Cambodia's drug detention hell

A Cambodian boy inhales spirit from glue in a plastic bag in the streets of Phnom Penh city. Photograph: AFP PHOTO /Chhoy Pisei

Thursday, 26 July 2012
David Boyle and Chhay Channyda
The Phnom Penh Post

A child in a Cambodian drug rehabilitation centre was forced to perform oral sex on a military police commander while women in the same institutions have been raped for days on end, a damning new report from Human Rights Watch (HRW) has found.

The study titled Torture in the Name of Treatment: Human Rights Abuses in Vietnam, China, Cambodia, and Lao PDR, also found Cambodian inmates were forced to build houses for guards and were often detained despite no clear evidence they were addicted to drugs.

Treatments shown to work based on evidence are absent from the centres in Cambodia and Vietnam, yet despite this and the systematic abuse uncovered, donors and UN agencies working with relevant government authorities did little to intervene, the report states.

Cambodian children told Human Rights Watch of how they were beaten, shocked with electric batons and subjected to sexual abuse by staff.

“Some massages I had to give were sexual ... if I did not do this, he would beat me. The commander asked me to ‘eat ice cream’ [perform oral sex]. I refused, and he slapped me ... Performing oral sex happened many times ... how could I refuse?” it quoted an anonymous child as saying.

Torture in the Name of Treatment: Human Rights Abuses in Vietnam, China, Cambodia, and Lao PDR

https://www.box.com/s/e9bb0e0fb117e54b4034

Cambodia: After US, ASEAN Leave, Media Critic Jailed

Rights Issues Neglected at Regional Summit

July 17, 2012
Source: http://www.hrw.org/news/2012/07/17/cambodia-after-us-asean-leave-media-critic-jailed

"In the past three months a prominent environmentalist has been killed, a young girl was killed in a military siege, an activist Buddhist monk was threatened with arrest, the political opposition leader kept in forced exile, and a crucial media figure was accused of a preposterous crime. Yet Hillary Clinton and regional leaders swept in and out of Cambodia without even addressing the situation." - Brad Adams, Asia director

(New York) – The Cambodian government should release and drop all charges against Mam Sonando, the owner of Cambodia’s main politically independent radio station and prominent critic of Prime Minister Hun Sen. The authorities arrested Mom Sanando at his home on the morning of July 15, 2012, and charged him under six sections of the penal code, which could result in a prison sentence of up to 30 years.

Hun Sen publicly called for Sonando’s arrest on June 26, when Sonando was out of the country and the Cambodian government was preparing to host the Regional Forum of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which was held last week in Phnom Penh and included the participation of non-ASEAN members – the United States, Japan, Australia, and China. The forum also serves as a precursor for the larger East Asia Summit, which takes place in November. Sonando returned to Cambodia during the ASEAN meeting, but the authorities did not arrest him until the ASEAN meeting was finished and most international media had departed. Sonando’s arrest came two days after US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s departure from the country.

“Sonando’s arrest on the heels of Clinton’s visit is a brazen signal that Hun Sen thinks that the US wants his cooperation on other matters so much that he isn’t afraid to lower the boom on his critics,” said Brad Adams, Asia director. “He may have gotten that impression after the US and other delegations neglected to publicly comment on the country’s rapidly deteriorating human rights situation. The US now needs to take strong and public steps to pick up the pieces.”

What We Expect of Sec. Clinton in Cambodia

10 July 2012
By Mu Sochua

As for what needs to be done more to the Beung Kak Lake issue is the full return of their land, and all charges against them must be dropped. Their release is only to ease the tension and we are grateful to Sec. Clinton for her firm negotiation with the foreign minister during his visit to state department.

We expect Sec. Clinton to continue to press hard on free and fair election in 2013. She said it once during the FM visit and it is a firm stance of the US. This is very positive and an even firmer stance is for the US and the international community to immediately tied aid to electoral reforms.

ASEAN will benefit very positively and peace, security and regional stability depend on a democratically elected government in Cambodia next year. Cambodia is chair of ASEAN and it should serve as a role model-and follow Burma's step- in paving steps for true democracy. Burma has opened up and the momentum must be kept going.

Opposition leaders such as Mr. Sam Rainsy is a very strong potential and serious contender that will continue to challenge prime minister Hun Sen and will give Cambodia a break before it is too late. It is time for change. it is time to recognize that stability is never a reality when Cambodia continues to be a country for sale.

We are in full support of the statement released today by Human Rights Watch.

