Speak Truth To Power (“Courage without Borders”) Series - Ka Hsaw Wa (Burma) “Multi-National Corporate Resp...
http://www.scribd.com/full/53654355?access_key=key-251458pxnwmu72lc8lr9
Showing posts with label Human rigths violation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Human rigths violation. Show all posts
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Monday, April 26, 2010
Introduction to "Speak Truth to Power" - the book by Kerry Kennedy and play by Ariel Dorfman
KI-Media Note: Thank you to Theary Seng for pointing out this article!
An Introduction by Kerry Kennedy
In a world where there is a common lament that there are no more heroes, too often cynicism and despair are perceived as evidence of the death of moral courage. That perception is wrong. People of great valor and heart, committed to noble purpose, with long records of personal sacrifice, walk among us in every country of the world. I have spent the last two years traveling the globe to interview fifty-one individuals from nearly forty countries and five continents, some of whom appear in these pages and in the play by Ariel Dorfman you will find here, people whose lives are filled with extraordinary feats of bravery. I've listened to them speak about the quality and nature of courage, and in their stories I found hope and inspiration, a vision of a better world.
For many of these heroes, their understanding of the abrogation of human rights has been profoundly shaped by their personal experiences: of death threats, imprisonment, and in some cases, bodily harm. However, this is not, by any measure, a compilation of victims. Rather, courage, with its affirmation of possibility and change, is what defines them, singly and together. Each spoke to me with compelling eloquence of the causes to which they have devoted their lives, and for which they are willing to sacrifice them-from freedom of expression to the rule of law, from environmental defense to eradicating bonded labor, from access to capital to the right to due process, from women's rights to religious liberty. As the Martin Luther Kings of their countries, these leaders hold in common an inspiring record of accomplishment and a profound capacity to ignite change.
The defenders' own voices provoke fundamental questions: why do people who face imprisonment, torture, and death, continue to pursue their work when the chance of success is so remote and the personal consequences are so grave? Why did they become involved? What keeps them going? Where do they derive their strength and inspiration? How do they overcome their fear? How do they measure success? Out of the answers emerges a sympathetic and strength-giving portrait of the power of personal resolve and determination in the face of injustice. These fundamental questions have a special interest for me personally. As a mother of three young girls, I deeply wished to understand if there were steps I could take to encourage my own daughters to develop similar attributes, or if moral courage was something certain people are born with, inherently, while the rest of us (with our own lesser sensibilities) are left to muddle through. And if we are capable of less, then are we off the hook? Condemned to be sinners, is there any point in striving to be saints?
Several defenders recalled an early moment or incident that galvanized their social conscience forever. Some told stories of searing childhood encounters with injustice, as when Patria Jimenez speaks of bigotry in her own family against gays and her own experience of prejudice as a lesbian. Many defenders are members of groups that have endured sustained repression, and so have come to a natural understanding of the issues and desire to overcome the wrongs, like Juliana Dogbadzi. Others saw injustice in a community they were not a part of and took up the cause, such as Bruce Harris. And still others had enjoyed the comforts of being among the elite in their countries, yet risked ostracization-and worse-to right wrongs committed by their peers, notably Kailash Satyarthi.
Despite the overwhelming powers arrayed against them, these men and women are, as a whole, an optimistic lot. In my interview with Archbishop Tutu, he emphasized this attitude saying, "We have a God who doesn't say, 'Ah ... Got you!' No. God says, 'Get up,' and God dusts us off and God says, 'Try again.' " Perhaps the stance should be qualified as less optimistic than hopeful. Overwhelmingly pragmatic and realistic about the prospects for change, all too aware of the challenges they face, nonetheless they continue to roll their boulders back up the hill. Oscar Arias Sanchez, a Nobel Peace Prize-winning activist, points out, "In a world which presents such a dramatic struggle between life and death, the decisions we make about how to conduct our lives, about the kind of people we want to be, have important consequences. In this context, one must stand on the side of life... One works for justice not for the big victories, but simply because engaging in the struggle is itself worth doing."
These voices are, most of all, a call to action, much needed because human rights violations often occur by cover of night, in remote and dark places. For many of those who suffer, isolation is their worst enemy, and exposure of the atrocities is their only hope. We must bring the international spotlight to violations and broaden the community of those who know and care about the individuals portrayed. This alone may well stop a disappearance, cancel a torture session, or even, some day, save a life. Included with each story is the resource guide of contact information for the defenders and their organizations in the hope that you, the reader, will take action, send a donation, ask for more information, get involved. The more voices are raised in protest, the greater the likelihood of change.
I grew up in the Judeo-Christian tradition where we painted our prophets on ceilings and sealed our saints in stained glass. They were superhuman, untouchable, and so we were freed from the burden of their challenge. But here on earth, people like these and countless other defenders are living, breathing human beings in our midst. Their determination, valor, and commitment in the face of overwhelming danger challenge each of us to take up the torch for a more decent society. Today we are blessed by the presence of these people. They are teachers, who show us not how to be saints, but how to be fully human.
Kerry Kennedy
For additional information, click here
For many of these heroes, their understanding of the abrogation of human rights has been profoundly shaped by their personal experiences: of death threats, imprisonment, and in some cases, bodily harm. However, this is not, by any measure, a compilation of victims. Rather, courage, with its affirmation of possibility and change, is what defines them, singly and together. Each spoke to me with compelling eloquence of the causes to which they have devoted their lives, and for which they are willing to sacrifice them-from freedom of expression to the rule of law, from environmental defense to eradicating bonded labor, from access to capital to the right to due process, from women's rights to religious liberty. As the Martin Luther Kings of their countries, these leaders hold in common an inspiring record of accomplishment and a profound capacity to ignite change.
The defenders' own voices provoke fundamental questions: why do people who face imprisonment, torture, and death, continue to pursue their work when the chance of success is so remote and the personal consequences are so grave? Why did they become involved? What keeps them going? Where do they derive their strength and inspiration? How do they overcome their fear? How do they measure success? Out of the answers emerges a sympathetic and strength-giving portrait of the power of personal resolve and determination in the face of injustice. These fundamental questions have a special interest for me personally. As a mother of three young girls, I deeply wished to understand if there were steps I could take to encourage my own daughters to develop similar attributes, or if moral courage was something certain people are born with, inherently, while the rest of us (with our own lesser sensibilities) are left to muddle through. And if we are capable of less, then are we off the hook? Condemned to be sinners, is there any point in striving to be saints?
Several defenders recalled an early moment or incident that galvanized their social conscience forever. Some told stories of searing childhood encounters with injustice, as when Patria Jimenez speaks of bigotry in her own family against gays and her own experience of prejudice as a lesbian. Many defenders are members of groups that have endured sustained repression, and so have come to a natural understanding of the issues and desire to overcome the wrongs, like Juliana Dogbadzi. Others saw injustice in a community they were not a part of and took up the cause, such as Bruce Harris. And still others had enjoyed the comforts of being among the elite in their countries, yet risked ostracization-and worse-to right wrongs committed by their peers, notably Kailash Satyarthi.
Despite the overwhelming powers arrayed against them, these men and women are, as a whole, an optimistic lot. In my interview with Archbishop Tutu, he emphasized this attitude saying, "We have a God who doesn't say, 'Ah ... Got you!' No. God says, 'Get up,' and God dusts us off and God says, 'Try again.' " Perhaps the stance should be qualified as less optimistic than hopeful. Overwhelmingly pragmatic and realistic about the prospects for change, all too aware of the challenges they face, nonetheless they continue to roll their boulders back up the hill. Oscar Arias Sanchez, a Nobel Peace Prize-winning activist, points out, "In a world which presents such a dramatic struggle between life and death, the decisions we make about how to conduct our lives, about the kind of people we want to be, have important consequences. In this context, one must stand on the side of life... One works for justice not for the big victories, but simply because engaging in the struggle is itself worth doing."
These voices are, most of all, a call to action, much needed because human rights violations often occur by cover of night, in remote and dark places. For many of those who suffer, isolation is their worst enemy, and exposure of the atrocities is their only hope. We must bring the international spotlight to violations and broaden the community of those who know and care about the individuals portrayed. This alone may well stop a disappearance, cancel a torture session, or even, some day, save a life. Included with each story is the resource guide of contact information for the defenders and their organizations in the hope that you, the reader, will take action, send a donation, ask for more information, get involved. The more voices are raised in protest, the greater the likelihood of change.
I grew up in the Judeo-Christian tradition where we painted our prophets on ceilings and sealed our saints in stained glass. They were superhuman, untouchable, and so we were freed from the burden of their challenge. But here on earth, people like these and countless other defenders are living, breathing human beings in our midst. Their determination, valor, and commitment in the face of overwhelming danger challenge each of us to take up the torch for a more decent society. Today we are blessed by the presence of these people. They are teachers, who show us not how to be saints, but how to be fully human.
Kerry Kennedy
For additional information, click here
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Human Rights Situation Still Poor: US
By Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
12 March 2010
Cambodia remains a country with a poor human rights record and endemic corruption, whose citizens can face extrajudicial killings or abuse in detention, the US State Department said in a report released Friday.
Land disputes, forced evictions and a lack of democratic freedoms remained problems, according to the 2009 Human Rights Report.
“Although civilian authorities nominally controlled the security forces, in many cases security forces acted under directives of the [Cambodian People’s Party] leadership,” the rights report says. “Security forces committed extrajudicial killings and acted with impunity. Detainees were abused, often to extract confessions, and prison conditions were harsh.”
