100 Escape From Traffickers

At least 100 Cambodians have been rescued from Thai fishing boats in Indonesia over the last year. Cambodian fishermen repatriated from Indonesia (File photo: The Phnom Penh Post)

NGOs are concerned by the growing numbers of Cambodians enslaved on Thai fishing boats.

2012-02-09

Radio Free Asia

“Corruption at all levels continued to impede progress in combating trafficking and fostering an enabling environment for trafficking” - 2011 US Trafficking in Persons report on Cambodia

At least 100 Cambodians have escaped from forced labor conditions on Thai fishing boats over the past year, according to rights groups, highlighting an increasing and dangerous trend in human trafficking in the Southeast Asian region.

All of them were found in Indonesia, where the boats linked to Thai human trafficking syndicates usually anchor at a fishing port on eastern Ambon island.

Ninety-three of the Cambodians have been repatriated home.

Mom Sok Char of Cambodia-based nongovernmental organization Legal Support for Children and Women (LSCW) said that his organization had received a number of telephone calls over the last year from Cambodian nationals seeking help in Indonesia after escaping from the fishing vessels.

Opposition Officials Push US for More Support in Elections

Daniel Baer, US State Dept. Deputy Assistant Secretary
Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor

Tuesday, 10 January 2012
Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer | Phnom Penh

“We raised so many issues, including judiciary reform, land disputes, corruption and elections.”

A senior US official met with members of Cambodia’s opposition parties and other government officials on Tuesday to discuss ways forward toward free and fair elections later this year and next.

Daniel Baer, who is the US State Department’s deputy assistant secretary for democracy, human rights and labor, met with officials from government, the opposition Sam Rainsy and Human Rights parties and others, to discuss upcoming commune elections, which will be held in June 2012, and national elections, to be held next year.

Free and fair elections will require more funding of pro-democracy groups like the US-based International Republican Institute and the National Democratic Institute, Kem Sokha, president of the minority opposition Human Rights Party, told reporters after his meeting with Baer.

Other issues he raised included bias with the National Election Committee and local authorities for the ruling party, unequal media access, and fraud in voter identification, he said.

US envoy plans Thailand mission

William Burns will hold a "strategic dialogue" with officials in Bangkok

Thursday, July 15, 2010
AFP

WASHINGTON — A senior US envoy will head this week to Thailand for talks with the politically torn ally on a trip that will also take him to Cambodia, Indonesia and the Philippines, officials said Wednesday.

William Burns, the State Department's number three, will hold a "strategic dialogue" with officials in Bangkok on Friday and deliver a speech on US-Thai relations at Chulalongkorn University, the State Department said.

Thailand, the oldest US ally in Asia, is tense after street protests ended in a bloody army crackdown in May. The anti-government "Red Shirt" movement has supported US mediation, to which the government is opposed.

Burns will head Saturday to Phnom Penh for events marking the 60th anniversary of relations between Cambodia and the United States before heading to Indonesia, with which President Barack Obama has been seeking stronger ties.

He will round off his trip Monday and Tuesday in the Philippines, another close US ally, for talks with the new administration of President Benigno Aquino, the State Department said.

The Obama administration has sought to build relations with Southeast Asia, believing the previous George W. Bush administration neglected the comparatively calm region due to its preoccupation with Iraq and Afghanistan.

Burns's visit "to these Southeast Asian partners is an important element of the administration's commitment to increased and deepened engagement with this dynamic region," the State Department said in a statement.

Burns is the under secretary of state for political affairs, the top position for career US diplomats.

Under Secretary Burns' Travel to Southeast Asia

Office of the Spokesman
US Department of State
Washington, DC
July 14, 2010

Under Secretary of State Bill Burns will travel to Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, and the Philippines July 14-22. Under Secretary Burns’ visit to these Southeast Asian partners is an important element of the Administration’s commitment to increased and deepened engagement with this dynamic region.

