A human rights day march in Phnom Penh. A draft law requiring NGOs working in Cambodia to register has proved controversial. Photograph: Samrang Pring/Reuters

Monday 19 December 2011
Celeste Hicks
guardian.co.uk

The fourth draft of a controversial proposed law covering the activities of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Cambodia has been rejected by a number of local and international organisations.

The latest draft of the law on associations and non-governmental organisations (Lango) was published by the Cambodian government last week. But already an umbrella group of prominent Cambodian NGOs and civil society groups have indicated they will not take part in a consultation session scheduled for Monday, saying the changes do not go far enough and claiming they have had insufficient time to review the draft properly.

"This new draft raises more questions than it answers," says Naly Pilorge, director of Licadho, the Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defence of Human Rights, one of the human rights organisations eschewing the consultation. "The stakes are too high to simply wait and see. These questions need to be answered before the law is passed, not after."

Cambodia bans sending maids to Malaysia

October 19, 2011
ABC Radio Australia

Cambodia has imposed a temporary ban on sending domestic workers to Malaysia.

The Prime Minister, Hun Sen, signed the order following numerous complaints of abuse committed against the workers, who are mostly women, sent there.

However, questions have already been raised about the effectiveness of such a ban.

Reporter: Sajithra Nithi

Speakers: Naly Pilorge, Director at human rights group LICADHO; An Bunhak, President of the Association of Cambodian Recruiting Agencies

Click here to listen to the audio program (Windows Media)

NITHI: The ban comes after campaigns by human rights groups, focusing on the ill-treatment of maids send to Malaysia.

The cases range from women and girls being overworked and given very little to eat, all the way to being beaten and sexually abused.

Activists like Naly Pilorge from LICADHO, a rights group in Cambodia, have welcomed the ban.

PILORGE: We were quite pleased because it was so out of control, that it was necessary to stop.

NITHI: She says around 3000 domestic helpers from Cambodia are needed in Malaysia each month, but their mistreatment actually begins at home.

PILORGE : It involves falsifying documents, it involves lying or misleading girls and their families, it involves locking up girls and families in recruitment agencies.

Cambodian NGOs fear increased government regulation

August 8, 2011
ABC Radio Australia

There is growing concern in Cambodia over government efforts to regulate the activities the non government organisations.

The draft legislation requires mandatory registration, effectively giving the government control over the thousands of disparate groups that operate in the country.

Late last month the Ministry of Interior released its third draft of the law to the public and also confirmed that it had sent that draft to the Council of Ministers effectively terminating any further meaningful discussions between the government and the NGOS.

Presenter: Bill Bainbridge

Speaker: Naly Pilorge, director of the Cambodian human rights group, Licadho

Click here to listen to the audio program (Windows Media)

Cambodian rights group fears law could destroy civil society

Aug 5, 2011
DPA

Phnom Penh - A leading Cambodian rights group warned Friday that a controversial draft law would mark the demise of civil society should it be approved in its current form.

The draft Law on Associations and Non-Government Organizations, which is designed to regulate civil society, has been extensively criticized by NGOs and donors as unduly restrictive.

This draft - the third so far - was sent to the Council of Ministers on July 29. Government spokesman Phay Siphan said the body would start reviewing it next week.

Naly Pilorge, director of rights group LICADHO, said the main problem was that registration was compulsory for almost all associations and non-governmental organizations, which would have to provide financial and personal details beyond the capacity of many small groups.

Pilorge said that would damage informal networks and associations 'particularly those advocating on issues that affect the country such as land grabbing, labour and wage issues.'

Jail overcrowding in Cambodia a major concern, says new report

July 5, 2011
ABC Radio Australia

The latest assessment of Cambodia's prisons warns of severe overcrowding and a lack of any serious effort to fix the problem.

The claims are made by the Cambodia League for the Promotion and Defence of Human Rights, LICADHO.

The group is also predicting Cambodia's prisons will become the most overcrowded in the world within a decade.

Presenter: Cameron Wilson

Speaker: Naly Pilorge, director of Cambodian human rights group, LICADHO

Click here to listen to the audio program (Windows Media)

Western donors must stand up to Cambodia's government

Protesters demonstrate against plans by the Cambodian government to bring in a law requiring NGOs and associations to register. Photograph: Licadho

Phnom Penh's NGO law seeks to tighten its grip on civil society, but aid donors mustn't cave in to this government threat

Monday, May 09, 2011

Naly Pilorge (Licadho)

Guardian.co.uk

More than a month has passed since the Cambodian government released the second draft of the hotly debated law on associations and NGOs, and all is quiet on the legislative front. While it's too early to tell whether this is a positive sign, there are clues that it might be.