Cambodia’s judiciary remains weak, with human rights workers reporting “arbitrary arrest and prolonged pretrial detention,” according to the report. “Land disputes and forced evictions were a problem. The government restricted freedom of speech and the press through defamation and disinformation lawsuits and at times interfered with freedom of assembly.”
Phay Siphan, a spokesman for the Council of Ministers, said the report, which runs 29 pages, was “not fully complete.”
Cambodia was still dealing with vestiges of its civil wars and as a result lacks some human rights protections, he said Friday.
Land disputes, forced evictions and a lack of democratic freedoms remained problems, according to the 2009 Human Rights Report.
“Although civilian authorities nominally controlled the security forces, in many cases security forces acted under directives of the [Cambodian People’s Party] leadership,” the rights report says. “Security forces committed extrajudicial killings and acted with impunity. Detainees were abused, often to extract confessions, and prison conditions were harsh.”
Cambodia’s judiciary remains weak, with human rights workers reporting “arbitrary arrest and prolonged pretrial detention,” according to the report. “Land disputes and forced evictions were a problem. The government restricted freedom of speech and the press through defamation and disinformation lawsuits and at times interfered with freedom of assembly.”
Phay Siphan, a spokesman for the Council of Ministers, said the report, which runs 29 pages, was “not fully complete.”
Cambodia was still dealing with vestiges of its civil wars and as a result lacks some human rights protections, he said Friday.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Rights Violations Worsened in 2009: Group
By Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
22 January 2010
Original report from Phnom Penh
22 January 2010
The human rights situation in Cambodia has deteriorated in the past year, Human Rights Watch said on Friday, citing numerous examples of apparent government failure to protect basic freedoms.
“Cambodia’s respect for basic rights dramatically deteriorated in 2009 as the government misused the judiciary to silence government critics, attacked human rights defenders, tightened restrictions on press freedom and abandoned its international obligations to protect refugees,” the group said in a statement, issued in the midst of a two-week visit by the UN’s special envoy for rights.
The statement coincided with the release of Human Rights Watch’s 2010 world report.
Cambodian People’s Party lawmaker Cheam Yiep said the statement was not a fair representation of Cambodia’s rights situation. Phay Siphan, a spokesman for the Council of Ministers called it baseless and lacking in integrity.
Human Rights Watch also cited ongoing evictions, land thefts and the arrests of community protesters and activists, along with silenced expression in the National Assembly and court trials against opposition members as evidence of the slide.
The group noted more than 60 community activists arrested or awaiting trial and at least 10 government critics, including four journalists and several opposition party members, who were sued for criminal defamation or disinformation.
The government was sharply criticized for allowing the deportation of 22 Muslim Uighurs back to China in December after they had reached Cambodia in search of refuge.
“Cambodia’s deportation of the Uighurs was a glaring example of the government’s failure to respect human rights,” Brad Adams, Asia director for Human Rights Watch, said. “The Cambodian government showed its profound disregard for minimum standards of due process, refugee protection and international cooperation.”
Meanwhile, Khmer Kampuchea Krom seeking refuge from Vietnam or simply migrating faced obstacles in Cambodia finding places to live or getting citizenship, “despite pronouncements by the Cambodian government that it considers Khmer Krom who move to Cambodia to be Cambodian citizens,” the report said.
The rights report came as Surya Prasad Subedi, the UN special rapporteur on human rights, is in Cambodia to evaluate the rights situation.
“Cambodia’s respect for basic rights dramatically deteriorated in 2009 as the government misused the judiciary to silence government critics, attacked human rights defenders, tightened restrictions on press freedom and abandoned its international obligations to protect refugees,” the group said in a statement, issued in the midst of a two-week visit by the UN’s special envoy for rights.
The statement coincided with the release of Human Rights Watch’s 2010 world report.
Cambodian People’s Party lawmaker Cheam Yiep said the statement was not a fair representation of Cambodia’s rights situation. Phay Siphan, a spokesman for the Council of Ministers called it baseless and lacking in integrity.
Human Rights Watch also cited ongoing evictions, land thefts and the arrests of community protesters and activists, along with silenced expression in the National Assembly and court trials against opposition members as evidence of the slide.
The group noted more than 60 community activists arrested or awaiting trial and at least 10 government critics, including four journalists and several opposition party members, who were sued for criminal defamation or disinformation.
The government was sharply criticized for allowing the deportation of 22 Muslim Uighurs back to China in December after they had reached Cambodia in search of refuge.
“Cambodia’s deportation of the Uighurs was a glaring example of the government’s failure to respect human rights,” Brad Adams, Asia director for Human Rights Watch, said. “The Cambodian government showed its profound disregard for minimum standards of due process, refugee protection and international cooperation.”
Meanwhile, Khmer Kampuchea Krom seeking refuge from Vietnam or simply migrating faced obstacles in Cambodia finding places to live or getting citizenship, “despite pronouncements by the Cambodian government that it considers Khmer Krom who move to Cambodia to be Cambodian citizens,” the report said.
The rights report came as Surya Prasad Subedi, the UN special rapporteur on human rights, is in Cambodia to evaluate the rights situation.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Sacrava's Political Cartoon: A Man with 2 Faces
Cartoon by Sacrava (on the web at http://sacrava.blogspot.com)Monday, January 04, 2010
Friday, September 11, 2009
Cambodian Parliamentarian and Vital Voices Global Leadership Award Honoree Mu Sochua Appears Before Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission
Thu Sep 10, 2009Cambodian Parliamentarian and Vital Voices Global Leadership Award Honoree Mu Sochua Appears Before Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission
U.S. House of Representatives, Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, 1 - 3 p.m.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 10 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Mu Sochua, Cambodian Parliamentarian, human rights advocate and Vital Voices Global Leadership Award Honoree appears before the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission as a witness in a hearing entitled, 'Human Rights and the Rule of Law in Cambodia.'
As international governments, news agencies, and UN rights experts including the Special Rapporteur on the independence of lawyers and judges have recently reported, there is concern about Cambodia regarding attempts to curtail the rights and freedoms of lawyers, journalists, and members of the political opposition.
A 2008 U.S. State Department Human Rights Report indicates that Cambodian government enforcement of certain laws has been selective, and The Washington Post reported on July 29 that "a heightened crackdown on journalists and opposition activists ... has provoked new concern that the government is engaging in widespread abuse of the nation's legal system to muzzle its detractors." In addition, the June 2009 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report released by the U.S. Department of State, ranks Cambodia as a Tier 2 Watch List nation, marking a regression from the previous year's ranking that indicates efforts to combat human trafficking have not been adequate or proven effective. Cambodia is a source, transit and destination country for victims of human trafficking for the purpose of forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation.
Parliamentarian and opposition party member Mu Sochua will present testimony on the condition of human rights and the rule of law in her native Cambodia from the perspective of a lawmaker and internationally recognized advocate for equal rights and democracy.
The hearing will take place in Room 2200 in the Rayburn House Office Building from 1-3 p.m. on September 10.
Mu Sochua
Mu Sochua returned to her native Cambodia in 1991 after 18 years in exile, and has worked tirelessly ever since as one of her country's leading advocates for human rights, working to stop human trafficking, domestic violence and worker exploitation. She joined the newly formed government, eventually becoming the Minister of Veterans and Women's Affairs -- and one of only two women serving in the Cabinet. While serving in the government, Mu negotiated two international agreements with neighboring countries to help curtail human trafficking in Southeast Asia and launched a campaign to bring NGOs, law enforcement officials and rural women into a national dialogue and education program to help protect women and girls victimized by trafficking and boost prevention efforts nationwide. In 2005, Mu Sochua was co-nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for her work against sex trafficking of women in Cambodia and neighboring Thailand.
Vital Voices honored Mu Sochua with the 2005 Human Rights Global Leadership Award for her efforts to stem the tide of human trafficking. To highlight her work, Mu Sochua, was profiled in Seven, a documentary play written by seven recognized women playwrights that tells the stories of 7 Vital Voices Global Leadership Network Members.
Vital Voices Global Partnership
Vital Voices Global Partnership is a leading NGO that identifies, trains, mentors and empowers emerging women leaders and social entrepreneurs around the globe, enabling them to create a better world. Vital Voices works with women defending human rights, expanding economic opportunities and strengthening government and civil society by equipping them with the capacity, connections, and credibility they need to unlock their leadership potential. Since 1997 the Vital Voices staff and team of over 1,000 partners and pro-bono experts and leaders, including senior government, corporate and NGO executives, have trained and mentored more than 7,000 emerging women leaders from 127 countries. Vital Voices has a four star Charity Navigator rating, awarded to charities that exceed industry standards and outperform other organizations in their field.
Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission
The mission of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission is to promote, defend and advocate internationally recognized human rights norms in a nonpartisan manner, both within and outside of Congress, as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other relevant human rights instruments. In particular, the Commission shall:
- Develop congressional strategies to promote, defend and advocate internationally recognized human rights norms reflecting the role and responsibilities of the United States Congress.
- Raise greater awareness of human rights issues among Members of Congress and their staff, as well as the public.
- Provide expert human rights advice to Members of Congress and their staff.
- Advocate on behalf of individuals or groups whose human rights are violated or are in danger of being violated.
- Collaborate closely with professional staff of relevant congressional committees on human rights matters.
- Collaborate closely with the President of the United States and the Executive Branch, as well as recognized national and international human rights entities, to promote human rights initiatives in the United States Congress.
- Encourage Members of Congress to actively engage in human rights matters.
