this election one of its senior members claimed that his party had nearly 5 million members, and this out of just over 8 million voters in the country.

Through this extensive apparatus, the ruling party has been able to maintain firm control of the population. Members of each household must be registered in a police-issued family book and a residence book, and grassroots party officials must know each household and its members’ activities. Local party cadres who are also local officials can mobilize and induce the population to support the ruling party. They can also deny rival parties and even civil society organizations access to the population without prior permission. They can prevent, using force if need be, public meetings and training seminars organized by those parties and civil society organizations.

The ruling party has had a virtual monopoly and control of all the media, especially radio and television, on which the overwhelming majority of people depend for news and other information. It has been making use of this media year in year out, while its rival parties are deprived of it. Some press with limited circulation is freer, but the majority of newspapers are run by members or supporters of the ruling party, and it is rare that commercial companies dare put advertisements in newspapers known to be affiliated to any rival party.

The ruling party has been able to secure overwhelming resources for elections when it is in command of state resources and has a lot of support from private companies that seek favors for their business. Thanks to all these resources it has been able to buy votes though building social projects and giving hand-outs during election campaigns, and to fund other election expenses.

The ruling party has enjoyed all these privileges since there is no anti-corruption mechanism in place to take action against it. Furthermore, the National Election Committee also placed under its control has imposed no limit on donations to political parties and their expenses in elections campaigns. Nor has it verified and made transparent the accounts of all political parties. This system only favors the ruling party.

Last but not least, the police and courts of law which the ruling party also controls have acted more promptly and more diligently in criminal cases in which members of the ruling party are victims and members of opposition parties are suspected offenders than vice versa. Some months prior to the election, they showed only apathy toward reported threats and intimidation of activists of non-ruling parties, destruction of their signboards, and even the killing of some of them.

The system of government and social control which the ruling party has put in place and firmly controls leaves little room for free and fair competition among political parties, or for free choice among the electorate. This largely contributed to the outcome of the election, if it had not already determined it prior to the polling day. It also contributed to producing the irregularities which the four parties have used to claim that that election was manipulated and rigged by the ruling party.
--
(Lao Mong Hay is a senior researcher at the Asian Human Rights Commission in Hong Kong. He was previously director of the Khmer Institute of Democracy in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and a visiting professor at the University of Toronto in 2003. In 1997, he received an award from Human Rights Watch and the Nansen Medal in 2000 from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.)

International election monitors say Cambodia poll 'flawed'

EU monitors outside a polling station during Sunday's election. [Radio Australia]

Wednesday, July 30, 2008
ABC Radio Australia

International election monitors in Cambodia say despite improvements in processes the country's recent national election was flawed and did not meet key standards.

A preliminary report by 130 European Union election monitors the poll was marred by the ruling Cambodian People's Party domination of media coverage.

Also the improper deletion of people from registration lists so they could not vote, and other irregularities.

Martin Callanan, who led the EU observers says ultimately, it's up to the Cambodian people to accept or reject the results, adding that the EU will issue a more detailed report with recommendations in October.

He says the campaign was generally conducted in a more peaceful and open environment compared to previous elections.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights noted lower violence from previous elections but says it observed threats, intimidation and inducements directed against political activists to get them to change parties.

A partial count by Cambodian electoral authorities shows Prime Minister Hun Sen's ruling Cambodian People's Party won 59.6 percent of the vote in Sunday's election, compared with nearly 21 percent for the nearest rival, the opposition Sam Rainsy Party.

EU monitor says Cambodian election is biased

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Last weekend's Cambodian national elections failed to meet international standards because of biases in favor of the country's ruling party, the European Union said Tuesday.

The criticism came the day after Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen's ruling party claimed it had won a landslide victory in parliamentary elections. The results were expected to usher in a new term for the premier who has ruled the country for 23 years.

Martin Callanan, the head of an EU election monitoring team, said all aspects of organizing Sunday's polls were "dominated by the Cambodian People's Party," which allow "accusations of lack of impartiality to be made," he said.

Callanan said there was bias during the election campaigns, citing "a widespread use of state resources," including the use of government-registered vehicles by ruling party officials.

He also said the party dominated the media coverage "which was not consistent with international standard on free and equal access to the media."

But Callanan declined to characterize the election as unfair despite allegations of widespread vote rigging from smaller parties, including the main opposition Sam Rainsy Party. They have called on the international community to reject the results.

Tep Nitha, the election committee's secretary-general, declined to comment on the issue.