Many expected that the government would push the law through the national assembly immediately after the release of the second draft, as has been done in the past with other controversial legislation. But this has not happened.

The current silence follows the uncharacteristically loud and unified outcry from local and international civil society organisations in early April. The draft law was universally condemned as the most significant threat to civil society in years. Even Cambodia's big foreign donors chimed in, most notably the US, which publicly stated that passage of the law in its current state could threaten aid money.

It is not hard to see why opposition to the law is so strong: as the Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defence of Human Rights (Licadho) pointed out in its analysis of the law (pdf), it's a transparent attempt by the government to control civil society and stifle dissent. It's also a blatant violation of domestic and international protections on association, assembly and speech.

Controversial law in Cambodia has NGOs worried

April 8, 2011
ABC Radio Australia

There been a huge backlash amongst local and international non-government organisations in Cambodia over the second draft of a proposed NGO law.

The law would regulate the thousands of NGOs that operate in Cambodia... and often fill significant gaps in areas such as health, education, environment and agriculture. The government says the law is necessary to ensure that NGOs operate within reasonable bounds - the NGOs disagree.

Reporter: Robert Carmichael

Speakers: Phay Siphan, Council of Ministers; Naly Pilorge, human rights organisation Licadho

Click here to listen to the audio program (Windows Media)

CARMICHAEL: Cambodia has no shortage of non-governmental organisations, or NGOs. There are thought to be more than 3,000 of them, from titans such as World Vision and Oxfam, to the smallest of local organisations and associations.

The government recently drafted a law to regulate how NGOs and associations operate in Cambodia. That draft is on its way to the Council of Ministers for final review before it heads to parliament.

The first draft was released for public comment late last year; the second last month. It has caused widespread alarm among NGOs, some of which fear the law could be abused by the government to shut down those it doesn't like.

So what are the problems with the draft? Naly Pilorge is the director of human rights group Licadho.

PILORGE: Generally there are three main concerns. First is mandatory registration - everyone is forced to register. Secondly is burdensome registration requirements - I mean many, many self-help groups, communities are illiterate, and based in the provinces. And then the third is there is a lot of ambiguity, a lot of unclear passages in this law so the decisions can be subjective, can be arbitrary to accept or refuse, and there is no appeal system. So if the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or Ministry of Interior refuses your application, there is no way to appeal.

LICADHO Condemns Censorship of Web Sites Critical of Government

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

February 16, 2011

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rights group condemns "online censorship" by Cambodian government

Feb 16, 2011
DPA

Phnom Penh - A human rights group on Wednesday condemned the apparent blocking of several websites critical of the Cambodian government, saying the move marked 'a significant milestone in the march toward a more oppressive media environment.'

Naly Pilorge, the director of the LICADHO rights group, said the denials by internet service providers that they were doing the government's bidding were 'not fooling anyone.'

The providers 'can play with words all they want, but at the end of the day, this still amounts to censorship,' she said.

The government has repeatedly said it has not ordered the providers to block access to websites, including KI-Media, a news aggregator and comment site that strongly favours the political opposition and is often critical of the ruling party.

But several websites critical of the government have gone offline in recent weeks. Service providers have officially denied blocking the sites or being asked to do so by the government.

Violent Crackdown of Peaceful Protesters during the Visit of UN Secretary-General

The incident took place during a protest in front of the Khmer-Soviet Friendship Hospital on the morning of October 28, 2010, where a group of fifty protesters gathered to seek intervention by the UN Secretary-General into the ongoing Boeung Kak land grab in Phnom Penh. ;Around 10:15AM, as the UN Secretary-General was visiting the Hospital with government officials, a mixed group of armed anti-riot police and administrative police officers launched a violent assault on standing protesters, pushing people to the ground, beating some with walkie-talkies and shocking others with electric batons.
During the incident, Suong Sophorn, an activist who lives in the Boeung Kak Lake area, was arrested and viciously beaten, resulting in a severe bleeding wound to the head. The police dragged him away as he felt unconscious and was further beaten by officers. Sophorn is one among the Cambodians who were protesting the forced eviction of the Boeung Kak Lake community, and was appealing for a meeting with the Secretary-General.