---------

For Immediate Release

Cambodia: Clinton Should Prioritize Improving Rights

(New York, July 10, 2012) – United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton should make it clear in public and private to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen that closer relations with the US will not be possible without significant improvements in the deteriorating human rights situation in Cambodia, Human Rights Watch said today. Clinton will visit Cambodia from July 11-13 for the annual Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) heads of government meeting.

In recent months the Cambodian government has launched repeated attacks on critics, including the summary arrest and conviction of women protesting eviction from prime Phnom Penh real estate, the siege of a rural village opposing the allegedly corrupt sale of their land to cronies of the prime minister, and an armed attack by military personnel working as enforcers for a rubber company who wounded four villagers protesting what they said was encroachment on their land. In April 2012, Chut Wutty, Cambodia’s best-known environmental activist, was gunned down while researching illegal timber sales. The government first claimed he died in a shootout, then that he had been killed by a soldier who had subsequently managed to commit suicide by shooting himself twice in the chest.

“The Cambodian government is desperate for improved relations with the United States,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “Clinton should tell Hun Sen that continuing grave human rights violations will come at the cost of US support. She should insist that the Cambodian government set out specific, time-bound measures to reverse the country’s increasingly disturbing rights record.”

Hun Sen’s approach to critics was exemplified in early 2011 when he responded with typically threatening language to the suggestion by a Cambodian critic that he should be worried about the overthrow of a dictator in Tunisia. “I not only weaken the opposition, I’m going to make them dead ... and if anyone is strong enough to try to hold a demonstration, I will beat all those dogs and put them in a cage.”

Human Rights Watch said the recent release of protesters from prison after a summary trial shows that pressure from the US and other donors works.

Cambodia’s Appeal Court in June released 13 women who had protested the seizure of their land from the Boeng Kak lake area of Phnom Penh and then sold to Cambodian and Chinese companies. The women had been convicted on May 24 of obstructing public officials and illegally occupying land. The court upheld their convictions but reduced their sentences to time already served in prison. Their releases occurred against a backdrop of increasing national and international pressure, including concerns expressed to the visiting Cambodian foreign minister during a June trip to Washington, D.C. Two other Boeng Kak lake activists remain charged for the same reason, making them vulnerable to arrest at any time. Also under threat is the Venerable Luon Sovat, Cambodia’s best known Buddhist monk activist, who was charged by the Phnom Penh Municipal court with “incitement to commit a felony” in a transparent attempt to silence a critic with a large and growing following.

Human Rights Watch said that Clinton should prioritize an end to illegal land seizures, which are often driving poor villagers off their land without adequate compensation. A number of Cambodian and foreign businesses have been implicated in the often violent abuses arising from government-instigated or condoned land-grabbing and other unbridled economic ventures in agriculture, manufacturing, and extractive industries. Elements of the Cambodian police and armed forces, including the military police, have also been involved.

The transfer of land through economic concessions and other state-sanctioned arrangements have reached an all-time high after government grants last year reportedly brought the total to at least 2.3 million hectares and as many as four million hectares. In response to outcries over rights abuses and other legal concerns, Prime Minister Hun Sen in May ordered a temporary halt to the granting of new economic land concessions and a review of existing ones, and in June he announced a program to reallocate at least 10 percent of the concessions to people living on them. However, at least six new grants have since been finalized and one other restored after review, with the government declaring such decisions are legal exceptions to the moratorium.

“Clinton should tell Hun Sen that corrupt land grabs from the poor through government concessions must end or the country may face widespread social unrest,” Adams said. “She should also make it clear that any hopes of a significant increase in American foreign investment depend on the end of pervasive corruption and establishing the rule of law.”

The Cambodian judiciary remains politically controlled by Hun Sen and the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP), effectively protecting the business interests and political positions of government officials. A recent example was in Kratie province, where on May 16, 2012, an estimated 1,000 members of the security forces stormed a village resisting a land concession controlled by the Casotim Company and shot dead Heng Chantha, a 14-year-old girl. The government justified the actions as necessary to suppress so-called secessionists. Instead of ordering an investigation into the killing, the provincial court issued warrants for the arrest of five protest leaders. The government is also using the incident to threaten the arrest of Mam Sanando, owner of a popular radio station and a veteran media critic of the government who has thus far remained out of the country to avoid detention.