In Bangkok on July 16, Under Secretary Burns will meet with senior government officials, including Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya with whom he’ll hold a Strategic Dialogue session to advance U.S.-Thai cooperation on bilateral, regional, and global issues of mutual interest. He will also deliver a speech at Chulalongkorn University on the U.S.-Thai alliance and cooperation in the region.

Under Secretary Burns will then travel to Phnom Penh on July 17 to participate in events to commemorate the 60th anniversary of U.S.-Cambodia bilateral relations. He will also meet with senior Cambodian officials to discuss our partnership with Cambodia and the region, including through the Lower Mekong Initiative.

In Jakarta (July 18-19), Under Secretary Burns will discuss our continued work with Indonesia to build the Comprehensive Partnership and intensify our cooperation on regional security challenges.

On July 20 and 21, Under Secretary Burns will travel to the Philippines to consult with senior officials in the new Aquino Administration and discuss ways to advance cooperation with this important ally.

Under Secretary Burns will return to Washington, DC, on July 22.

US Dept. of State 2009 Human Rights Report: Cambodia

Source: US Department of State

Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor

2009 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices

March 11, 2010

Cambodia is a constitutional monarchy with an elected government and a population of approximately 14 million. In the most recent national elections, held in July 2008, the Cambodian People's Party (CPP), led by Prime Minister Hun Sen, won 90 of 123 National Assembly seats. Most observers assessed that the election process improved over past elections but did not fully meet international standards. The CPP consolidated control of the three branches of government and other national institutions, with most power concentrated in the hands of the prime minister. Although civilian authorities nominally controlled the security forces, in many instances security forces acted under directives of the CPP leadership.

The government's human rights record remained poor. Security forces committed extrajudicial killings and acted with impunity. Detainees were abused, often to extract confessions, and prison conditions were harsh. Human rights monitors reported arbitrary arrests and prolonged pretrial detention, underscoring a weak judiciary and denial of the right to a fair trial. 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. Corruption was endemic. Domestic violence and child abuse occurred, education of children was inadequate, and trafficking in women and children persisted. The government offered little assistance to persons with disabilities. Antiunion activity by employers and weak enforcement of labor laws continued, and child labor in the informal sector remained a problem.

RESPECT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

Section 1 Respect for the Integrity of the Person, Including Freedom From:

a. Arbitrary or Unlawful Deprivation of Life

There were no reports that the government or its agents committed politically motivated killings; however, security forces reportedly committed extrajudicial killings, although significantly fewer than in previous years.

The Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association (ADHOC) reported 18 arbitrary killings, seven of which allegedly were committed by police, three by soldiers, one by a military police officer, and the remaining seven by local-level government officials. Police arrested suspects in at least four cases.

On March 4, Inn Pheang, a soldier in the military's Battalion 617, reportedly shot and killed opposition Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) activist Mang Vith during a dispute in Kampong Cham's Memot District. Sources agreed that Mang Vith was drunk at the time of the incident, and the two men exchanged words briefly before Inn Pheang opened fire. The soldier reached a settlement with the victim's family out of court.

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Terrorists might take advantage of the weakness of Cambodia, such as corruption, poverty and lax management of the border: US

Cambodia refutes U.S. underestimation of its anti-terrorism capability

PHNOM PENH, May 3 (Xinhua) -- The Cambodian Information Minister has refuted a U.S. State Department report about the country's capability of countering terrorism as "not 100 percent correct," national media said on Sunday.

The recently issued U.S. report about the global anti-terrorism situation claimed that terrorists might take advantage of the weakness of Cambodia, such as corruption, poverty and lax management of the border, to carry out illegal acts in its territory, despite the government had made a clear promise to crack down on this type of crime, the newspaper Jian Hua Daily quoted the minister as saying.

In addition, Cambodia lacked training and other resources to counter terrorism, it added.

Khieu Kanharith, also spokesman for the Cambodian government, said "there is no country in the world that can control its border with 100 percent accuracy, neither Cambodia."

However, "the government has established strong and trustworthy relations with different communities in order to nip any social violence in bud," the spokesman said.

