US to pull the welcome mat from under the feet of corrupt Cambodians named in Global Witness' Cambodia's Family Trees?

Some of the people named in Global Witness report: The dons
(Click to zoom in)

Bill Seeks to Ban Corrupt Cambodians from Entering US

Brian Calvert, VOA Khmer
Original report from Washington
26 September 2007

The US Congress will request the State Department to deny visas to corrupt Cambodian officials, especially those named in a recent Global Witness report, and will ask for a report on the number of Montagnard asylum seekers in Cambodia, according to an annual bill waiting to become law.

The annual Foreign Operations bill sets out funding for the State Department and other international agencies.

The bill is currently under discussion between members of both houses of US Congress before it will be sent to the president to be signed into law.

The Senate's version of the bill includes a suggestion to the State Department that it restrict corrupt Cambodian officials from entering the US.

Those named in this year's Global Witness report, "Cambodia's Family Trees," should be prohibited entrance, according to a Senate report from the committee in charge of money appropriation.

The Global Witness report, which was banned in Cambodia, accuses a number of top officials with links to Prime Minister Hun Sen and his family of abetting the destruction of Cambodia's forests.

The Senate Appropriations Committee also requested a report from the Secretary of State on the number of Montagnard refugees in Cambodia.

Cambodia has seen a steady influx of Vietnamese hill tribe refugees seeking asylum, and the Senate committee requested a report on them by March 1, 2008.

The committee sought to allocate $57 million in assistance for Cambodia, including $15 million in an economic support fund.

It urged the administration of the president to make clear its support for democracy and human rights.

Cambodia standards of justice: You talk, you die

Arson attack follows anonymous threat against journalist reporting on illegal logging

Country/Topic: Cambodia
Date: 15 August 2007
Source: Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)
Person(s): Phan Phat
Target(s): journalist(s)
Type(s) of violation(s): attacked , threatened
Urgency: Flash

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a CPJ press release:

Arson attack follows anonymous threat against Cambodian journalist

NEW YORK, August 15, 2007 - The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on the Cambodian government to launch an independent investigation into the recent arson attack on the home of Phan Phat, a journalist with the local Khmer language newspaper Chbas Kar.

According to local press freedom groups and news reports, Phat's wooden house was set ablaze by unknown assailants at around 4 a.m. on August 10 in the Boeng Khnar commune of Porsat province. The small blaze was quickly extinguished and Phat and his family escaped without injury. Phat was quoted by local media as saying that he had received an anonymous phone call threatening to give him a "gift" the day before the attack, according to the same reports.

Commune Police Chief Sann Ly was quoted in a local publication as saying that the attack was likely in "revenge" for Phat's recent reporting on illegal logging activities in the province's Bakan district. District Police Chief Youk Yoen told reporters that judging by the small amount of gasoline used in the arson attack, the assailants likely did not mean to kill the reporter and his family. The police official said his office was approaching the case as "an attack on the free press."

"There is strong reason to believe that the attack on Phan Phat was motivated by his work as a journalist," said Joel Simon, CPJ's executive director. "Cambodian authorities must act quickly and decisively to uncover who is responsible."

Illegal logging is rampant in Cambodia's provincial areas. Reporters who dare to publish on the activities often face threats, physical attacks, and sometimes death. An investigative report released in May by UK-based environmental watchdog Global Witness accused several high ranking Cambodian officials of complicity in illegal logging, including a senior official inside Prime Minister Hun Sen's personal bodyguard unit. Government officials denied any involvement in illegal logging.

The government ordered a ban on the report's distribution and the Ministry of Information issued a blanket order to local media outlets not to publish on the report's findings. Lem Pichpisey, a radio reporter with Radio Free Asia, nonetheless aired several news stories on the report's allegations. He later received an anonymous death threat by telephone. The radio reporter was forced to flee Cambodia for neighboring Thailand on June 17 due to his editors' concerns about his personal security.

CPJ is a New York-based, independent, nonprofit organization that works to safeguard press freedom worldwide. For more information, visit http://www.cpj.org

US Amb ambiguous position regarding GW report: Mussomeli supports GW report but not the fact that GW is accusing individuals

Friday, June 15, 2007
Rasmei Kampuchea newspaper
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

“Cambodia can be considered as one of the countries that has a good human rights record when compared to a number of other countries” - Joseph Mussomeli, US Ambassador to Cambodia

Joseph Mussomeli, US Ambassador to Cambodia, said that he supports the Global Witness report regarding illegal logging and corruption which cause several problems (in Cambodia), however, he does not support the political attitude taken to accuse each individual without sufficient evidence.

During a visit to Peace Corps volunteers who are currently teaching English at the Hun Sen Svay Chrum high school on 13 June, Amb Mussomeli declared in an interview with reporters that he shares the concerns expressed by Global Witness regarding illegal logging and corruption which cause a lot of problems, however, he criticizes the entire Global Witness report for accusing each individual without providing sufficient evidence to back up the accusations made against these individuals.

Mussomeli said: “We do not support the accusations made by Global Witness against each individual because it does not contain sufficient evidence.”

“In the future, I am confident that Global Witness and the Royal Government of Cambodia will hold a constructive dialogue because Global Witness has a lot of issues to raise to the government, and the government also has a lot of explaining to do on the issues raised by Global Witness,” Mussomeli added.

Regarding Mr Yash Ghai, the UN Special Envoy for Human Rights in Cambodia, Amb Mussomeli said: “It’s a fact that Mr Yash Ghai and human rights organizations has an important role in advancing human rights issues, and I hope that the relationship between Mr Yash Ghai and the Royal Government of Cambodia will improve in the future, and that they both will hold a dialogue to discuss on a number of issues that they need to accomplish.”

Nevertheless, Amb Mussomeli said that “Cambodia can be considered as one of the countries that has a good human rights record when compared to a number of other countries.”

When questioned about the impact of Yash Ghai’s human rights report and the Global Witness report on the upcoming Consultative Group (CG) aid forum to Cambodia, to be held between the Cambodian government and the aid providers, Amb Mussomeli provided his opinion by saying: “At the upcoming CG meeting, donor countries will not have major problems (that will force them) to cut aid to Cambodia, even though Global Witness asked for donor countries to apply pressures on Cambodia regarding illegal logging.”

He provides this opinion based on two factors: (1) government officials and other officials are actively working to fight against illegal logging, and (2) donor countries are coming to Cambodia to provide aid to the Cambodian people on AIDS issue, on healthcare issue, on lack of food for children issue, therefore, what can Global Witness do to reduce this kind of aid? I believe that it (GW) cannot do it.”