It is crucial that Clinton press the Cambodian government to make the country safe for peaceful political opposition figures, Human Rights Watch said. Parliamentary opposition leader Sam Rainsy has been in exile, facing 12 years imprisonment on trumped up charges. Clinton should press the Cambodian government to quash all politically motivated court judgments against opposition politicians, transform national and local election commissions into truly independent bodies, and respect the right to freedom of expression via print, electronic, and social media.

“Where opposition leaders are hounded and prosecuted in politically motivated trials, the US often leads the international community in demanding that charges be dropped or convictions overturned,” Adams said. “The US and others have remained conspicuously quiet since Rainsy’s conviction, sending the message that they no longer consider pluralistic politics central to their relationship. Clinton should use this visit to demand that Rainsy be allowed to return to Cambodia so that he and his party can freely participate in elections in 2013, or the US will not consider the elections legitimate.”

For more Human Rights Watch reporting on Cambodia, please visit:

https://admin.hrw.org/asia/cambodia

For more Human Rights Watch reporting on Asia, please visit:

http://www.hrw.org/asia

For more information, please contact:

In London, Brad Adams (English): +44-7908-728-333 (mobile); or adamsb@hrw.org

In Bangkok, Phil Robertson (English, Thai): +66-85-060-8406 (mobile); or robertp@hrw.org

In New York, James Ross (English): +1-646-898-5487 (mobile); or rossj@hrw.org

Sacrava's Political Cartoon: 10,000 days of Hun Xen

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

Barking season in England: Hor 5 Bora barks at Brad Adams for criticizing his master

ទូតខ្មែរថ្កោលទោស អត្ថបទព័ត៌មាន របស់ប្រេន អាដាម

Thursday, 07 June 2012
ដោយៈ សយ សុភា
DAP news

It’s regrettable that Mr. Adams’ dishonesty cannot produce any results. The preliminary election results show a landslide victory for Samdach Priminister Hun Xen and the CPP…

It is a shame for a respectable newspaper, such as the International Herald Tribune, it should review this poisonous article whose content is filled with personal violations. I can imagine that the majority of readers can think that something else is behind this [article] rather than providing news information and it will make the readers understand that the judgment effort by Adams is a useless waste of space.

Mr. Adams was one of the candidates who was invited to write a useless story and his criticisms are intended to show his disdain for Samdach Priminister only. Mr. Adams showed a view that people in the world would disagree with him. He should not put low value on the voters in Cambodia. Mr. Adams should practice as his organization’s name, Human Rights Watch, and he should respect the choice and the decision of the Cambodian voters also. (sic!)

ភ្នំពេញៈ ឯកអគ្គរាជទូតខ្មែរប្រចាំនៅចក្រភព អង់គ្លេស នៅថ្ងៃព្រហស្បតិ៍ ទី០៧ ខែមិថុនា ឆ្នាំ២០១២ បានបញ្ចេញ ប្រតិកម្មថ្កោលទោសអត្ថបទមួយរបស់លោក ប្រេន អាដាម ប្រធានអង្គការឃ្លាំមើលសិទ្ធិមនុស្ស ដែលបានរិះគន់ ឥតសំចៃមកលើប្រមុខរាជរដ្ឋាភិបាលកម្ពុជា ជាពិសេឆន្ទៈរបស់ប្រជាពលរដ្ឋកម្ពុជា ដែលបានបោះ ឆ្នោតជូនគណបក្សប្រជាជនកម្ពុជា នាការបោះឆ្នោតក្រុមប្រឹក្សាឃុំ-សង្កាត់ ៣ មិថុនា ឆ្នាំ២០១២។

សេចក្តីប្រកាសព័ត៌មានរបស់ស្ថានទូតកម្ពុជា ប្រចាំនៅចក្រភពអង់គ្លេស ដាណឺម៉ាក ហ្វាំងឡង់ អៀរឡង់ ន័រវ៉េស អេព្យូពី និងសហភាពអាហ្វ្រិក បានឲ្យដឹងថា រាជរដ្ឋាភិបាលកម្ពុជា បានថ្កោលទោសចំពោះអត្ថបទដ៏ គំរោះគំរើយ នៅក្នុងកាសែត The International Herald Tribune ដែលត្រូវបានគេប្រើ ដើម្បីធ្វើការវាយ ប្រហារមកលើសម្តេចតេជោ ហ៊ុន សែន នាយករដ្ឋមន្រ្តី នៃព្រះរាជាណាចក្រកម្ពុជា។