Picture above: police officers dragging unconscious protester by the hair.
The blood on the protester' shirt comes from a bleeding wound on his head

Released by Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights (LICADHO)

October 28, 2010 - The Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights (LICADHO) condemns the authorities’ brutal response to peaceful protesters who demonstrated during the visit of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

The incident took place during a protest in front of the Khmer-Soviet Friendship Hospital this morning, October 28, 2010, where a group of fifty protesters gathered to seek intervention by the UN Secretary-General into the ongoing Boeung Kak land grab in Phnom Penh by Shukaku Company, owned by a ruling party senator.

Around 10:15AM, as the UN Secretary-General was visiting the Hospital with government officials, a mixed group of armed anti-riot police and administrative police officers launched a violent assault on standing protesters, pushing people to the ground, beating some with walkie-talkies and shocking others with electric batons.

During the incident, Suong Sophorn, a land activist who lives in the Boeung Kak Lake area, was arrested and viciously beaten, resulting in a severe wound to the head. The police dragged him away as he fell unconscious and was further beaten by officers. Sophorn is one among the many Cambodians who were protesting the forced eviction of the Boeung Kak Lake community, and was appealing for a meeting with the Secretary-General.

In early June 2009, Sophorn was also detained for three days and found guilty in a show trial of defaming the government after he had sprayed the words “STOP EVICTION” on his house in the Boeung Kak lake area.

“The open beating of peaceful protesters during the visit of the UN Secretary-General is good indicator of how little thought this government gives to its international standing and to human rights,” said Naly Pilorge, director of LICADHO. “Either they don’t understand the harm that this sort of incident causes to Cambodia’s reputation or they don’t care. Or perhaps they just think they can get away with it.”

“While the Cambodian government entertains an empty dialogue on human rights with the UN Secretary-General, its armed forces are cracking down on freedom of expression”, said Pung Chhiv Kek, president of LICADHO. “This incident has further exposed the cracking facade of democracy in Cambodia.”

LICADHO calls upon the government to immediately cease the unnecessary use of force against all peaceful protesters, whether during important state visits or during ordinary times.

LICADHO also urges the Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to refrain from keeping silent on this incident and publicly condemn this use of force against peaceful protesters who were attempting to gain his attention.

For more information, please contact:

• Dr. Pung Chhiv Kek, LICADHO President, 012 802 506
• Mr. Am Sam Ath, LICADHO Monitoring Supervisor, 012 327 770

UN condemns police beating of protestors in Cambodia

Oct 28, 2010
DPA

Phnom Penh - A senior UN human rights official condemned 'excessive force' she said was used by police against several dozen peaceful protestors who were trying to meet with visiting UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

'I have expressed concern in person to the Ministry of Interior about this incident and the excessive use of force used against the petitioners and Mr Suong Sophorn specifically,' said Kyung-wha Kang, the UN's deputy high commissioner for human rights, who arrived in Cambodia Tuesday with Ban's delegation.

A prominent local human rights group, Licadho, said earlier that Suong Sophorn had been beaten unconscious and dragged away by police who used electric shock batons and walkie-talkies to beat protestors.

Kang said the local UN human rights office had contacted the police, who later released Suong Sophorn 'as promised.'

'I have also received the petition of the [protestors] on behalf of the secretary general,' she said.

The protestors are to shortly be evicted from their homes in central Phnom Penh to make way for a large development by a well-connected company. They had unsuccessfully petitioned Ban to meet them to discuss their plight.

Licadho director Naly Pilorge said the beatings, which took place close to a hospital that Ban was visiting, was indicative of the government's approach to human rights and its international reputation.

'Either they don't understand the harm that this sort of incident causes to Cambodia's reputation, or they don't care, or perhaps they just think they can get away with it,' she said.

Earlier Thursday, Ban visited Phnom Penh's S-21 prison, where more than 14,000 people were tortured and marked for execution during the Khmer Rouge's rule of the country in the late 1970s.

Ban referred to the Khmer Rouge rule as a 'terrible chapter' in the country's history.

'But I want you to know that your courage has sent a strong and powerful message to the world that there can be no impunity, that crimes against humanity shall not go unpunished,' he said.

It has been an eventful trip for Ban.

On Wednesday, Cambodia's foreign minister said Prime Minister Hun Sen told Ban he would not permit any further prosecutions of former Khmer Rouge cadres, a statement that set off a storm of criticism about political interference in the judicial process.

But the government later appeared to moderate its tone when Minister for Information Khieu Kanharith said Hun Sen had merely expressed his desire to see no further prosecutions.

'We don't say forbidden because you cannot dictate, you cannot impose your will on the court,' Khieu Kanharith said.