In a joint statement Monday, four small parties, including Sam Rainsy, said Hun Sen's party won through "illegal and fraudulent practices." They cited the National Election Committee's alleged removal of tens of thousands of legitimate voters from electoral lists to prevent them from casting ballots for other parties.

They also accused the electoral body of acting as "a tool for the CPP to organize a sham election and present a facade of democracy."

Khieu Kanharith, the spokesman of the ruling party, dismissed the allegations of fraud.

Callanan said his team will release its final findings on the election in October.

The CPP has claimed a landslide victory with up to 91 seats in the 123-seat National Assembly, which is the lower house of Parliament. Official results are expected in a few days.

Hun Sen has been at the center of Cambodian politics since 1985, when he became the world's youngest prime minister at age 33. He has held or shared the top job ever since, bullying and outfoxing his opponents to stay in power.

Sunday's voting was the fourth parliamentary election since the United Nations brokered a peace deal for the country in 1991, a process meant to end decades of civil unrest that included the 1975-79 genocidal reign of the Khmer Rouge.

Cambodia's poll 'did not meet key international standards'

PHNOM PENH (AFP) — Despite improvements in electoral processes, Cambodia's recent election was flawed and did not meet key standards, international monitors said Tuesday.

Prime Minister Hun Sen's ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) won 59.6 percent of the vote in Sunday's election, compared with nearly 21 percent for the nearest rival, the opposition Sam Rainsy Party, according to a partial count by Cambodian electoral authorities.

But the poll was marred by the CPP's domination of media coverage, the improper deletion of people from registration lists so they could not vote, and other irregularities, said a preliminary report by 130 European Union election monitors.

"While the campaign was generally conducted in a more peaceful and open environment compared to previous elections, the 2008 National Assembly Elections have fallen short of a number of key international standards for democratic elections," said Martin Callanan, who led the EU observers.

"Ultimately, it's up to the Cambodian people to accept or reject the results," Callanan said, adding that the EU would issue a more detailed report with recommendations in October.

The Asian Network For Free Elections (ANFREL) called for an investigation and "a serious penalty" for manipulation of the vote.

"The election was maybe free, but not fair at all," said Somsri Hananuntasuk, head of ANFREL's election monitoring mission to Cambodia.

The main problem was people being deleted from voter lists, while there also needed to be limits on campaign financing and the ruling party's control of media, she said.

The EU calculated that 50,000 voters were left off rolls, but Callanan said that would not have greatly affected the election since early results show a large majority for the CPP.

"Any irregularities that were proved would clearly have to be on a very large scale in order to invalidate that result," he said.

However, the four minority parties rejected the outcome, accusing the CPP of fiddling with the voter rolls to ensure their victory.

Opposition leader Sam Rainsy estimated that one million out of 8.1 million registered voters had been cut from the rolls. He said his party members observed 50 to 100 people at each of the country's 15,000 polling stations had been unable to vote.

"The large-scale irregularities here can change the result of the election. I'm disappointed that such a so-called expert could make such a mistake," Sam Rainsy told AFP Tuesday outside the EU's press conference.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights noted lower violence from previous elections but said in a Tuesday statement it had observed "threats, intimidation and inducements directed against political activists" to get them to change parties.

The CPP has claimed victory, saying it captured at least 90 of the 123 seats in parliament, giving them more than a two-thirds majority.

Local rights groups have expressed concern that if the CPP did secure a majority there would be fewer checks and balances in the country's fledgling democracy.

At 55, Hun Sen has ruled Cambodia for 23 years and has vowed to remain in power until he is 90. He had been widely tipped to win amid a booming economy and nationalist sentiment sparked by a border feud with Thailand.

Monitors say Cambodia election 'flawed'

Tuesday, July 29, 2008
ABC Radio Australia

International monitors say Cambodia's recent election was flawed and did not meet key standards, despite improvements in electoral processes.

Prime Minister Hun Sen's ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) has won nearly 60 per cent of the vote in early returns from the weekend poll.

But a preliminary report by European Union election monitors has found the poll was marred by the CPP's domination of media coverage and the improper deletion of people from registration lists so they could not vote.

The leader of the EU observers, Martin Callanan, says the campaign was generally conducted in a more peaceful and open environment compared to previous elections, but it had fallen short of a number of key international standards for democratic elections.

The EU calculated that 50,000 voters were left off rolls, but Mr Callanan says that would not have greatly affected the election since early results show a large majority for the CPP.

"Any irregularities that were proved would clearly have to be on a very large scale in order to invalidate that result," he said.

However, the four minority parties have rejected the outcome, accusing the CPP of fiddling with the voter rolls to ensure their victory.