២៧​ឆ្នាំ​ក្រោម​ការ​គ្រប់​គ្រង​អំណាច​របស់​លោក ហ៊ុន សែន - 10,000 days of Hun Xen

ហ៊ុន សែន

2012-06-06
ដោយ តាំង សារ៉ាដា
RFA

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ភ្នាក់​ងារ​អង្គការ​សិទ្ធិ​មនុស្ស​អន្តរជាតិ​បាន​ចាត់​ទុក​ថា ការ​ដឹក​នាំ​រយៈ​ពេល ១​ម៉ឺន​ថ្ងៃ ស្មើ​នឹង ២៧​ឆ្នាំ របស់ លោក​នាយក​រដ្ឋមន្ត្រី ហ៊ុន សែន ដូច​គ្នា​ទៅ​នឹង​ក្រុម​មេ​ដឹក​នាំ​ដែល​ល្បី​ខាង​ការ​គ្រប់​គ្រង​ប្រទេស​បែប​ផ្តាច់​ការ​បំផុត ក្នុង​ពិភពលោក។

នៅ​ក្នុង​អត្ថបទ​របស់ លោក ប្រេដ អាដាម (Brad Adams) នាយក​ប្រតិបត្តិ​ទទួល​បន្ទុក​កិច្ចការ​តំបន់​អាស៊ី របស់​អង្គការ​ឃ្លាំ​មើល​សិទ្ធិ​មនុស្ស​អន្តរជាតិ (Human Rights Watch) ដែល​ចុះ​ផ្សាយ​ក្នុង​ទំព័រ​កាសែត ឌឹ ញូវ យ៉ក ថែម (The New York Time) និង​ចុះ​ផ្សាយ​នៅ​ក្នុង​ព្រឹត្តិបត្រ ឌឹ ខេមបូឌា ដេលី (The Cambodia Daily) នៅ​ក្នុង​ប្រទេស​កម្ពុជា កាល​ពី​ដើម​ខែ​មិថុនា នេះ បាន​សរសេរ​ថា លោក ហ៊ុន សែន ជា​មេ​ដឹក​នាំ​ម្នាក់​ក្នុង​ចំណោម​ក្រុម​មេ​ដឹក​នាំ​បែប​ជើង​កាង និង​ចិត្ត​ឆៅ ដែល​ជា​ក្រុម​មនុស្ស​ជើង​ខ្លាំង​គ្រប់​គ្រង​បែប​បំភិត​បំភ័យ​ឥត​សំចៃ​ខាង​ការ​ប្រើ​អំពើ​ហិង្សា ប្រហារ​ក្រុម​អ្នក​ជំទាស់​ដោយ​មិន​ខ្លាច​ច្បាប់ និង​អម​ទៅ​ដោយ​កង​កំលាំង​អង្គរក្ស​ផ្ទាល់​ខ្លួន បំពាក់​សព្វាវុធ​គ្រប់​ធុន។

លោក ប្រេដ អាដាម មាន​ប្រសាសន៍​ថា អត្ថបទ​របស់​លោក គឺ​ចង់​ទាញ​ការ​ចាប់​អារម្មណ៍​របស់​មហា​អំណាច​ធំៗ​ក្នុង​ពិភពលោក​ឲ្យ​យក​ចិត្ត​ទុក​ដាក់​ឡើង​វិញ​ក្នុង​ការ​ពិនិត្យ​មើល​អំពី​ភាព​មិន​ប្រក្រតី​ក្នុង​ប្រទេស​កម្ពុជា នៅ​គ្រា​ដែល​ប្រមុខ​រដ្ឋាភិបាល​នៃ​ប្រទេស​មួយ​នេះ ក្តោប​ក្តាប់​អំណាច​ដល់​ទៅ ២៧​ឆ្នាំ នោះ។