Contact:
Cindy Dyer, Vital Voices Senior Director of Human Rights CindyDyer@vitalvoices.org
202.446.0503
SOURCE Vital Voices Global Partnership
Cindy Dyer, Vital Voices Senior Director of Human Rights, +1-202-446-0503,
CindyDyer@vitalvoices.org
Monday, July 02, 2007
Rights of Khmer Krom monks under Hun Sen's regime are curtailed just like under the oppressive Hanoi regime
MoI again rejects the request made by Khmer Krom monks
01 July 2007
By Sophorn
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy
01 July 2007
By Sophorn
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy
Officials from the Ministry of Interior (MoI) rejected the request made by about 1,000 Khmer Krom monks to hold a Dhammayietra Walk for Peace from Phnom Penh to Oudong Mountain on 07 July.
Khieu Sopheak, MoI spokesman, said that according to the recent declaration issued by the Buddhist patriarch, monks are not allowed to hold Dhammayietra to make any demands.
He added that even if it does not involve monks, the organizers of the Dhammayietra must request in advance the authorization from all the local authorities of all the regions this Dhammayietra will cross, and only after this condition fulfilled that the MoI will provide them with the authorization.
Khieu Sopheak said: “The MoI does not govern monks, and the Buddhist patriarch (Non Nget) does not authorize, he issued a proper declaration saying that Walks to demand rights are not allowed.”
Thach Setha, President of the Khmer Kampuchea Krom association, told RFA on 01 July that when he met with officials from the Phnom Penh municipality, it seems that there were no such severe restrictions, however, if the MoI does not authorize the Dhammayietra, (Khmer Krom) monks and Khmer Krom organizations will meet to decide what to do next.
Thach Setha said: “This situation is becoming very serious for Khmer Krom people, we don’t know what our position will be, and our hope is not certain. We will meet to decide whether all the organizations and associations, in particular, the (Khmer Krom) monks, are all determined, then we need to take action according to the decision made by our assembly.”
Suon Rindy, deputy cabinet chief of the Phnom Penh municipality, said that regarding the request made by Khmer Krom monks and associations to hold a Dhammayietra, the municipality is awaiting for the authorization from the MoI only.
Monk Yoeung Sin, President of the Khmer Kampuchea Krom Monks Association, said that if the authority does not allow monks to protest or hold a Dhammayietra, why do they still continue to defrock (Khmer Krom) monks?
Khmer Kampuchea Krom Associations, and the Federation of Khmer Kampuchea Krom Buddhist Student Monks, plan to organize a Dhammayietra from Phnom Penh to Oudong with the participation of about 1,000 monks and laymen, last 10 June. The aim of the Dhammayietra is to pray for peace for Khmer people and monks currently living in the former lands of Kampuchea Krom (current South Vietnam). However, the authority did not authorize that Dhammayietra, the event was then reported to 07 July (and it is now met by another refusal from the authority again).
Khieu Sopheak, MoI spokesman, said that according to the recent declaration issued by the Buddhist patriarch, monks are not allowed to hold Dhammayietra to make any demands.
He added that even if it does not involve monks, the organizers of the Dhammayietra must request in advance the authorization from all the local authorities of all the regions this Dhammayietra will cross, and only after this condition fulfilled that the MoI will provide them with the authorization.
Khieu Sopheak said: “The MoI does not govern monks, and the Buddhist patriarch (Non Nget) does not authorize, he issued a proper declaration saying that Walks to demand rights are not allowed.”
Thach Setha, President of the Khmer Kampuchea Krom association, told RFA on 01 July that when he met with officials from the Phnom Penh municipality, it seems that there were no such severe restrictions, however, if the MoI does not authorize the Dhammayietra, (Khmer Krom) monks and Khmer Krom organizations will meet to decide what to do next.
Thach Setha said: “This situation is becoming very serious for Khmer Krom people, we don’t know what our position will be, and our hope is not certain. We will meet to decide whether all the organizations and associations, in particular, the (Khmer Krom) monks, are all determined, then we need to take action according to the decision made by our assembly.”
Suon Rindy, deputy cabinet chief of the Phnom Penh municipality, said that regarding the request made by Khmer Krom monks and associations to hold a Dhammayietra, the municipality is awaiting for the authorization from the MoI only.
Monk Yoeung Sin, President of the Khmer Kampuchea Krom Monks Association, said that if the authority does not allow monks to protest or hold a Dhammayietra, why do they still continue to defrock (Khmer Krom) monks?
Khmer Kampuchea Krom Associations, and the Federation of Khmer Kampuchea Krom Buddhist Student Monks, plan to organize a Dhammayietra from Phnom Penh to Oudong with the participation of about 1,000 monks and laymen, last 10 June. The aim of the Dhammayietra is to pray for peace for Khmer people and monks currently living in the former lands of Kampuchea Krom (current South Vietnam). However, the authority did not authorize that Dhammayietra, the event was then reported to 07 July (and it is now met by another refusal from the authority again).
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
US takes Cambodia police chief to task over rights, corruption
Tuesday April 24, 2007
AFP
Hok Lundy, Cambodia's national police chief, met here Tuesday with the State Department's top Asia official, Assistant Secretary of State Chris Hill, top anti-narcotics diplomat Anne Patterson and an official from the bureau in charge of human rights, democracy and labor, the department said.
The trio "urged Lundy and the Cambodian police to strengthen significantly their efforts to combat trafficking in persons, which remains a serious problem in Cambodia," it said in a statement.
"They also urged that Cambodia make much greater efforts to prosecute and convict public officials, including police officers, who are involved in trafficking, and that Commissioner General Lundy make the police more responsive to trafficking issues," it said.
The State Department refused a visa to Hok Lundy in 2006 due to allegations he was involved in trafficking in prostitutes.
But it granted him permission to visit Washington this week for counter-terrorism talks with officials of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which has praised the Cambodian officer in the past for his help in the government's so-called "war on terrorism".
The decision to grant the visa drew angry protests from human rights activists who accuse Hok Lundy of involvement in multiple crimes, including a 1997 grenade attack against anti-government demonstrators that killed at least 19 people and wounded more than 120 others, including a US national.
The FBI classified the attack as an act of terrorism.
Hok Lundy has also been accused of involvement in other politically motivated killings and drug trafficking.
While acknowledging the seriousness of the charges against Hok Lundy, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack last week said there were "compelling reasons" to grant him a visa for this week's meetings at the FBI. He did not elaborate.
In its statement Tuesday, the department said there had been improved bilateral cooperation with Cambodia in counter-terrorism and counternarcotics efforts.
But it said the US officials pressed Hok Lundy to improve on Cambodia's "poor human rights record" and problems of corruption which were highlighted in the State Department's 2006 Human Rights Report.
Before leaving Cambodia, Hok Lundy said the allegations against him were cooked up by his political opponents.
"The report is not true ... they want to attack me because I am in the government," he told local media, adding that the FBI's invitation was a sign of the US government's confidence in his work.
"The US government thinks that I am a good law enforcement leader," he said.
AFP
"The US government thinks that I am a good law enforcement leader" - National Police Chief Hok LundySenior US officials confronted Cambodia's visiting police chief Tuesday over allegations of rights abuses and corruption by his forces after human rights groups protested the US decision to allow him into the country, the State Department said.
Hok Lundy, Cambodia's national police chief, met here Tuesday with the State Department's top Asia official, Assistant Secretary of State Chris Hill, top anti-narcotics diplomat Anne Patterson and an official from the bureau in charge of human rights, democracy and labor, the department said.
The trio "urged Lundy and the Cambodian police to strengthen significantly their efforts to combat trafficking in persons, which remains a serious problem in Cambodia," it said in a statement.
"They also urged that Cambodia make much greater efforts to prosecute and convict public officials, including police officers, who are involved in trafficking, and that Commissioner General Lundy make the police more responsive to trafficking issues," it said.
The State Department refused a visa to Hok Lundy in 2006 due to allegations he was involved in trafficking in prostitutes.
But it granted him permission to visit Washington this week for counter-terrorism talks with officials of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which has praised the Cambodian officer in the past for his help in the government's so-called "war on terrorism".
The decision to grant the visa drew angry protests from human rights activists who accuse Hok Lundy of involvement in multiple crimes, including a 1997 grenade attack against anti-government demonstrators that killed at least 19 people and wounded more than 120 others, including a US national.
The FBI classified the attack as an act of terrorism.
Hok Lundy has also been accused of involvement in other politically motivated killings and drug trafficking.
While acknowledging the seriousness of the charges against Hok Lundy, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack last week said there were "compelling reasons" to grant him a visa for this week's meetings at the FBI. He did not elaborate.
In its statement Tuesday, the department said there had been improved bilateral cooperation with Cambodia in counter-terrorism and counternarcotics efforts.
But it said the US officials pressed Hok Lundy to improve on Cambodia's "poor human rights record" and problems of corruption which were highlighted in the State Department's 2006 Human Rights Report.
Before leaving Cambodia, Hok Lundy said the allegations against him were cooked up by his political opponents.
"The report is not true ... they want to attack me because I am in the government," he told local media, adding that the FBI's invitation was a sign of the US government's confidence in his work.
"The US government thinks that I am a good law enforcement leader," he said.
Monday, March 19, 2007
Beat to death government dogs!
BEIJING, Mar. 17, 2007
Activists Challenge Status Quo In China
AP
Activists Challenge Status Quo In China
AP
Grass-Roots Activism Gathers Speed In China As People Fight For Their Rights
It started with a small protest over a twofold increase in bus fares in a central Chinese village and escalated into a bloody clash between 20,000 farmers and police armed with batons. The melee in Zhushan this week reportedly left one dead, dozens wounded and a police-enforced lock-down on the village nestled in the hills of Hunan province. All of which would likely have gone unreported under the Communist Party's tight grip on information.
