[Hun Sen's] Minister: Cambodia fully supports Beijing Olympics

April 23, 2008
Source: Xinhua

Cambodia fully supports China's hosting of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, national media on Wednesday quoted Thong Khon, Tourism Minister and chairman of the Olympic Committee of Cambodia (OCC), as saying.

The Cambodian government, OCC, as well as all the athletes and people of the country, support China's hosting of the games, the minister told Chinese-language daily newspaper the Commercial News in an exclusive interview.

King Norodom Sihamoni will attend the opening ceremony in Beijing, and OCC will also send a delegation of over 10 members to participate in the games, he said.

"I am ready, too, to go to Beijing and watch the games," if the schedule permits, he added.

In the interview, Thong Khon stressed that the principle of "letting sports be sports" must be respected.

"You can't mix politics and sports into one thing and there should be a clear line between these two topics," he added.

Meanwhile, he said, the Olympic Games are an international activity held by the International Olympic Committee and attended by more than 100 countries and regions.

Neither any country nor organization is able to prevent the games from being conducted, he added.

During the interview, Thong Khon also expected the Beijing Olympics to succeed and benefit the whole world.

Communist regime in Phnom Penh sides with communist China to oppose Buddhist Dalai Lama

Cambodia opposes Dalai Lama's attempts to sabotage Beijing Olympics

PHNOM PENH, April 21 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia opposes attempts by the Dalai clique to sabotage the upcoming Olympic Games in Beijing by making use of the Tibet issue, Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Hor Namhong said on Monday.

Cambodia also opposes any foreign interference in China's internal affairs, said Hor, who is also minister of foreign affairs and international cooperation, during a meeting with a visiting Chinese delegation.

The Olympic Games have nothing to do with politics and Cambodia fully supports China's hosting of the 2008 Olympics, Hor told the delegation headed by Zhang Xuan, deputy party chief of China's Chongqing city.

King Norodom Sihamoni will attend the games' opening ceremony in Beijing, he added.

The Cambodian government has consistently adhered to the one-China policy and opposed Taiwan independence, he said.

The brotherhood of human rights abuse: Cambodia and China

Worrisome human rights abuse by Cambodia and China

20 April 2008
By Sophorn
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy

A number of opposition and NGO officials claimed that Cambodia and China are under the spell of one single policy: the worrisome abuse of human rights.

This reaction came after Ms. Zhang Jin Feng, the Chinese ambassador to Cambodia, thanked Cambodia for supporting China regarding the Olympics problems, and Cambodia blocked Cambodian NGOs from taking initiative to oppose to holding of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Kem Sokha, HRP party president, said that he is not surprised that the Chinese ambassador thanked the Cambodian government, because the latter is a satellite country to any country that provides support to the Cambodian regime, irrespective of whether the supporting country respects human rights or not.

Kem Sokha said: “Currently, Cambodia and China are on the same wavelength. On human rights issue, (Cambodia) opposes other countries that criticize the human rights issue, and the majority of the (government’s) friends are countries that violate human rights, therefore, the Cambodian government cannot oppose these countries. The government is even close to Burma as well.”

Eng Chhai Eang, SRP Secretary-general, also said that the Chinese government supports only something that it benefits from. He said that China does not care about the victims, such was the case in Tibet where the Chinese government is exerting pressure on. Furthermore, the Cambodian government supports China because it receives large amount of aid from China.

Eang Chhai Eang said: “If they (China) provide aid for the benefit of the authoritarian leader while the people in the countries receiving aid from China are being victimized, then there is no meaning (to this Chinese aid.) Therefore, regarding the Olympics issue, it brings honor to the Chinese people, but this honor must be earned, the Chinese government should not use this opportunity to pressure and oppress the freedom of its people.”

Muth Chantha, NRP spokesman, said that his party adopts the one-China policy, but his party does not support any government that abuses the rights of their own people.

Cheam Yeap, a CPP official, said that the issue of China respecting human rights or not is its internal affair, and it is a fact that China provided a lot of aid to Cambodia. Therefore, the CPP rejoices about the Olympics (being held in China) and it also rejoices the long-standing friendship between China and Cambodia.