លោក ប្រេដ អាដាម៖ «ដោយ​សារ​ខ្ញុំ​ចង់​ឲ្យ​ពិភពលោក​ចាប់​អារម្មណ៍​សាជាថ្មី​មក​លើ​ប្រទេស​កម្ពុជា​ឡើង​វិញ ដូច្នេះ​ហើយ​បាន​ជា​ខ្ញុំ​សរសេរ​អត្ថបទ​នេះ។ ដូច​លោក​អ្នក​ដឹង​ស្រាប់​ហើយ​ថា គ្មាន​នណា​ម្នាក់​កាន់​អំណាច​រហូត​ដល់​ទៅ ១​ម៉ឺន​ថ្ងៃ នោះ​ទេ ព្រោះ​ការ​គ្រប់​គ្រង​បែប​នេះ​វា​យូរ​ពេក។ ប្រធានាធិបតី​សហរដ្ឋ​អាមេរិក អាច​កាន់​រដ្ឋបាល​របស់​ខ្លួន​បាន​តែ ៨​ឆ្នាំ​ប៉ុណ្ណោះ យ៉ាង​យូរ​បំផុត។ ដូច្នេះ អាយុ​នៃ​អំណាច​របស់ លោក ហ៊ុន សែន ក្នុង​រយៈ​ពេល ២៧​ឆ្នាំ នេះ វា​ជា​រយៈ​ពេល​ដ៏​យូរ​រ៉ាំរ៉ៃ​ណាស់​ទៅ​ហើយ។ លោក ហ៊ុន សែន ធ្លាប់​ប្រកាស​ថា លោក​នឹង​កាន់​អំណាច​រហូត​ដល់​លោក​អាយុ ៨០ ទៅ ៩០​ឆ្នាំ ដែល​ការ​អះអាង​បែប​នេះ មិន​មាន​ភាព​ប្រក្រតី​នោះ​ឡើយ​សំរាប់​កម្ពុជា។ ពី​មុន​កម្ពុជា​ទទួល​បាន​ការ​យក​ចិត្ត​ទុក​ដាក់​ខ្លាំង​ពី​មជ្ឈដ្ឋាន​ខាង​ក្រៅ តែ​ឥឡូវ​ហាក់​មាន​កំរិត​តិច​តួច​បំផុត។ បណ្ដា​ប្រទេស​ទាំង​នោះ​មិន​ត្រូវ​គិត​ថា កម្ពុជា​មាន​សារៈសំខាន់​អ្វី​ខ្លះ​សំរាប់​ពួក​គេ​នោះ​ទេ ប៉ុន្តែ​ពួក​គេ​ត្រូវ​គិត​ថា វាសនា​អនាគត​កម្ពុជា វា​សំខាន់​សំរាប់​ពលរដ្ឋ​កម្ពុជា»។

Australia: Calls To Promote Human Rights In Southeast Asia

April 16, 2012
Eurasia Review

Australia should make human rights a priority in developing closer ties with Southeast Asian countries, Human Rights Watch said today in a letter to Australia’s new foreign minister, Bob Carr. On a recent trip to Cambodia, Singapore, and Vietnam, Carr focused on the importance of Southeast Asian countries as friends and trading partners, but said little about the rights of people in the region.

“Trade alone is not enough for the people of Southeast Asia who are being denied their basic freedoms,” said Elaine Pearson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “As a longstanding successful democracy, Australia is uniquely poised to talk frankly with the region’s leaders about addressing specific human rights concerns.”

The letter discusses human rights issues in Burma, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Vietnam where pressure from Australia could advance human rights protections.

Cambodia: New Regulation Short-Changes Domestic Workers

Revised Labor Migration Policy Weak on Recruitment Abuses

Source: Human Rights Watch

(New York, August 30, 2011) – Cambodia’s revised regulation on labor migration, approved by Prime Minister Hun Sen on August 17, 2011, falls far short of minimum protections needed to safeguard migrant domestic workers, Human Rights Watch said today. The regulation omits or only has vague protections for workers and does not adequately address such problems as debt bondage, illegal recruitment of underage workers, and forced confinement by recruitment agencies in Cambodia, Human Rights Watch said.

The “Sub-Decree on the Management of the Sending of Cambodian Workers Abroad through Private Recruitment Agencies” was drafted without consulting civil society organizations or migrant workers.

“The Cambodian government didn’t even bother to talk with domestic or international organizations involved in these issues, let alone the workers themselves,” said Jyotsna Poudyal, children’s rights research fellow at Human Rights Watch. “The result is a regulation that doesn’t offer even minimum protections to Cambodians who face serious abuse when they agree to work abroad.”

Human Rights Watch urged the Cambodian government to revise the regulation or adopt a new policy on recruitment agencies that would address key concerns, such as recruitment fees and debts, freedom of movement in training centers, and child recruitment. Such protections should be created in consultation with domestic and international organizations working on migration and trafficking and include detailed methods for enforcement, Human Rights Watch said.

Monk, publisher win awards

The venerable Luon Savath (Photo by: Will Baxter)

Publisher Hang Chakra (Photo by: Heng Chivoan)

Monday, 27 June 2011
Meas Sokchea
The Phnom Penh Post

A monk who went into hiding in March over fears authorities would arrest him for attending land dispute protests will be awarded Human Right’s Watch’s Hellman/Hammett award next month, along with an anti-government newspaper publisher.