Hun Sen also told Ban to close the UN human rights office because he deemed it was acting as a mouthpiece for the opposition and told him to sack the UN's country head for human rights, Christophe Peschoux.

Khieu Kanharith reiterated that position.

'It is time to close down the office,' he said. 'Both [the office and Peschoux] have to go.'

Ban left Cambodia Thursday after a three-day visit for Vietnam, where he is to attend a summit between the United Nations and the 10-member Association of South-East Asian Nations. He is to conclude his Asian tour in China.

Enough Is Enough: Human Rights Groups Demand End To Indigenous Land Grab, Harassment Of Rights Defenders And Judicial Misconduct In Ratanakkiri

MEDIA STATEMENT

PHNOM PENH, Thursday 24 September 2009
For Immediate Release

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH: HUMAN RIGHTS GROUPS DEMAND END TO INDIGENOUS LAND GRAB, HARASSMENT OF RIGHTS DEFENDERS AND JUDICIAL MISCONDUCT IN RATANAKKIRI

The Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR) and Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights (LICADHO) condemn:

• The DM Group grab of Tumpuon indigenous land in Batang Village, Batang Commune, Lumphat District, Ratanakkiri Province (the “DM Group Land Grab”);
• The harassment of Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association (ADHOC) activists Pen Bonnar and Chhay Ty, Radio Free Asia (RFA) journalist Ratha Visal, CCHR President Ou Virak, and a number of Tumpuon community activists; and
• The misconduct by Ratanakkiri Provincial Court Judge Thor Saron.

Indigenous community crushed

The DM Group Land Grab constitutes a paradigm case of illegal land grabbing in Cambodia, whereby powerful and well-connected companies displace poor indigenous communities.

In 2005 the DM Group, a private company alleged to have powerful contacts, took possession of an area of land in Batang Village on which 120 indigenous Tumpuon families lived. The case is characterized by derisory compensation and the intimidation of indigenous families by local authorities seemingly working in the interests of the private company. It has seen criminal charges against 12 Tumpuon Community activists, the imprisonment without trial for periods of between two and six months of four of those charged and the fleeing into the jungle of 100 Tumpuon men after they were threatened with arrest. The land is now in the possession of the DM Group. Of the 120 indigenous families, the majority has left, leaving some 40-50 families behind searching for viable farming land in adjoining areas.

Human Rights Defenders harassed

The DM Group Land Grab has seen the following human rights defenders - as well as a number of Tumpuon community activists – harassed and intimidated by Ratanakkiri Provincial authorities for standing up for the affected villagers:

• Pen Bonnar – Former ADHOC Provincial Coordinator for Ratanakkiri, recently relocated to Phnom Penh. Charges threatened – Defamation, Disinformation, Incitement and Incitement to terrorism.
• Chhay Ty – Former ADHOC Activist in Ratanakkiri and Assistant to Pen Bonnar, recently relocated to Mondulkiri. Charges threatened – Incitement.
• Ou Virak – CCHR President. Summonsed as a witness in the dispute and impliedly threatened with arrest and imprisonment.
• Ratha Visal – RFA Journalist. Charges threatened– Accomplice to Incitement, Disinformation.

This harassment and intimidation is representative of the dangers faced by those who speak out against rights violations in Cambodia; particularly in Ratanakkiri, where the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Cambodia estimates that - as of June 2009 - over 50 individuals were detained as a result of land conflicts.

Judicial misconduct

A main protagonist in the DM Group Land Grab has been Judge Thor Saron, the Deputy President of the Provincial Court of Ratanakkiri. His actions are illustrative of the problems currently undermining the Cambodian judiciary - namely endemic corruption and lack of independence - which serve to prevent it from protecting the rights and freedoms of Cambodia citizens. Judge Thor has reportedly:

• Requested land in exchange for releasing Tumpuon villagers arrested and imprisoned for protesting against the DM Group Land Grab, according to reported quotes by Lumphat District Governor Kong Srun;
• Made an ultra-vires ultimatum for Pen Bonnar to leave Ratanakkiri or face charges for incitement to terrorism for his support of the Tumpuon villagers;
• Impliedly threatened the arrest and imprisonment of Ou Virak, who is to be summonsed for questioning about this case – by calling Ou Virak as a witness, but having already intimated that a file will be sent to the Prosecutor, Judge Thor is perhaps trying to circumvent criminal procedure and the rights of a suspect contained therein;
• Continued to investigate the events relating to the DM Group Land Grab, despite being one of the main protagonists – his vested interests in the outcome gives rise to a conflict of interest;
• Used a truck confiscated by police during an investigation into a robbery that resulted in two deaths, according to reported quotes by Ratanakkiri Provincial Police Chief Ray Rai; and
• Threatened disinformation charges against Pen Bonnar and Rath Visal for accusing him of the corruption reportedly alleged by Lumphat District Governor Kong Srun, one day after the OHCHR in Cambodia had issued a statement calling for an end to the harassment by Ratanakkiri Provincial authorities of human rights defenders (namely Pen Bonnar and Rath Visal).