Except Zhang Zilin was there.
The 22-year-old art teacher-turned-civil rights activist got a phone call from an irate villager. He took a public bus from his home in the provincial capital for the two-hour ride, and once in the village, tirelessly worked the phones, bringing reporters and other activists up to speed on the details.
"Our role in the Zhushan case and other cases is to report the truth and reveal it to the public," Zhang said Thursday, after being warned by police against talking to the media.
Zhang is part of a burgeoning breed of activists. Eager for social justice and linked by the Internet, they are challenging the party's once tight grip on political life and showing how its information monopoly has been shaken by a rapidly changing society.
"This is just unstoppable," said Nicholas Bequelin, a researcher for Human Rights Watch based in Hong Kong. "These people are the embodiment of a nascent civil society. ... They represent Chinese citizens' aspirations for better rights protection. This is why we are seeing them cropping up across China."
Chinese leaders have in part contributed to this wave, invoking the need for social fairness in a society once egalitarian but now fractured by a yawning rich-poor divide.
"We need to make justice the most important value of the socialist system," Premier Wen Jiabao told reporters on Friday, shortly after China's national legislature approved beefed-up government programs for spending on education, health care and social security programs.
The grassroots movement _ known as rights defense or "wei quan" in Chinese _ took root in 2003, after police beat to death a young college graduate who was not carrying his residency papers. The government bowed to public outrage and curbed police powers for arbitrary detention, an unusual restraint on official authority and a move that energized socially conscious lawyers and scholars.
"We are now in the period of a social transition from an autocratic system to a democratic system," said Ai Xiaoming, a literature professor at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, a city in the southern province of Guangdong, who has at times advised activists. "Some local government officials don't know how to make the adjustment."
"Some have suppressed the people's protests in a forcible manner and even restricted the coverage of the media," she said. "Therefore, in some areas, we are seeing antagonism between the local people and the local governments."
Instances of ordinary citizens being galvanized into action are on the rise _ with the aid of activists. In two heated disputes in two separate villages in Guangdong province _ one over land compensations in Dongzhou, another to oust corrupt officials in Taishi _ civil rights campaigners and lawyers advised villagers of their legal options.
In Zhushan, Zhang was an outspoken witness, describing indiscriminate beatings by officers carrying batons and steel rods and the anger of the mob as they burned police cars and chanted "Beat to death government dogs!"
A day later, Zhang says he was taken to dinner by provincial security agents and government officials, who warned him against talking to reporters.
Zhang remains unfazed, in part because he's not alone. He's part of the China Pan-Blue Alliance, a Web-based rights organization which started in 2005 and claims 2,000 registered members including college students, laid-off workers, teachers, journalists and lawyers.Scattered across the country, its members recruit new volunteers for its cause of "promoting China's democratic process and pushing forward human rights," Zhang said. To that end, members donate money, pay for lawyers' fees and post reports of official abuses on the site.
Unlike activists in the 1980s who demanded political reform from the central government, "wei quan" focuses on issues the government often acknowledges are problems: AIDS prevention, urban redevelopment, rigged elections and environmental protection.
"This is completely different," said Li Jian, a civil rights campaigner who advised the villagers in the Dongzhou land dispute. He set up a Web site for people to exchange information and ideas on how to protect their own rights.
"Political activists only focus on their own political interests," said Li, who began his activism four years ago after his toy business was shut down for urban redevelopment. "We don't do our job for any purpose other than to help people protect themselves."
Bequelin, of Human Rights Watch, said the government has raised expectations of better protection of rights, including passing a law on Friday that offers some protection for private and public property.
But at the same time it is clamping down on lawyers, courts and the media - "all channels for the people to seek restitution and justice," he said.
"The avenues for seeking redress are being closed down so you have a disconnect between greater expectation ... and reality," Bequelin said. "This explains the deep friction in Chinese society."
That growing frustration, if left without an outlet, results in the bursts of anger that typically turn minor events, like Zhushan's fight over bus fares, into riots.
"And suddenly," Bequelin said, "boom, it explodes."
It started with a small protest over a twofold increase in bus fares in a central Chinese village and escalated into a bloody clash between 20,000 farmers and police armed with batons. The melee in Zhushan this week reportedly left one dead, dozens wounded and a police-enforced lock-down on the village nestled in the hills of Hunan province. All of which would likely have gone unreported under the Communist Party's tight grip on information.
Except Zhang Zilin was there.
The 22-year-old art teacher-turned-civil rights activist got a phone call from an irate villager. He took a public bus from his home in the provincial capital for the two-hour ride, and once in the village, tirelessly worked the phones, bringing reporters and other activists up to speed on the details.
"Our role in the Zhushan case and other cases is to report the truth and reveal it to the public," Zhang said Thursday, after being warned by police against talking to the media.
Zhang is part of a burgeoning breed of activists. Eager for social justice and linked by the Internet, they are challenging the party's once tight grip on political life and showing how its information monopoly has been shaken by a rapidly changing society.
"This is just unstoppable," said Nicholas Bequelin, a researcher for Human Rights Watch based in Hong Kong. "These people are the embodiment of a nascent civil society. ... They represent Chinese citizens' aspirations for better rights protection. This is why we are seeing them cropping up across China."
Chinese leaders have in part contributed to this wave, invoking the need for social fairness in a society once egalitarian but now fractured by a yawning rich-poor divide.
"We need to make justice the most important value of the socialist system," Premier Wen Jiabao told reporters on Friday, shortly after China's national legislature approved beefed-up government programs for spending on education, health care and social security programs.
The grassroots movement _ known as rights defense or "wei quan" in Chinese _ took root in 2003, after police beat to death a young college graduate who was not carrying his residency papers. The government bowed to public outrage and curbed police powers for arbitrary detention, an unusual restraint on official authority and a move that energized socially conscious lawyers and scholars.
"We are now in the period of a social transition from an autocratic system to a democratic system," said Ai Xiaoming, a literature professor at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, a city in the southern province of Guangdong, who has at times advised activists. "Some local government officials don't know how to make the adjustment."
"Some have suppressed the people's protests in a forcible manner and even restricted the coverage of the media," she said. "Therefore, in some areas, we are seeing antagonism between the local people and the local governments."
Instances of ordinary citizens being galvanized into action are on the rise _ with the aid of activists. In two heated disputes in two separate villages in Guangdong province _ one over land compensations in Dongzhou, another to oust corrupt officials in Taishi _ civil rights campaigners and lawyers advised villagers of their legal options.
In Zhushan, Zhang was an outspoken witness, describing indiscriminate beatings by officers carrying batons and steel rods and the anger of the mob as they burned police cars and chanted "Beat to death government dogs!"
A day later, Zhang says he was taken to dinner by provincial security agents and government officials, who warned him against talking to reporters.
Zhang remains unfazed, in part because he's not alone. He's part of the China Pan-Blue Alliance, a Web-based rights organization which started in 2005 and claims 2,000 registered members including college students, laid-off workers, teachers, journalists and lawyers.Scattered across the country, its members recruit new volunteers for its cause of "promoting China's democratic process and pushing forward human rights," Zhang said. To that end, members donate money, pay for lawyers' fees and post reports of official abuses on the site.
Unlike activists in the 1980s who demanded political reform from the central government, "wei quan" focuses on issues the government often acknowledges are problems: AIDS prevention, urban redevelopment, rigged elections and environmental protection.
"This is completely different," said Li Jian, a civil rights campaigner who advised the villagers in the Dongzhou land dispute. He set up a Web site for people to exchange information and ideas on how to protect their own rights.
"Political activists only focus on their own political interests," said Li, who began his activism four years ago after his toy business was shut down for urban redevelopment. "We don't do our job for any purpose other than to help people protect themselves."
Bequelin, of Human Rights Watch, said the government has raised expectations of better protection of rights, including passing a law on Friday that offers some protection for private and public property.
But at the same time it is clamping down on lawyers, courts and the media - "all channels for the people to seek restitution and justice," he said.
"The avenues for seeking redress are being closed down so you have a disconnect between greater expectation ... and reality," Bequelin said. "This explains the deep friction in Chinese society."
That growing frustration, if left without an outlet, results in the bursts of anger that typically turn minor events, like Zhushan's fight over bus fares, into riots.
"And suddenly," Bequelin said, "boom, it explodes."
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Cambodian authority, like its communist VN counterpart, prevents Khmer Krom monks from praying for dead monk
Khmer Krom Monks praying in the middle of a rice field under the scorching sun. (Photo: Huntington News Network)Authority prevents Khmer Krom monks from praying
16 March 2007
By Sav Yuth
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Socheata
A mixed police force spread on the road leading to the Tronum Chroeung pagoda located in Boeng Thom commune, Ang Snuol district, Kandal province, since early Friday morning to prevent a group of about 60 Khmer Krom monks, human rights activists, and reporters from approaching the grave of a Khmer Krom monk who died under mysterious circumstance recently.
At least two Khmer Krom monks collapsed when the police was trying to prevent them to pray near the grave. The monks did not budge and they sat down and prayed in a empty rice field under the scorching sun of the dry season.
Monk Yoeung Sin, President of the Khmer Kampuchea Krom monks, said that he and several Khmer Krom monks came to this location for only one reason: to pray for the deceased monk, however, the police prevented them from approaching the grave. The police officers claimed they received their order from their superiors.
Monk Yoeung Sin said: “The cops are standing there, they said that they have gathered people to prevent us from approaching [the grave] to pray. I don’t know what to do now because … they are preventing us from going nearby, it’s a shame.”