Meanwhile, the newspaper also quoted a senior official of the Interior Minister as saying that there is minimum possibility that terrorists' acts occur in Cambodia, and fighting against money laundering should be the kingdom's priority in the anti-terrorism field.

According to official reports, no major terrorism case with global connection has occurred in the country so far.

US Neutral in Border Dispute: Official

By Kong Sothanarith, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
18 March 2009

A US State Department official told a group international relations students that the US remains neutral in the border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia.

Stephen Blake, the State Department director of the Office of Mainland Southeast Asia, who is on a three-day visit to Cambodia, was addressing questions by students of the Institute of International Relations at the Cambodian Royal Academy.

“We know there is an issue over the border between these two countries, and we have told the Thais and we have told [Cambodia] that …both sides should meet and to talk about it and to try to solve it peacefully,” he said. “I don’t think you have to worry about the US intervening in any way, or doing something on behalf of one side or another.”

Cambodian and Thai troops remain in a standoff at the border near Preah Vihear temple, with both sides claiming a piece of the border nearby.

Both sides have failed to bring a resolution in rounds of negotiations. Border committees on both sides will meet in Phnom Penh April 6 and April 7 for more talks.

“If we agree, we can dispatch specialists for demarcating the Preah Vihear area,” Cambodian Border Committee Chairman Var Kimhong told VOA Khmer Wednesday. “We wish for the Thai side to have the will to solve the problem.”

Negotiations have broken down in the past because Thailand continues to adhere to a map drawn up with the US Army in the 1960s, but Cambodia follows a map drawn during the French colonial period, in the early 1900s.

Military officials on the border said Wednesday the situation remains quiet.

Cambodian government rejects U.S. human rights report [-PPenh: Deny! Deny! Deny!]

PHNOM PENH, March 16 (Xinhua) -- The Cambodian government has condemned that a human rights report recently issued by the U.S. State Department didn't reflect the reality of Cambodia, said official news agency AKP on Monday.

"The 2008 Country Report on Human Rights Practices on Cambodia issued by the U.S. State Department seems to be a routine that has nothing to do with human rights reality in Cambodia, and appears to be almost a carbon copy of the reports of the previous years with a few cosmetic changes here and there," the Agence Kampuchea Presse quoted a spokesman of the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation as saying in a statement.

The report contains a number of unsubstantiated assertions which appear to rely on misleading information supplied by certain organizations, which are monitored and financially supported by certain foreign countries, said the spokesman.

He clarified that "it is very normal in democratic countries that political party which wins landslide victory in democratic elections has to lead the country, and there is nothing unusual about such democratic practice everywhere in the world."

"There is simply never 'extra-judicial killing' by security forces in Cambodia as mentioned in the report. This is only vulgarlie," he said.

"With regard to the freedom of speech and press in Cambodia, one only needs to read and see how the ubiquitous opposition newspapers attack the Royal Government of Cambodia. Even the newspapers written in foreign languages, financed and managed by foreigners do not have the slightest reservation or hesitation in criticizing the Royal Government of Cambodia," he added.

The spokesman also explained the so-called "unlawful forced eviction," saying that "one must ponder whether there is any country in the world which allows squatters to take over possession of or occupy permanently private properties or public areas such as public gardens, sidewalk and streets."

"Finally, if enforcing rules to maintain public order is construed as human rights violation, then what does one have to say in terms of human rights respect on the condition in the secret prisons of a certain country where torture of prisoners is practiced as reported in the media?" added the spokesman in the statement.