Venerable Loun Savath, who has come out of hiding and is now living in Slaeng pagoda in Siem Reap province, said yesterday that the award – which is granted to those who speak out in the face of intimidation – was for the people.

“Though I received the award I don’t regard it as mine, I regard it as people’s award that are thirsty and hungry for the truth,” he said.

Human rights group says Myanmar chairing ASEAN would turn the grouping into a 'laughingstock'

May 06, 2011
Niniek Karmini
The Associated Press

JAKARTA, Indonesia - Southeast Asian nations should reject Myanmar's request to chair their regional grouping in 2014 unless the government releases political prisoners and takes other concrete steps to improve human rights, a U.S.-based rights group said Friday.

Leaders of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, will gather in the Indonesian capital over the weekend to discuss regional security, economic developments and strategies to boost transportation links in the region.

Among those attending will be Myanmar's president, Thein Sein, who heads the military-backed party that overwhelmingly won general elections late last year.

After arriving in Jakarta on Thursday, Thein Sein asked Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, ASEAN's current chair, to back Myanmar's bid to take over the position in 2014.

Yudhoyono agreed to raise the issue at the leaders' summit, and some countries have already indicated they would not oppose.

"Rewarding Burma with ASEAN's chairmanship after it staged sham elections and still holds 2,000 political prisoners would be an embarrassment for the region," Elaine Pearson, deputy Asia director at New York-based Human Rights Watch, said in a statement. Myanmar was formerly known as Burma.

Cambodia: Ensure Montagnards’ asylum rights

2 March 2011
Source: ALIRAN

Cambodia should provide safe asylum for Montagnards fleeing Vietnam’s Central Highlands even after it closes the United Nations’ refugee centre in Phnom Penh for Montagnards on 15 February 2011, Human Rights Watch has said.

Ongoing government crackdowns in Vietnam against Montagnard Christians make it imperative for Cambodia not to deny Montagnards their basic right to seek safe asylum, Human Rights Watch said. As a party to the 1951 UN Refugee Convention, Cambodia is obligated to protect the rights of all who seek asylum within its borders.

“Cambodia has a clear obligation to ensure that future Montagnard asylum seekers are permitted to enter a refugee screening process that is fair and based on international standards,” said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “Closing the Montagnard refugee centre doesn’t change those obligations.”

In December 2010, the Cambodian government ordered the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to close the Montagnard refugee centre by 1 January 2011. The Cambodian government subsequently agreed to an extension of the deadline to 15 February to allow time to resettle or repatriate the Montagnards remaining at the centre.

Cambodia: Ensure Montagnards’ Asylum Rights

Ongoing Persecution in Vietnam Expected to Fuel Future Arrivals

February 14, 2011

Source: Human Rights Watch

Cambodia has a clear obligation to ensure that future Montagnard asylum seekers are permitted to enter a refugee screening process that is fair and based on international standards. Closing the Montagnard refugee center doesn't change those obligations.

.Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch .(New York, February 14, 2010) - Cambodia should provide safe asylum for Montagnards fleeing Vietnam's Central Highlands even after it closes the United Nation's refugee center in Phnom Penh for Montagnards on February 15, 2011, Human Rights Watch said today.

Ongoing government crackdowns in Vietnam against Montagnard Christians make it imperative for Cambodia not to deny Montagnards their basic right to seek safe asylum, Human Rights Watch said. As a party to the 1951 UN Refugee Convention, Cambodia is obligated to protect the rights of all who seek asylum within its borders.

"Cambodia has a clear obligation to ensure that future Montagnard asylum seekers are permitted to enter a refugee screening process that is fair and based on international standards," said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "Closing the Montagnard refugee center doesn't change those obligations."

In December 2010, the Cambodian government ordered the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to close the Montagnard refugee center by January 1, 2011. The Cambodian government subsequently agreed to an extension of the deadline to February 15 to allow time to resettle or repatriate the Montagnards remaining at the center.

Government Warns Human Rights Watch Over Report [-Phnom Penh in denial]

The Cambodian government denied the findings of an annual Human Rights Watch report.

Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer

Phnom Penh Wednesday, 26 January 2011

“The Cambodian government tightened restrictions on fundamental freedoms in 2010, making it increasingly difficult and risky for human rights defenders, land rights activists, and trade unionists to operate,” Human Rights Watch said in a statement Tuesday, citing its annual “World Report.”