Cheam Yeap said: “We cannot interfere in their internal affair, and China cannot interfere in our internal affair either.”

Dr. Pung Chiv Kek, President of the Licadho human rights organization, said that it is normal for the Chinese ambassador to thank Cambodia because the latter supports China. However, she said that the government should respect the people’s rights as a true democratic regime would.

Human rights abused has worsened in Tibet recently, and incidents took place where some used violence to kill 18 people, caused injuries to several people, and 300 fires were set up creating about 50 million yens in damage.

Political Cartoon: Xia Xia Kampuchea

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

Hun Sen Meets with Yang Jiechi

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen Meets with Yang Jiechi

2008/02/02
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China

On February 1, 2008, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen met with visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi in Phnom Penh. Both sides hoped to take the 50th anniversary of the China-Cambodia diplomatic relations and "China-Cambodia Year of Friendship" as an opportunity to push bilateral all-round friendly cooperative relations to a higher level.

Hun Sen said that under the careful cultivation of the generations of leaders of the two countries, Cambodia-China friendship and mutual trust have been strengthened in an all-round manner and the bilateral cooperation has yielded fruitful results with bilateral relations reaching one new level after another. China's rapid development has offered favorable opportunities to this region and China's support and help has played an important role for Cambodia to improve its capability of independent development and safeguard national independence and sovereignty. Hun Sen said as an inheritor and promoter of Cambodia-China friendly relations, he himself and the Cambodian government will remain committed to pushing forward bilateral relations.

Yang made positive comments on the friendly cooperative relations between China and Cambodia, as well as the results of the cooperation in all areas. He said the two countries are friendly neighbors. Over the past half a century since the forging of diplomatic relations, the China-Cambodia friendship created and cultivated by leaders of the two countries has withstood the tests of changeable international situation and has been consolidated and developed continuously. Yang said bilateral relations have entered a new stage for development with increasing political trust, dynamic exchanges in all areas and fruitful cooperation on economy and trade. Both sides have also maintained close communication and coordination on such international and regional issues as China-ASEAN relations, East Asia cooperation, and development of Great Mekong Sub-region.

Yang highly appreciated the Cambodian government's adherence to the one-China policy, firm opposition to "Taiwan independence", condemnation of Taiwan's "referendum on U.N. membership" and support of China's peaceful reunification. Yang said China hopes to take the 50th anniversary of the China-Cambodia diplomatic relations and "China-Cambodia Year of Friendship" as an opportunity and work with Cambodia to push bilateral all-round cooperative partnership to a higher level.

On the same day, Hor Namhong, Deputy Prime Minister & Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Cambodia, held talks with Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi. Both sides during their meeting reached consensus in the following four aspects to further expand bilateral friendly cooperation. First, maintain high-level exchanges and consolidate the political basis of bilateral ties. They vowed to well hold activities to mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic ties between both countries and "China-Cambodia Year of Friendship". Second, further tap potential for cooperation, give play to complementary advantages and expand economic and trade cooperation for mutual benefit and a win-win situation. Cambodia supports Chinese businesses to actively participate in hydroelectric power stations, roads and other infrastructure construction in Cambodia. Third, improve exchanges and cooperation in the fields of diplomacy, culture, sports, public health, tourism and protection of cultural relics, and between localities, expand cooperation area and enrich China-Cambodia comprehensive cooperative partnership. Fourth, strengthen coordination and cooperation on such international and regional affairs as the reform of the UN Security Council, as well as ASEAN-China, ASEAN plus China, Japan and ROK and Great Mekong Sub-region cooperation to safeguard common interests of both sides.

With regard to the Taiwan question, the Cambodian side reaffirmed firm adherence to the one-China policy, holding that the separatist activities aimed at "Taiwan independence" pose severe threats to peace and stability of this region and any separatist attempts to split Taiwan from China are doomed to failure. The Cambodian side also expressed sincere sympathy and solicitude for Chinese people in snow stricken areas.

Yang arrived in Phnom Penh on January 31 for a three-day official visit to Cambodia.