Hor 5 Hong's MFA rejects US criticisms on human rights issues, however, the wording used sounds strangely like those of Hor 5 Bora

Demolition workers for the 7NG company are obligated "to negotiate with the squatters in order to make appropriate resettlement arrangement," Hor 5 Hong's ministry of Foreign Affairs claimed -sic!-

The ministry of Foreign Affairs rejects US criticisms on human rights issues

15 March 2009
By Ky Soklim Cambodge Soir Hebdo Translated from French by Luc Sâr Click here to read the article in Khmer

The ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) issued a press communiqué on Friday 13 March, i.e. exactly two weeks to the date after the US Department of State issued a scathing report on human rights conditions in Cambodia. Like every year, the US thrashed the lack of human rights respect by the Cambodian government. The US singled out forced evictions, lynching scenes, endemic corruption and regular threats issued to human rights defenders in Cambodia. The MFA called these criticisms “baseless”. The MFA denies all attacks on freedom of expression in Cambodia by citing as example the existence of opposition newspapers published in Khmer, as well as foreign-language periodicals that “do not hesitate to harshly criticize the government.” The MFA also denies the alleged abuses exacted by the police forces. Regarding the forced evictions, the MFA declared: “Which country in the world is forced like us to negotiate with squatters who occupy public land? We strive to find the best possible solution.”
------

Statement of the Spokesman of The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Kingdom of Cambodia

13/03/2009

The “2008 Country Report on Human Rights Practices” on Cambodia issued by the US State Department seems to be a routine that has nothing to do with human rights reality in Cambodia, and appears to be almost a carbon copy of the reports of the previous years with a few cosmetic changes here and there.

The report contains a number of unsubstantiated assertions which appear to be relied on misleading information supplied by certain organizations, which are monitored and financially supported by certain foreign countries.

In this connection, the spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation wishes to make clarifications on some issues raised in the report as follows:

• First, it is very normal in democratic countries that political party which wins landslide victory in democratic elections has to lead the country; and there is nothing unusual about such democratic practice everywhere in the world.
• Second, there is simply never “extrajudicial killing” by security forces in Cambodia as mentioned in the report. This is only vulgar lie.
• Third, with regard to the freedom of speech and press in Cambodia, one only need to read and see how the ubiquitous opposition newspapers attack the Royal Government of Cambodia. Even the newspapers written in foreign languages, financed and managed by foreigners do not have the slightest reservation or hesitation in criticizing the Royal Government of Cambodia.
• Fourth, for the so-called “unlawful forced eviction”, one must ponder whether there is any country in the world which allows squatters to takeover possession of or occupy permanently private properties or public areas such as public gardens, sidewalk and streets. Nonetheless, in the recent cases in Cambodia, the owners of the occupied private properties were always obligated to negotiate with the squatters in order to make appropriate resettlement arrangement. At the same time, notice had always been given well in advance in order to facilitate a smooth process of resettlement. For instance, as reported by the Phnom Penh Post news paper on 11 March 2009, an overwhelming majority of families from the Dey Kramham community has accepted housing at a relocation site. Furthermore, the RGC has put in place a “Social Land Concession Policy”, providing poor and landless people with access to plots of land which they can now own. Presently, approximately 4000 hectares of land in Kratie province and 870 hectares in Kampong Cham Province have been registered as state private land and allocated to the landless poor for housing and family farming. At the same time, around 10,118 hectares of land in Kampog Thom province have been proposed for the same purpose. The implementation of this policy will be expanded all over the country, in order improve the livelihood of the poor and alleviate poverty reduction as set out in the Rectangular Strategy of the Royal Government of Cambodia.

Finally, if enforcing rules to maintain public order is construed as human rights violation, then what does one have to say in terms of human rights respect on the condition in the secret prisons of a certain country where torture of prisoners is practiced as reported in the media such as the Nation on 4 and 10 March 2009 and the Bangkok Post on 4 March 2009?

Cambodia To Host Peacekeeping Training Operation In 2010

PHNOM PENH, March 5 (Bernama) -- Cambodia will host a multinational peacekeeping exercise in 2010, as part of a U.S. State Department program, China's Xinhua news agency quoted a U.S. Embassy spokesman John Johnson as saying in a local daily Thursday.

"The Royal Government of Cambodia has agreed to host a multilateral peacekeeping training event in 2010 as part of the Global Peace Operations Initiative (GPOI)... an annual Capstone training event attended by GPOI member nations and other regional and international partners," said Johnson.