Yesterday, Mean Samnang, the deputy police chief of Ang Snuol district, did not explain why the police took this action. He only said that he does not know about the situation because he is busy attending a meeting in Takhmao. “I am in Takhmao right now, I am in a meeting,” he said.
Human rights activists attempted to approach the area also but they were prevented by the police which did not allow anyone the entrance to the Tronum Chroeung pagoda where the grave of the deceased Khmer Krom monk is located.
Dr Pung Chiv Kek, President of the Licadho human rights group, said that she attempted to enter the Tronum Chroeung pagoda in order to help mediate the disagreement between the Khmer Krom monks and the police force, but she was prevented by the police to enter the pagoda.
Dr Pung Chiv Kek said: “I arrived there, they stopped me right in front of the pagoda, they did not let me in. Licadho had sent our observers in the early morning, some of whom were already inside the pagoda. This situation is not right because several monks, about 50 to 60 of them, first they asked to remove the body out the grave for a cremation according to the custom, but they were not successful. Then, secondly, the monks said, if it is too difficult, they are only asking to pray there, and even that they were prevented to do so because the police is afraid of violence because of the presence of a group of people who do not allow the removal of the dead monk body. So much prevention, I just don’t understand. I saw people who committed very serious crimes, like Saddam Hussein, but when he was sentenced to be hanged, his body was returned back to his family.”
NGO human rights groups said that the confrontation between the villagers who are supporting the abbot of the Tronum Chroeung pagoda who prevented the Khmer Krom monks from entering the grave site, was quite worrisome.
Chan Saveth, an Adhoc human rights observer, said: “The mixed police forced did not allow human rights activists and reporters to follow or observe the situation. Furthermore, a large number of villagers in the Tronum Chroeung pagoda – about 300 of them – were standing ready to use violence against the Khmer Krom monks to prevent them to pray at the grave site. The representative of the Khmer Krom monks attempted to negotiate with the abbot of the Tronum Chroeung pagoda, but the abbot refused to come out to discuss and he also refused any demand. It seems like all these villagers are angry with the group of Khmer Krom monks. According to some of the villagers, they said that they are unhappy with the fact that radio and newspapers reported that the [deceased Khmer Krom] monk was killed in the Tronum Chroeung pagoda. This news report greatly affects their pagoda, the place of their worship.”
In a letter sent to the Khmer Krom monks on 15 March, Oum Nhean, the abbot of the Tronum Chroeung pagoda, absolutely refused the removal of the body of deceased Khmer Krom monk, Eang Sokthoeun, and giving him a proper religious final rite.
The Cambodian Human Rights Action Committee (CHRAC) which regroups 23 organizations, issued a statement today saying that the prevention by the authority is a serious violation on the freedom of cultural and religious gathering rights which are guaranteed by the constitution of the kingdom of Cambodia.
At least two Khmer Krom monks collapsed when the police was trying to prevent them to pray near the grave. The monks did not budge and they sat down and prayed in a empty rice field under the scorching sun of the dry season.
Monk Yoeung Sin, President of the Khmer Kampuchea Krom monks, said that he and several Khmer Krom monks came to this location for only one reason: to pray for the deceased monk, however, the police prevented them from approaching the grave. The police officers claimed they received their order from their superiors.
Monk Yoeung Sin said: “The cops are standing there, they said that they have gathered people to prevent us from approaching [the grave] to pray. I don’t know what to do now because … they are preventing us from going nearby, it’s a shame.”
Yesterday, Mean Samnang, the deputy police chief of Ang Snuol district, did not explain why the police took this action. He only said that he does not know about the situation because he is busy attending a meeting in Takhmao. “I am in Takhmao right now, I am in a meeting,” he said.
Human rights activists attempted to approach the area also but they were prevented by the police which did not allow anyone the entrance to the Tronum Chroeung pagoda where the grave of the deceased Khmer Krom monk is located.
Dr Pung Chiv Kek, President of the Licadho human rights group, said that she attempted to enter the Tronum Chroeung pagoda in order to help mediate the disagreement between the Khmer Krom monks and the police force, but she was prevented by the police to enter the pagoda.
Dr Pung Chiv Kek said: “I arrived there, they stopped me right in front of the pagoda, they did not let me in. Licadho had sent our observers in the early morning, some of whom were already inside the pagoda. This situation is not right because several monks, about 50 to 60 of them, first they asked to remove the body out the grave for a cremation according to the custom, but they were not successful. Then, secondly, the monks said, if it is too difficult, they are only asking to pray there, and even that they were prevented to do so because the police is afraid of violence because of the presence of a group of people who do not allow the removal of the dead monk body. So much prevention, I just don’t understand. I saw people who committed very serious crimes, like Saddam Hussein, but when he was sentenced to be hanged, his body was returned back to his family.”
NGO human rights groups said that the confrontation between the villagers who are supporting the abbot of the Tronum Chroeung pagoda who prevented the Khmer Krom monks from entering the grave site, was quite worrisome.
Chan Saveth, an Adhoc human rights observer, said: “The mixed police forced did not allow human rights activists and reporters to follow or observe the situation. Furthermore, a large number of villagers in the Tronum Chroeung pagoda – about 300 of them – were standing ready to use violence against the Khmer Krom monks to prevent them to pray at the grave site. The representative of the Khmer Krom monks attempted to negotiate with the abbot of the Tronum Chroeung pagoda, but the abbot refused to come out to discuss and he also refused any demand. It seems like all these villagers are angry with the group of Khmer Krom monks. According to some of the villagers, they said that they are unhappy with the fact that radio and newspapers reported that the [deceased Khmer Krom] monk was killed in the Tronum Chroeung pagoda. This news report greatly affects their pagoda, the place of their worship.”
In a letter sent to the Khmer Krom monks on 15 March, Oum Nhean, the abbot of the Tronum Chroeung pagoda, absolutely refused the removal of the body of deceased Khmer Krom monk, Eang Sokthoeun, and giving him a proper religious final rite.
The Cambodian Human Rights Action Committee (CHRAC) which regroups 23 organizations, issued a statement today saying that the prevention by the authority is a serious violation on the freedom of cultural and religious gathering rights which are guaranteed by the constitution of the kingdom of Cambodia.
Friday, March 16, 2007
Condi raises human rights with VN foreign minister
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (R) greets Pham Gia Khiem, Vietnam's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, at the State Department in Washington March 15, 2007. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters) Rice Raises Human Rights With Vietnamese Foreign Minister
By David Gollust
Voice of America
Washington
15 March 2007
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice discussed human rights and other issues in a meeting Thursday with Vietnamese Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem. The Vietnamese government is accused of a new crackdown on political dissent. VOA's David Gollust reports from the State Department.
The meeting here reflected a continued political rapproachment between the two former adversaries in the Indochina war.
But it came against a background of growing concern about alleged backsliding by the Vietnam's communist government on human rights.
The monitoring group Human Rights Watch said last week despite growing global recognition -- reflected in Vietnam's new membership in the World Trade Organization, and recent hosting of the APEC Pacific-rim summit -- the Hanoi government has embarked on one of its worst political crackdowns in 20 years.
It said among those arrested in recent weeks include two outspoken human rights lawyers and a dissident Roman Catholic priest.
At a photo opportunity with her Vietnamese counterpart, Secretary of State Rice declined to respond to reporters' questions about the issue.
However at a briefing just before the start of the meeting, State Department Spokesman Sean McCormack said human rights was at the top of Rice's agenda. "The Vietnamese have made some advances in that regard. They've made some advances with respect to religious freedoms in Vietnam. There have been, however, some detentions that have been of real concern to the United States and we have raised those issues with Vietnamese officials. Secretary Rice has done that in the past and I would expect that certainly a general discussion about human rights, if not a specific one about these cases, will take place during the meeting," he said.
U.S. officials said the talks also covered Southeast Asian regional issues, trade, and plans for a Washington visit by Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet, who would be the country's first post-war head of state to come to the United States.
An agreement in principle for the trip was reached during President Bush's Hanoi visit for the APEC summit last November, but officials here said late Thursday they had no date to announce.
The United States and its former communist enemy normalized diplomatic relations in 1995 and President Bush extended normal trade relations to Hanoi at the end of last year.
Bilateral trade between the two countries now exceeds $12 billion a year. But Wednesday a leading congressional human rights advocate - New Jersey Republican Chris Smith - said Vietnam's recent behavior shows that trade and respect for human rights do not always go hand-in-hand. "I hope we finally get it, and I hope the administration gets it, and the congressmen on the Democrat and Republican side who have this naive belief that if you just trade, somehow that trading will matriculate (develop) into respect for human rights. It hasn't happened in China. It has not happened in Vietnam," he said.
Last November, the State Department removed Vietnam from a list of countries where serious violations of religious freedom are said to occur.
But in its annual report on human rights conditions world-wide, issued earlier this month, it said Vietnam's rights record remained unsatisfactory - noting that opposition movements are officially prohibited amid tightening controls over the press and internet.
Foreign Minister Khiem, who traveled to Washington with top officials of the Vietnamese ministries of transport, science, telecommunications and education, is also meeting U.S. legislators and businessmen during his visit.
During his State Department visit Thursday, officials of the two countries signed a maritime cooperation agreement.
The meeting here reflected a continued political rapproachment between the two former adversaries in the Indochina war.
But it came against a background of growing concern about alleged backsliding by the Vietnam's communist government on human rights.
The monitoring group Human Rights Watch said last week despite growing global recognition -- reflected in Vietnam's new membership in the World Trade Organization, and recent hosting of the APEC Pacific-rim summit -- the Hanoi government has embarked on one of its worst political crackdowns in 20 years.