The Cambodian government denied the findings of an annual Human Rights Watch report on Wednesday, claiming that unfounded criticism was now under the purview of the law.

“The Cambodian government tightened restrictions on fundamental freedoms in 2010, making it increasingly difficult and risky for human rights defenders, land rights activists, and trade unionists to operate,” Human Rights Watch said in a statement Tuesday, citing its annual “World Report.”

In 2010, the group said, “the Cambodian government increasingly ignored or dismissed human rights concerns of United Nations agencies and international donors that have made significant contributions to the country's budget for years. Instead, Prime Minister Hun Sen rebuked UN officials, threatening to expel the UN resident coordinator and the UN human rights office director in Phnom Penh.”

Cambodia dismisses Human Rights Watch criticisms as 'lie' [-Tith Sothea should pull his head out from his boss' derriere sometime]

Tith Sothea in rare instance when his head is not buried in his boss' derriere (Photo: DAP)

PHNOM PENH, Jan. 25 (AP) - (Kyodo)—The Cambodian government on Tuesday dismissed as a "lie" a report by a U.S.-based human rights advocacy group that accused it of stepping up its repression of freedoms of expression, assembly and association last year.

Tith Sothea, spokesman of the Office of the Council of Ministers, slammed the accusations made in Human Rights Watch's annual report, calling it "inaccurate and a lie" and rejecting it as devoid of value.

He said the report ignored the Cambodian government's commitment to implement and strengthen the country's rule of law.

Human Rights Watch's report said the government in 2010 used the judiciary, new laws, and threats of arrest or legal action to restrict free speech, jail government critics, disperse workers and farmers peacefully protesting and silence opposition party members.

The report also said the government violated Cambodia's obligations under the 1951 Refugee Convention by deporting to China some 20 Uighur asylum seekers at risk of torture and mistreatment there, which happened on the eve of a visit by senior Chinese officials that finalized a massive aid package to Cambodia.

It said journalists who criticize the government face biased legal action, imprisonment, and violence, while politically motivated court cases continue to target opposition members.

Human rights in freefall

Police clad in riot gear bar residents of the Boeung Kak lake area from protesting outside the Chinese Embassy earlier this month. Human Rights Watch claims a spate of land seizures and forced evictions were part of a general erosion of basic freedoms last year. (Photo by: Heng Chivoan)

Tuesday, 25 January 2011
Sebastian Strangio
The Phnom Penh Post

The Cambodian government has severely restricted fundamental freedoms over the past year, making it “increasingly difficult” for rights defenders, land rights protestors and unionists to operate freely in the country, according to Human Rights Watch.

In its latest global rights report, released in New York on Monday, HRW also called on the Kingdom’s foreign donors to “forcefully challenge” increased restrictions on rights in Cambodia.

The 649-page report catalogues a series of developments last year that it claimed led to a strengthening of the Cambodian government’s “chokehold” on human rights. High on the organisation’s list of concerns was the increased disregard shown by officials for United Nations representatives and other foreign diplomats.

HRW World Report Chapter on Cambodia

Source: Human Rights Watch

Cambodia
Events of 2010

Click here to download the World Report Chapter on Cambodia in English (PDF)

Click here to download the World Report Chapter on Cambodia in Khmer (PDF)

The Cambodian government increased its repression of freedoms of expression, assembly, and association in 2010, tightening the space for civil society to operate.

Prime Minister Hun Sen's ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) used the judiciary, new laws, and threats of arrest or legal action to restrict free speech, jail government critics, disperse workers and farmers peacefully protesting, and silence opposition party members.

Cambodia also regressed in respecting international rights treaties. In December 2009 the government deported 20 Uighur asylum seekers at risk of torture and mistreatment to China, violating Cambodia's obligations under the 1951 Refugee Convention. The controversial refoulement took place on the eve of a visit by senior Chinese officials that finalized a massive aid package to Cambodia.

Freedoms of Expression, Association, and Assembly

Journalists who criticize the government face biased legal action, imprisonment, and violence. At least 10 opposition journalists have been killed in the past 15 years.

Under a new penal code that came into force in November 2009, government critics who peacefully express views about individuals and government institutions risk criminal prosecution for defamation and disinformation. These include the editor of Khmer Amatak newspaper who was charged in March with defamation and disinformation for a feature on governmental corruption, and the editor of Prey Nokor newspaper, which covers Khmer Krom affairs, who was forced to resign in August. In May authorities banned a public screening in Phnom Penh of a documentary about the 2004 assassination of labor leader Chea Vichea. There was no progress in his murder investigation or that of two other union leaders murdered in 2004.