The event will provide training in line with the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations, including "field tactical and command post operations," but the formal planning and preparation for the exercise will not begin until late this year, he added.

Nem Sowath, cabinet chief of the Cambodian Ministry of National Defense, confirmed that the country would host the GPOI Capstone event with U.S. assistance sometime next year.

"It is not a military exercise involving offensive maneuvers, but will train armed forces for peacekeeping operations," he added.

Pol Saroeun, Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF), also confirmed that the country will host the operation in 2010, but said that the Ministry of National Defense is coordinating the nations that will be involved, which he expects will include ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) member states.

Cambodia once joined international military exercises respectively in Bangladesh and Mongolia and also sent peacekeepers to Sudan for de-mining operations under the UN umbrella.

In April 2008, 40 Cambodian soldiers participated in a 3-week multi-national peacekeeping exercise in Bangladesh.

The U.S.-led mission was named "Ambassador of Peace" and involved some 400 soldiers from 12 countries, including Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Nepal, Brunei, Mongolia, Tonga, Cambodia and the U.S.

In July 2007, 43 Cambodian soldiers took part in a military exercise for UN peacekeeping mission in Mongolia.

In addition, Cambodia sent 135 deminers to Sudan in 2006 for UN peacekeeping mission, and then 139 in June 2007 to replace the old ones. The deminers were renewed again in 2008.

U.S. Supports Cambodia Tribunal [-The US still dreams of clean ECCC]

25 September 2008
VOA Editorials

The following is an editorial reflecting the views of the US Government

Click here to listen to the audio program in Khmer

The United States Department of State has announced that it intends to work with Congress to provide $1.8 million to Cambodia's cash-strapped Khmer Rouge war crimes court. If approved, it would be the first U.S. donation to the U.N.-backed genocide tribunal aimed at trying regime leaders. The court faces a shortfall of $40 million. Foreign donors have been reluctant to provide additional funds due to the allegations of graft and corruption by the court.

U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack says the Cambodian tribunal has taken important steps to clean up corruption:

"While the court still has more to do, the ECCC [Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia] has made significant strides to overcome international concerns about corruption, mismanagement, and political influence, including adding a new international deputy administrator, strengthening management practices, and establishing procedures to deal with allegations of wrongdoing."

"Nonetheless," said Mr. McCormack, "the court must still take appropriate steps to address the current allegations and hold responsible those involved."

Much is at stake for the Cambodian people. The war crimes court is a means of long-delayed justice for those who suffered under the Khmer Rouge government. The regime was responsible for the deaths of more than 1,700,000 Cambodians from torture, executions, starvation, and forced labor between 1975 and 1979.

The United States strongly supports bringing to justice senior leaders responsible for the atrocities committed under the Communist Khmer Rouge regime.

Virtually all of Cambodia's 13 million people have relatives who perished under the Khmer Rouge. In order for the country to move forward, it is vital that Khmer Rouge leaders be held accountable for their crimes. Respect for the rule of law and the existence of institutions of justice are Cambodia's best defense against future abuses and a fitting memorial to those who lost their lives or loved ones to the Khmer Rouge.

Senior US State Official To Meet With Leaders

By Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Original report from Washington
29 August 2008

When John Negroponte, a senior US State Department official, arrives in Cambodia for an official visit next month, he will encounter human rights groups unhappy with a host of problems and tension between the ruling party and opposition still battling over July's election.

Negroponte, Deputy Secretary of State, is one of the highest-ranking US officials to travel to Cambodia in recent years.

Over three days starting Sept. 14, he will meet with government officials, opposition leaders and representatives of civil society, the embassy said.

"I really think that the fact that the Secretary is coming is a sign that our relationship is strengthening," US Embassy spokesman John Johnson said. The visit "will serve to deepen the ties between our two countries."

Kek Galabru, president of the rights group Licadho, said Thursday civic organizations hoped to raise a number of issues with Negroponte, including irregularities in July's election.