It said among those arrested in recent weeks include two outspoken human rights lawyers and a dissident Roman Catholic priest.
At a photo opportunity with her Vietnamese counterpart, Secretary of State Rice declined to respond to reporters' questions about the issue.
However at a briefing just before the start of the meeting, State Department Spokesman Sean McCormack said human rights was at the top of Rice's agenda. "The Vietnamese have made some advances in that regard. They've made some advances with respect to religious freedoms in Vietnam. There have been, however, some detentions that have been of real concern to the United States and we have raised those issues with Vietnamese officials. Secretary Rice has done that in the past and I would expect that certainly a general discussion about human rights, if not a specific one about these cases, will take place during the meeting," he said.
U.S. officials said the talks also covered Southeast Asian regional issues, trade, and plans for a Washington visit by Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet, who would be the country's first post-war head of state to come to the United States.
An agreement in principle for the trip was reached during President Bush's Hanoi visit for the APEC summit last November, but officials here said late Thursday they had no date to announce.
The United States and its former communist enemy normalized diplomatic relations in 1995 and President Bush extended normal trade relations to Hanoi at the end of last year.
Bilateral trade between the two countries now exceeds $12 billion a year. But Wednesday a leading congressional human rights advocate - New Jersey Republican Chris Smith - said Vietnam's recent behavior shows that trade and respect for human rights do not always go hand-in-hand. "I hope we finally get it, and I hope the administration gets it, and the congressmen on the Democrat and Republican side who have this naive belief that if you just trade, somehow that trading will matriculate (develop) into respect for human rights. It hasn't happened in China. It has not happened in Vietnam," he said.
Last November, the State Department removed Vietnam from a list of countries where serious violations of religious freedom are said to occur.
But in its annual report on human rights conditions world-wide, issued earlier this month, it said Vietnam's rights record remained unsatisfactory - noting that opposition movements are officially prohibited amid tightening controls over the press and internet.
Foreign Minister Khiem, who traveled to Washington with top officials of the Vietnamese ministries of transport, science, telecommunications and education, is also meeting U.S. legislators and businessmen during his visit.
During his State Department visit Thursday, officials of the two countries signed a maritime cooperation agreement.
Human rights: killings in Cambodia
Human rights: killings in Guatemala and Cambodia, abuses in Nigeria
Human rights - 15-03-2007
EU Parliament
Human rights - 15-03-2007
EU Parliament
Parliament adopted its customary three human rights resolutions at the end of the plenary session on Thursday. The first is a response to the assassinations in Guatemala of three Members of the Central American Parliament. The second looks at the murder of trade unionists in Cambodia. In the third, the Nigerian government is pressed to deal with a range of issues ahead of the elections next month.
Murder of trade unionists in Cambodia condemned
The background to the resolution on Cambodia - which was adopted by 59 votes to 0 with 0 abstentions - is the murder of several trade unionists in recent years, the unreliable conviction of two people for one of the murders and the general lack of respect for the rule of law and basic rights in the country.
Trade unionists not safe
The murders of Hy Vuthy, Chea Vichea and Ros Sovannarith are the most prominent cases cited by the resolution, although other trade unionists in Cambodia "have been victims of serious harassment, intimidation and physical attacks in the past year".
Two individuals, Born Sammang and Sok Sam Oeun, were arrested for the murder of Chea Vichea and sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment "despite the lack of any credible evidence against them", says the resolution.
The EP is "seriously concerned that these cases demonstrate that there is still no guarantee of the independence and impartiality of the judiciary".
Khmer Rouge trials
Nor is there any guarantee of the judiciary's ability to conduct the trials of the Khmer Rouge leaders in the specially created court (the ECCC) without political interference, say MEPs. This court has not started work, because of disagreements between Cambodian and international judicial officers on the court's draft internal rules.
Cambodian authorities must tackle judicial and other problems
Parliament's resolution therefore "condemns the killing of Hy Vuthy and all other acts of violence against trade unionists; urges the Cambodian authorities to launch an urgent, impartial and effective investigation into the murders of Hu Vuthy, Chea Vichea, Ros Sovannarith and Yim Ry" and "calls on the authorities to give Born Sammang and Sok Sam Oeum a prompt retrial which complies with international standards".
It also "insists that the Cambodian Government must put an end to the prevailing climate of impunity and effectively apply the law to violators of human rights and civil liberties".
More broadly, the authorities are urged "to engage in political and institutional reforms with a view to building a democratic State" and "to ensure in all circumstances respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, in accordance with international human rights standards and international conventions ratified by Cambodia".
The Cambodian Government must also "allow the Khmer Rouge Tribunal to start operating without further delay, in accordance with international standards of judicial independence, fair trial and due legal process, as agreed with the UN in June 2003".
Human rights and democracy: a cornerstone of Cambodia's agreement with EU
Lastly, MEPs remind the Cambodian Government that "it must meet its obligations and commitments with regard to the democratic principles and fundamental human rights" under its Cooperation Agreement with the EU. The Council and the Commission of the EU are asked "to address the concerns over human rights and the rule of law in Cambodia in their contacts with the Cambodian Government".
Murder of trade unionists in Cambodia condemned
The background to the resolution on Cambodia - which was adopted by 59 votes to 0 with 0 abstentions - is the murder of several trade unionists in recent years, the unreliable conviction of two people for one of the murders and the general lack of respect for the rule of law and basic rights in the country.
Trade unionists not safe
The murders of Hy Vuthy, Chea Vichea and Ros Sovannarith are the most prominent cases cited by the resolution, although other trade unionists in Cambodia "have been victims of serious harassment, intimidation and physical attacks in the past year".
Two individuals, Born Sammang and Sok Sam Oeun, were arrested for the murder of Chea Vichea and sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment "despite the lack of any credible evidence against them", says the resolution.
The EP is "seriously concerned that these cases demonstrate that there is still no guarantee of the independence and impartiality of the judiciary".
Khmer Rouge trials
Nor is there any guarantee of the judiciary's ability to conduct the trials of the Khmer Rouge leaders in the specially created court (the ECCC) without political interference, say MEPs. This court has not started work, because of disagreements between Cambodian and international judicial officers on the court's draft internal rules.
Cambodian authorities must tackle judicial and other problems
Parliament's resolution therefore "condemns the killing of Hy Vuthy and all other acts of violence against trade unionists; urges the Cambodian authorities to launch an urgent, impartial and effective investigation into the murders of Hu Vuthy, Chea Vichea, Ros Sovannarith and Yim Ry" and "calls on the authorities to give Born Sammang and Sok Sam Oeum a prompt retrial which complies with international standards".
It also "insists that the Cambodian Government must put an end to the prevailing climate of impunity and effectively apply the law to violators of human rights and civil liberties".
More broadly, the authorities are urged "to engage in political and institutional reforms with a view to building a democratic State" and "to ensure in all circumstances respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, in accordance with international human rights standards and international conventions ratified by Cambodia".
The Cambodian Government must also "allow the Khmer Rouge Tribunal to start operating without further delay, in accordance with international standards of judicial independence, fair trial and due legal process, as agreed with the UN in June 2003".
Human rights and democracy: a cornerstone of Cambodia's agreement with EU
Lastly, MEPs remind the Cambodian Government that "it must meet its obligations and commitments with regard to the democratic principles and fundamental human rights" under its Cooperation Agreement with the EU. The Council and the Commission of the EU are asked "to address the concerns over human rights and the rule of law in Cambodia in their contacts with the Cambodian Government".
Thursday, March 08, 2007
Government Declines Comment on Rights Report [by the US State Department]
Om Yentieng, senior adviser to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun SenHeng Reaksmey
VOA Khmer
Washington
07/03/2007
Cambodian government officials declined to comment Wednesday on the US State Department's annual human rights report—in which Cambodia's human rights record "remained poor"—claiming they had not seen a copy yet.
"I cannot make any comment," Om Yentieng, an adviser to Prime Minister Hun Sen and the head of the government's human rights committee, told VOA.
"You get it much faster" than the government, which had not received a copy, he said.
The US embassy "never pays attention to the government" when it comes to issuing reports, Om Yentieng said.
The report, issued Tuesday, puts Cambodia in the same category as North Korea, China, Cuba and Afghanistan, pointing to extrajudicial killings by government agents and a lack of political will to enforce the rule of law.
Activists welcomed the report, saying human rights in the country still have a long way to go.
"This is due to a political problem," Kem Sokha, director of the Cambodia Center for Human Rights, told VOA. "The democratic system is still weak; the National Assembly is still weak."
In other countries, "if the executive branch commits an offense, the National Assembly asks the person to explain and he or she will be dismissed," he said. But in Cambodia, "the Assembly has no right to dismiss the person when he or she commits an offense."
Chan Soveth an investigator for the rights group Ad Hoc, said the US report was accurate and showed that in Cambodia human rights abuse is still an important issue.
"I cannot make any comment," Om Yentieng, an adviser to Prime Minister Hun Sen and the head of the government's human rights committee, told VOA.
"You get it much faster" than the government, which had not received a copy, he said.
The US embassy "never pays attention to the government" when it comes to issuing reports, Om Yentieng said.
The report, issued Tuesday, puts Cambodia in the same category as North Korea, China, Cuba and Afghanistan, pointing to extrajudicial killings by government agents and a lack of political will to enforce the rule of law.
Activists welcomed the report, saying human rights in the country still have a long way to go.
"This is due to a political problem," Kem Sokha, director of the Cambodia Center for Human Rights, told VOA. "The democratic system is still weak; the National Assembly is still weak."