Cambodia: Chokehold on Basic Freedoms Tightens

Forced evictions continue to escalate in Cambodia. The forced eviction of more than 300 villagers in Chuk district, Kampot in 2008, was carried out by a mixed group of about 100 Brigade 31 soldiers, forestry and environment officers, police, and military police. Most were armed with handguns or AK-47s. (© 2008 Licadho)

UN, Donors Should Forcefully Challenge Increased Restrictions on Rights

January 24, 2011
Source: Human Rights Watch

"The Cambodian government has used bluster and intimidation to push the UN and donors into silence about abuses. The international community needs to advocate more forcefully for the human rights of the Cambodian people." - Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch

(New York) - The Cambodian government tightened restrictions on fundamental freedoms in 2010, making it increasingly difficult and risky for human rights defenders, land rights activists, and trade unionists to operate, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2011.

The 649-page report, Human Rights Watch's 21st annual review of human rights practices around the globe, summarizes major human rights trends in more than 90 countries and territories worldwide. During 2010, Human Rights Watch said, the Cambodian government increasingly ignored or dismissed human rights concerns of United Nations agencies and international donors that have made significant contributions to the country's budget for years. Instead, Prime Minister Hun Sen rebuked UN officials, threatening to expel the UN resident coordinator and the UN human rights office director in Phnom Penh.

"The Cambodian government has used bluster and intimidation to push the UN and donors into silence about abuses," said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "The international community needs to advocate more forcefully for the human rights of the Cambodian people."

Hu's Missing

Chinese rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng, the victim of an enforced "disappearance" from February 2009 to March 2010, and again in April 2010. © CHRD

Give China's disappeared a voice at U.S.-China summit

By Phelim Kine
Published in: The Washington Times.
January 17, 2011

"If President Obama can raise just one human rights issue at the summit this week with Chinese President Hu Jintao, he should speak for China's disappeared." - Phelim Kine, Asia researcher for Human Rights Watch.

If President Obama can raise just one human rights issue at the summit this week with Chinese President Hu Jintao, he should speak for China's disappeared.

On Dec. 19, 2009, 20 Uighurs - a Muslim ethnic minority in China who have long suffered from state discrimination and other abuses - were forced onto a Chinese government plane in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, flown back to China and effectively disappeared into official custody. Since then, the only whisper of the fate of the deported Uighurs - who included two infants - was an unconfirmed report in mid-January 2010 that some of them had been sentenced by a Xinjiang court to verdicts that included the death penalty.

The group - which had sought refugee status in Cambodia - had been issued "persons of concern" letters by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees; under international law, those documents should have provided them protection from deportation. The Chinese government insisted that the 20 Uighurs were "criminals" to whom those protections did not apply. The Cambodian government ignored the high likelihood that the Uighurs would face torture, disappearance and/or arbitrary detention upon return to China, and under pressure from Beijing, Cambodia forced the Uighurs to return. Shortly after their plane left, Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping touched down for a high-profile state visit to Cambodia, suggesting that Phnom Penh prioritized Beijing's demands over Cambodia's obligations under international law.

Rights groups condemn Cambodia's threat to shut UN office

Christophe Peschoux

Oct 29, 2010
DPA

Phnom Penh - Prominent international human rights groups on Friday condemned the Cambodian government's demand that the United Nations close its local human rights office and fire the country head.

In a joint statement, Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Amnesty International said the government's assertion that the UN human rights office in Cambodia was a mouthpiece for the political opposition were 'baseless.'

The groups said the government's stance was 'a direct assault on the UN's human rights mandate,' and said the UN's leadership should continue to speak out on behalf of the local office and its country head, Christophe Peschoux.

'Donor governments to Cambodia should likewise voice their strong objections to the Cambodian government's statements,' they added.

On Wednesday, the first full day of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's official visit to Cambodia, Prime Minister Hun Sen told him to close the human rights office and sack Peschoux.

In response Ban's spokesman, Yves Sorokobi, said the secretary general stood by the organization's human rights work and its 'representatives around the world including here.'

He said that pulling staff out of a particular country was an internal matter for the UN.

HRW and Amnesty called on US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who was due in Cambodia this weekend, to express her support for the UN human rights office and its mandate.

Ban arrived in Phnom Penh on Tuesday and left Thursday for Vietnam where he is attending a summit between the United Nations and the regional Association of South-East Asian Nations bloc. He will conclude his current Asian tour in China.