"The NGOs would raise the issues of land disputes, freedom of information, freedom of assembly, freedom of expression, for example, the killing of journalist Khim Sambor, domestic violence, rape and human trafficking," she said.

Negroponte's visit will come ahead of a scheduled swearing-in ceremony for newly elected National Assembly members that the Sam Rainsy and Human Rights parties have threatened to boycott, potentially deadlocking the formation of the government.

Both parties maintain the elections were fraudulent, with a high number of irregularities occurring ahead of the polls and on Election Day.

Trafficking Efforts Improving: US

By Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
05 June 2008

Click here to listen to the program in Khmer

Cambodia does not fully comply with US standards on curbing human trafficking, but it has done enough in the past year to be taken off a "watch list," officials said Thursday.

In the US State Department's annual Trafficking in Persons report, Cambodia was upgraded to "tier 2" status.

Cambodia "is making significant efforts" to comply with minimum standards, according to the report. Cambodia has not enjoyed "tier 2" status since 2004, but was raised due to "increased engagement in combating trafficking in persons over the previous year," the report says.

Interior Minister Sar Kheng said he appreciated the evaluation on human trafficking, and he said the government planned to do more in the future to curb the illegal practice.

Rotary Clubs Taste Wine for Mine Awareness

By Nuch Sarita, VOA Khmer
Original report from Washington
19 May 2008

A crowd of business professionals, students and others in the Washington, DC area gathered last week for an evening of wine, delicacies and Cambodian entertainment—as well as landmine awareness.

The wine tasting event, sponsored by nine Rotary Club branches with partners Halo Trust and the US State Department’s Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement, brought everyone together at the Cambodian Embassy in Washington.

“I hope other people realize the impact that this kind of project will have to help the people in Cambodia,” said Poonam Chhunchha, a recent graduate of the University of Maryland, College Park, who helped re-start the Rotaract Club at the school, serving as president and vice president. “This is the first time the young professionals and students have ever done an event such as this one, and all the money we raise tonight through silent and live auctions and through ticket sales will go directly to Cambodia.”

Cambodia remains peppered with landmines, despite many years of efforts by deminers such as Halo Trust.

Brendan Adams, the executive director of Rotaract District 7620's project for mine action in Cambodia, said the May 9 event raised more than $13,000. The U.S. State Department is doing a one-to-two matching grant for these funds, which will be donated to Halo Trust for demining efforts in northwestern Cambodia.

Jim Lawrence, an official at the State Department's Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement, said removing landmines from Cambodia remains an important activity.

“The biggest area of effort is three-fold,” he said. “One, you tackle the problem directly by clearance on the ground, removing landmines, saving lives. At the same time, you know that you can’t clear the whole country overnight, so you try through risk education programs on TV, in print media and puppet shows and cartoons, to educate the population, particularly children, about how to live safely and stay smart in the contaminated areas. And unfortunately, the third part of our program is to treat victims of the accidents who need medical attention and a prosthetic limb and so forth.”

The demining effort was “an extraordinary opportunity to connect the American people with the world at large, outside our borders,” he said, “and get them to think and focus a little more broadly than just their local community.”

Chhunchha said some of the Rotaractors will be going to Cambodia in August and November to see how far the project is coming along.

Sam Rainsy Meets With U.S. Assistant Secretary Of State Christopher Hill in Washington

22 April 2008
Source: SRP Cabinet

Cambodian opposition leader Sam Rainsy met this afternoon in Washington D.C. with Christopher Hill, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs. Deputy Assistant Secretary Scot Marcial also took part in the meeting at the State Department. They discussed the worrisome environment and mechanics of the forthcoming national elections to be held in Cambodia on 27 July 2008, as well as the necessity to promote good governance in that country with the adoption and the effective implementation of a long overdue anti-corruption law. Another topic is related to problems that hinder progress in the proceedings at the Khmer Rouge Tribunal.

Two Rights Groups Back US Report

By Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Washington
18 March 2008

Members of Cambodia's two prominent rights groups said Monday they support a US State Department report that said Cambodia's rights record in 2007 remained poor.