In other countries, "if the executive branch commits an offense, the National Assembly asks the person to explain and he or she will be dismissed," he said. But in Cambodia, "the Assembly has no right to dismiss the person when he or she commits an offense."
Chan Soveth an investigator for the rights group Ad Hoc, said the US report was accurate and showed that in Cambodia human rights abuse is still an important issue.
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
According to the US, Cambodia is no better than North Korea or Cuba
Assistant Secretary of State Barry Lowenkron, holds the disc, containing the 2006 country reports on human rights practices, during its release at the State Department in WashingtonUS: Cambodia Rights Record Remains Poor
Khemara Sok
VOA Khmer
Washington
06/03/2007
Cambodia's human rights record is still poor, and its government shows no political will to change that, according to an annual human rights report issued Tuesday by the US State Department.
Cambodia, which warranted 50 pages in the report, fell into the same category as North Korea, Cuba, China and Afghanistan. Worse countries were Burma, Iran and Laos.
"The government's human rights record remained poor," the report says of Cambodia. "Government agents committed extrajudicial killings, and security forces acted with impunity. There was little political will to address the failure by government authorities to adhere to the rule of law."
Cambodian embassy officials in Washington, DC, could not be reached for comment.
Cambodia was praised for its release of five human rights activists jailed in 2005; restoring parliamentary immunity to opposition leader Sam Rainsy; and decriminalizing defamation, among other examples.
Kem Sokha, director of the Cambodia Center for Human Rights, who was among those activists arrested in 2005 and released in 2006, mostly welcomed the report, saying Cambodia's human rights situation has not changed.
"The key matters especially remain," he said, "such as blocking peaceful demonstrations, such as those in land disputes where protesters have been threatened with arrest."
"The matter of judicial reform is still difficult," he said, citing as well corruption and forced evictions.
Relations between Cambodia and the US have thawed recently, with the US restoring direct aid to the country just last month.
"That is a political issue," Kem Sokha said. But "even if they have a close relationship, [the US] never forgets to talk about human rights issues."
Cambodia, which warranted 50 pages in the report, fell into the same category as North Korea, Cuba, China and Afghanistan. Worse countries were Burma, Iran and Laos.
"The government's human rights record remained poor," the report says of Cambodia. "Government agents committed extrajudicial killings, and security forces acted with impunity. There was little political will to address the failure by government authorities to adhere to the rule of law."
Cambodian embassy officials in Washington, DC, could not be reached for comment.
Cambodia was praised for its release of five human rights activists jailed in 2005; restoring parliamentary immunity to opposition leader Sam Rainsy; and decriminalizing defamation, among other examples.
Kem Sokha, director of the Cambodia Center for Human Rights, who was among those activists arrested in 2005 and released in 2006, mostly welcomed the report, saying Cambodia's human rights situation has not changed.
"The key matters especially remain," he said, "such as blocking peaceful demonstrations, such as those in land disputes where protesters have been threatened with arrest."
"The matter of judicial reform is still difficult," he said, citing as well corruption and forced evictions.
Relations between Cambodia and the US have thawed recently, with the US restoring direct aid to the country just last month.
"That is a political issue," Kem Sokha said. But "even if they have a close relationship, [the US] never forgets to talk about human rights issues."
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
SRP Statement on Nguyen Minh Triet's visit
February 27, 2007
SRP Statement on the Visit of the President of Vietnam
The Sam Rainsy Party is pleased to note the visit of Nguyen Minh Triet, President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, to Phnom Penh, Cambodia. We hope that his conversations with the government of Cambodia will prove fruitful to the peoples of both nations.
We request that both parties honor the terms of the 1954 Geneva Convention and the 1991 Paris Peace Accords which stress principles of “sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability, neutrality and national unity of Cambodia.”
We hope that the Cambodian government will view the visit of President Nguyen as an opportunity to raise the following important issues:
For more information, contact 012 858 857
We request that both parties honor the terms of the 1954 Geneva Convention and the 1991 Paris Peace Accords which stress principles of “sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability, neutrality and national unity of Cambodia.”
We hope that the Cambodian government will view the visit of President Nguyen as an opportunity to raise the following important issues:
- Respecting religious rights inside of Vietnam, particularly in regard to the Khmer Kampuchea Krom monks;
- Ending human rights abuses against indigenous groups in Vietnam, including the Khmer Krom and Montagnard people;
- Engaging Cambodian villagers and farmers in open discussions about concessions of border lands;
- Rectifying the mismanagement of the Yali Dam on the Se San River, which has severely affected the livelihood of downstream Cambodians in Ratanakiri.
For more information, contact 012 858 857
Monday, February 12, 2007
Human Rights organizations demand prosecution of those who ordered people to be buried alive
10 Feb 2007
By Mayarith
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Socheata
By Mayarith
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Socheata
Sihanoukville Human rights group representatives called on the authority to legally deal against those who ordered trucks to dump dirt to bury 2 women during a land dispute in Sihanoukville.
On Saturday, Cheng Chheng, a representative of the alleged land owner, whom the villagers accuse of dumping dirt on them alive, is still free.
An attempt was made to negotiate monetary settlement with the two victims whom the villagers had to rescue out of the mount of dirt which was dumped on them.
Human rights representatives in Sihanoukville, said that the person who acted as the go-between on behalf the alleged owner party is Lu Kim Chhun, the director of the Sihanoukville port. Nevertheless, the victims have not yet accepted the offer.
Un Thanon from the Licadho human rights organization, declared that the authority must investigate this case according to the law in order to bring justice for the victims: “… As a representative of a human rights organization, I am asking the authority to deal with this violation of human rights, that the authority takes action …”
Two women were buried alive in Thmei village, Sangkat Bey, Sihanoukville, on Friday during an ongoing land dispute involving a 52-hectare plot of land. The villagers claim that they have been living on the disputed land since 1985, and they been recognized as such by the authority.
However, the alleged land owner claims that he had compensated some of the villagers already, but that some are still violating his land. Land grading in this area was undertaken since Dec 2006, the grading was accompanied with land eviction.
So Kim, one of the victim who was saved by other villagers, told RFA yesterday, in tears, that the action taken against the victims is a blatant human rights violation and unfair: “They are still grading and dumping dirt, they did not stop. They have 22 trucks which brought dirt in to fill… The villagers went to inform government officials, no authority came by, not the villager chief, not the Sangkat chief, nobody came by. They wouldn’t dare come by because they are afraid of Lu Kim Chhun…”
The disputed plot of land with be turned into an international market and it will also serve as an international dry dock. Human rights representatives said that on Saturday, the land filling operation is still active, and the authority still has not taken action against the perpetrators of the violence against the villagers.
On Saturday, Cheng Chheng, a representative of the alleged land owner, whom the villagers accuse of dumping dirt on them alive, is still free.
An attempt was made to negotiate monetary settlement with the two victims whom the villagers had to rescue out of the mount of dirt which was dumped on them.
Human rights representatives in Sihanoukville, said that the person who acted as the go-between on behalf the alleged owner party is Lu Kim Chhun, the director of the Sihanoukville port. Nevertheless, the victims have not yet accepted the offer.
Un Thanon from the Licadho human rights organization, declared that the authority must investigate this case according to the law in order to bring justice for the victims: “… As a representative of a human rights organization, I am asking the authority to deal with this violation of human rights, that the authority takes action …”
Two women were buried alive in Thmei village, Sangkat Bey, Sihanoukville, on Friday during an ongoing land dispute involving a 52-hectare plot of land. The villagers claim that they have been living on the disputed land since 1985, and they been recognized as such by the authority.
However, the alleged land owner claims that he had compensated some of the villagers already, but that some are still violating his land. Land grading in this area was undertaken since Dec 2006, the grading was accompanied with land eviction.
So Kim, one of the victim who was saved by other villagers, told RFA yesterday, in tears, that the action taken against the victims is a blatant human rights violation and unfair: “They are still grading and dumping dirt, they did not stop. They have 22 trucks which brought dirt in to fill… The villagers went to inform government officials, no authority came by, not the villager chief, not the Sangkat chief, nobody came by. They wouldn’t dare come by because they are afraid of Lu Kim Chhun…”
The disputed plot of land with be turned into an international market and it will also serve as an international dry dock. Human rights representatives said that on Saturday, the land filling operation is still active, and the authority still has not taken action against the perpetrators of the violence against the villagers.
Sunday, February 11, 2007
AHRC Fernando: "rule of law in Cambodia is being deliberately hindered by the elite who are benefiting financially from their draconian grip on power"
CPP assailed by rights groups, again
By Cat Barton and Cheang Sokha
Phnom Penh Post, Issue 16 / 03, February 9 - 22, 2007
The last year has seen a distinct centralization of political control, said one Western diplomat on condition of anonymity.
"Practically everything is controlled by one party," the diplomat said. "The CPP control the government, the National Assembly, the Senate, 99 percent of the village chiefs, the provincial government. Their influence goes through the judiciary, through the police. There should be a much stronger balance of power and system of checks and balances."
If a state does not adhere to the rule of law and is unfettered by checks and balances, power will be exercised in a way that makes human rights violations, such as those documented over the course of 2006, an inevitability, said Fernando.
"Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely," he said. "In Cambodia there is naked repression, there is no protection: law is unable to protect [citizens], the courts are unable to protect, the police [force] is a direct instrument of the powers that be."
The political opposition has been weakened considerably over 2006, said a year-end Human Rights Watch report.
"Cambodia's veneer of political pluralism wore even thinner in 2006," the report said. "The year saw the jailing of government critics, attempts to weaken civil society, independent media, and political dissent."