The CCHR previously made a complaint in relation to Judge Thor’s alleged misconduct to the Supreme Council of Magistracy (“SCM”), the body mandated to investigate delinquent judges. The SCM has not responded to this letter and SCM members You Bunleng and Chiv Keng have stated that they have yet to see such a complaint.

Civil society reaction

Ou Virak today stated: “Enough is enough. Human Rights NGOs will stand by the affected indigenous communities, stand by the human rights activists harassed, and demand an end to judicial misconduct in Ratanakkiri. We will not be silenced.”

Naly Pilorge, LICADHO Director stated: “It is high time that private companies operating in Ratanakkiri, and the judiciary that so often serves their needs, acknowledge that Cambodian law applies to the province and respect the fundamental rights of Cambodia’s indigenous peoples.”

The CCHR and LICADHO will take the following action:

• Make a further complaint to the SCM about the new allegations of misconduct by Judge Thor Saron set out above, requesting that it investigates his action and the workings of the Ratanakkiri Provincial Court and recommending that it suspends him pending the results of its investigations;
• Contact all national, regional and international partner NGOs to request their support of the affected indigenous communities and harassed human rights defenders;
• Write to Cambodia’s development partners to urge them to raise this case - and the related wider human rights concerns - at the Pre Cambodia Development Cooperation Forum (CDCF) with the Royal Government of Cambodia on Tuesday 29 September 2009; and
• Write complaint letters to the UN Special Rapporteurs on: human rights in Cambodia, the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous people, the situation of human rights defenders, and the independence of judges and lawyers respectively - to draw their attention to and request that they examine this case and the related wider human rights concerns.

For more information, please contact:

Naly Pilorge
Director
LICADHO
Tel: +855 (0)12 803 650

Ou Virak
President
CCHR
Tel: +855 (0)12 404 051

Water Festival fears for illegal detainees in Cambodia [-The Kingdom of Horror & Abuse Wonder?]

November 10, 2008
ABC Radio Australia

A human rights group is concerned that the upcoming Water Festival in Cambodia could see another surge of illegal detentions and hidden abuses for the capital Phnom Penh's homeless and sex workers.

Writing etched into the walls of one so-called "social rehabilitation center" suggests that people are being detained against their will and abused, according to rights group LICADHO.

The group has called on the Cambodian government to shut down the centres, including one that was once a Khmer Rouge death-camp in the 70s.

In recent years the camp has been turned into what the Government describes as a "Social Rehabilitation Centre."

Human rights group LICADHO says, however, it's one of several illegal prisons that keep the homeless and destitute off the streets and out of sight.

The Cambodian Government has repeatedly claimed the island camp and other similar centres are voluntary and have denied accusations of abuse.

But last week LICADHO monitors gained access to a facility in Kampong Speu province.

LICADHO'S director, Naly Pilorge says what they found was evidence that contradicts Government claims the centres are for rehabilitation.

"My colleagues entered the facilities and went into the rooms where people were detained," she said.

"Immediately they saw drawings and writing both in Khmer, in Thai and also in English of obviously former detainees that had written appeals and their situation here in those rooms. There was a number of drawings of women who implied that they had been sexually abused and raped. There was one writing in English - on one hand they said 'life' and the other was 'hell'. And there was also counts of days like you see in prisons at times all over the world where people count how many days and how many nights they have been detained.

"We have interviewed people, we have seen people who are neglected, abused and with these drawings it's obvious to us that this is a place where people are unlawfully detained and seriously abused," she said.

She says those interviewed are describing situations of the "worst you can imagine."

"Starting from not having food and water and this was obvious from the first time we went to these centres, as soon as the gates were open people ran to the grounds outside and started eating grass and leaves, so it was obvious that people were not getting enough to eat.

"We have allegations of gang rapes and sexual abuse. We also have information about beatings, very severe beatings leading to the death of people," she said.

Ms Pilorge says during many public holidays and particularly Water Festival, the Cambodian Government "wishes to maintain its image of the 'Kingdom of Wonder' and therefore the government continues to detain people who they believe contradict that image.