The opposition has struggled to maintain its ability to challenge the government, said Mu Sochua, secretary-general of the Sam Rainsy Party.
"Who is speaking loudly, persistently regarding the lack, the total disarray of social justice, regarding the corruption of judiciary?" she said. "It is the opposition, members, leaders, not just MPs but the grass roots."
Despite attempts by the opposition to challenge and criticize, Cambodia's development will be destabilized if the government is able to behave in 2007 as it did in 2006, said Sochua.
"The rule of law is not only lacking [but its absence will] drag Cambodia's development into total disarray if it is allowed to erode further," she said.
The international community has failed to grasp the fundamental importance of the rule of law for development, said Fernando.
"There is an inability to link development with rule of law," he said. "Donors talk abstractly about development and democracy but they don't realize the link is the rule of law."
The time has come for less "back door" diplomacy and more direct action, said Sochua.
"The money that is spent on Cambodia is not free, it is taxpayers money," she said. "Every single one of the representatives of [foreign] governments in Cambodia must be responsible and that responsibility lies in having the courage to stand up when ethnic minorities, when the poor, continue to loose their land and their livelihoods, when our forests are raped, totally raped, when there is a court, a judiciary, [that is] nothing but a mockery, a masquerade of more and more injustice."
The international community is trying hard to foster the development of rule of law in Cambodia, said the diplomatic source.
"Our constructive criticism really goes to the nuts and bolts," said the diplomat. "You need a clear separation of powers, this has been repeatedly said. "
But Kek Galabru, president of local rights group Licadho, said the fact remains that Cambodia's executive dominates both the legislative and judicial branches of government.
"There is no separation of power," she said. "The executive always interfere [with the courts]."
The ramifications of this lack of separation of the powers extend far beyond the immediate infringements of individual citizen's civil liberties, she said.
"Cambodia is now a member of WTO," said Galabru. "They ask for a lot of conditions and one of them is the independence of the judiciary. How can serious investors come to Cambodia [without this?]"
Without the rule of law, economic as well as human development is compromised, said Fernando.
"Rule of law is not just a question of civil liberties, it is about the management of society," he said. "Cambodia is a mismanaged society, mismanaged to irrational level."
The development of rule of law in Cambodia is being deliberately hindered by the elite who are benefiting financially from their draconian grip on power, said Fernando.
"It is for economic benefit," he said. "The rule of law is not allowed to develop in order to [allow the elite to] carry on with certain types of exploitation. The [absence of a] rule of law is bound with the political elite maintaining the status quo: a small number of very powerful people distinct from the rest of country which is very poor and will continue to be."
Yet "irrational" management and preventing the development of the rule of law is a contradictory policy that will ultimately backfire, said Fernando.
"At some time there is bound to be a reaction among elite: what is security of OUR property?" he said. "The implication of no rule of law runs into all areas of the economy. You can't maintain proper banking so you have much money laundering, you can't determine the value of local currency so no person, even the wealthy, feels secure. No one wants to buy land unless they have state patronage. On one hand, while there is this repression in the interests of the property owning class [Cambodia] can't forever remain at this level. You have to enter a modern economy. Cambodia's future is tied to regional economies and there are so many possibilities for its development all around. But all that is negated by the present form of the management."
Om Yentieng, adviser to Prime Minister Hun Sen and head of the government's human rights committee said that the human rights situation in Cambodia had improved over the course of 2006.
"The human rights situation in Cambodia in 2006 is better than before," he said. "We have seen an end of the pretrial detention procedure, we have reformed our prisons, the general economic situation is good, the media is also able to write freely."
Although land grabbing is a problem, it is incorrect to cast it as a violation of human rights, he said.
"Land grabbing is not a case of human rights abuse," he said. "These cases happen from the law, many powerful people have also lost their cases at the court regarding land grabbing - it is not human rights abuse."
The government is open to criticism, he said, but confident of its own rights record.
"We don't want to say the [NGOs] are always right but we take into consideration the points they raise," he said. "We are happy that the real situation of human rights in Cambodia is not bad or serious like what those NGOs report."
By Cat Barton and Cheang Sokha
Phnom Penh Post, Issue 16 / 03, February 9 - 22, 2007
"We don't want to say the [NGOs] are always right but we take into consideration the points they raise," he said. "We are happy that the real situation of human rights in Cambodia is not bad or serious like what those NGOs report." -sic!-
- Om Yentieng, Hun Sen's adviser
Pervasive land grabbing and the calculated erosion of political opponents consistently surfaced in five damming end-of-year reports from major local and international human rights organizations. "There is not even a semblance of rule of law in country," said Basil Fernando, director of the Asian Human Rights Commission, said. "It is not the law that is king; it is the prime minister who is king in this country."
The last year has seen a distinct centralization of political control, said one Western diplomat on condition of anonymity.
"Practically everything is controlled by one party," the diplomat said. "The CPP control the government, the National Assembly, the Senate, 99 percent of the village chiefs, the provincial government. Their influence goes through the judiciary, through the police. There should be a much stronger balance of power and system of checks and balances."
If a state does not adhere to the rule of law and is unfettered by checks and balances, power will be exercised in a way that makes human rights violations, such as those documented over the course of 2006, an inevitability, said Fernando.
"Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely," he said. "In Cambodia there is naked repression, there is no protection: law is unable to protect [citizens], the courts are unable to protect, the police [force] is a direct instrument of the powers that be."
The political opposition has been weakened considerably over 2006, said a year-end Human Rights Watch report.
"Cambodia's veneer of political pluralism wore even thinner in 2006," the report said. "The year saw the jailing of government critics, attempts to weaken civil society, independent media, and political dissent."
The opposition has struggled to maintain its ability to challenge the government, said Mu Sochua, secretary-general of the Sam Rainsy Party.
"Who is speaking loudly, persistently regarding the lack, the total disarray of social justice, regarding the corruption of judiciary?" she said. "It is the opposition, members, leaders, not just MPs but the grass roots."
Despite attempts by the opposition to challenge and criticize, Cambodia's development will be destabilized if the government is able to behave in 2007 as it did in 2006, said Sochua.
"The rule of law is not only lacking [but its absence will] drag Cambodia's development into total disarray if it is allowed to erode further," she said.
The international community has failed to grasp the fundamental importance of the rule of law for development, said Fernando.
"There is an inability to link development with rule of law," he said. "Donors talk abstractly about development and democracy but they don't realize the link is the rule of law."
The time has come for less "back door" diplomacy and more direct action, said Sochua.
"The money that is spent on Cambodia is not free, it is taxpayers money," she said. "Every single one of the representatives of [foreign] governments in Cambodia must be responsible and that responsibility lies in having the courage to stand up when ethnic minorities, when the poor, continue to loose their land and their livelihoods, when our forests are raped, totally raped, when there is a court, a judiciary, [that is] nothing but a mockery, a masquerade of more and more injustice."
The international community is trying hard to foster the development of rule of law in Cambodia, said the diplomatic source.
"Our constructive criticism really goes to the nuts and bolts," said the diplomat. "You need a clear separation of powers, this has been repeatedly said. "
But Kek Galabru, president of local rights group Licadho, said the fact remains that Cambodia's executive dominates both the legislative and judicial branches of government.
"There is no separation of power," she said. "The executive always interfere [with the courts]."
The ramifications of this lack of separation of the powers extend far beyond the immediate infringements of individual citizen's civil liberties, she said.
"Cambodia is now a member of WTO," said Galabru. "They ask for a lot of conditions and one of them is the independence of the judiciary. How can serious investors come to Cambodia [without this?]"
Without the rule of law, economic as well as human development is compromised, said Fernando.
"Rule of law is not just a question of civil liberties, it is about the management of society," he said. "Cambodia is a mismanaged society, mismanaged to irrational level."
The development of rule of law in Cambodia is being deliberately hindered by the elite who are benefiting financially from their draconian grip on power, said Fernando.
"It is for economic benefit," he said. "The rule of law is not allowed to develop in order to [allow the elite to] carry on with certain types of exploitation. The [absence of a] rule of law is bound with the political elite maintaining the status quo: a small number of very powerful people distinct from the rest of country which is very poor and will continue to be."
Yet "irrational" management and preventing the development of the rule of law is a contradictory policy that will ultimately backfire, said Fernando.
"At some time there is bound to be a reaction among elite: what is security of OUR property?" he said. "The implication of no rule of law runs into all areas of the economy. You can't maintain proper banking so you have much money laundering, you can't determine the value of local currency so no person, even the wealthy, feels secure. No one wants to buy land unless they have state patronage. On one hand, while there is this repression in the interests of the property owning class [Cambodia] can't forever remain at this level. You have to enter a modern economy. Cambodia's future is tied to regional economies and there are so many possibilities for its development all around. But all that is negated by the present form of the management."
Om Yentieng, adviser to Prime Minister Hun Sen and head of the government's human rights committee said that the human rights situation in Cambodia had improved over the course of 2006.
"The human rights situation in Cambodia in 2006 is better than before," he said. "We have seen an end of the pretrial detention procedure, we have reformed our prisons, the general economic situation is good, the media is also able to write freely."
Although land grabbing is a problem, it is incorrect to cast it as a violation of human rights, he said.
"Land grabbing is not a case of human rights abuse," he said. "These cases happen from the law, many powerful people have also lost their cases at the court regarding land grabbing - it is not human rights abuse."
The government is open to criticism, he said, but confident of its own rights record.
"We don't want to say the [NGOs] are always right but we take into consideration the points they raise," he said. "We are happy that the real situation of human rights in Cambodia is not bad or serious like what those NGOs report."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