The US cited extrajudicial killings, impunity, forced evictions and the lack of freedom of speech and assembly as reasons for its annual findings.

Ny Chakrya, chief of the monitoring unit for the rights group Adhoc, said Monday the government's denial of the report was not unexpected, but it was important that the public see the results.

Ny Chakrya joined Licadho technical supervisor Am Sam Ath for "Hello VOA" Monday to discuss Cambodia's reaction to the report.

Both guests denied the timing of the report's release had to do with Cambodia's upcoming national elections.

With a half-blind controlling power, Cambodia couldn't see what's wrong with its human rights record

Cambodia rejects U.S. human rights assessment

PHNOM PENH, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia has dismissed a U.S. report on the country's human rights record, saying that the annual report to the U.S. congress entirely contradicts the true reality in the country, the Cambodia Daily newspaper reported Friday.

The Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a statement in response of the U.S. report, saying "we have found that many of the accusations contained in this report do not even exist or are simply over exaggerated."

"We certainly recognize that human rights in Cambodia are not perfect. But is there any perfect human rights situation anywhere in the world?" the statement said, adding that the report relied too heavily on the views of anti-government NGOs (Non-Government Organizations) and appeared timed to coincide with the national election.

Cambodia fully does not believe that the country will ever receive a good mark unless the Cambodian government has "affectionate" relations with the United States, the statement said.

The annual report, release by the U.S. State Department on Wednesday, said an array of human rights guarantees were lacking in Cambodia and that the country's human rights record "remained poor."

Cambodia rebuffs US call to repay millions of dollars in debt from the 1970s

2008-02-15

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) - Cambodia has more pressing concerns than repaying millions of dollars (euros) it owes the United States, a government spokesman said Friday, rebuffing Washington's latest demand for settlement of loans from the 1970s.

«We have many affairs to attend to,» said government spokesman Khieu Kanharith, noting that repaying US$339 million (€230 million) to the U.S. was not high on Cambodia's priority list.

The comments came a day after Scot Marciel, the U.S. State Department's deputy assistant secretary for East Asian and Pacific affairs, urged Cambodia to sign a draft agreement on repaying the debt. Marciel made the remarks Thursday in Washington in testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Committee's Subcommittee on Asia.

The outstanding debt stems from rice, cotton and other agricultural commodities financed by low-interest loans the U.S. provided to Cambodia during the regime of Gen. Lon Nol in the early 1970s.

Lon Nol came to power in a 1970 coup that ousted Prince Norodom Sihanouk. The United States was the main financial and military supporter of Lon Nol's regime until it was toppled by the genocidal Khmer Rouge movement in April 1975.

The two countries have not yet come up with a repayment plan, partly because the Cambodian government refuses to accept responsibility for debts incurred by the Lon Nol regime, and partly because of a disagreement over the amount of debt owed, Marciel said.

After years of deadlock, Cambodia agreed «in principle with the amount of principal it owed» in 2006 but then refused to sign a draft bilateral agreement drawn up by the U.S., Marciel said. Cambodia has subsequently demanded additional concessions, including a lower interest rate, he said.

About US$154 million (€105 million) of the debt «would be due immediately,» if the 2006 agreement is implemented this year, he said.

Khieu Kanharith said immediate payback was unlikely.

«Even if we have to repay it, we can't repay it because that would severely affect our financial and economic situation,» he said.

Despite recent economic growth, Cambodia still relies on hundreds of millions of dollars (euros) in annual foreign assistance for development.

The government spokesman added that the United States «has not compensated the Cambodian people» for its bombing of Cambodia during the Vietnam war either.

The difficulties Cambodia faces today as it tries to rebuild after more than two decades of civil war «are also partly the result of the American bombing.

On the Web: www.state.gov/p/eap/rls/rm/2008/02/100891.htm

US State Dept releases: Foreign Relations of the United States, 1969–1976, Volume XVIII, China, 1973–1976

Media Note
Office of the Spokesman
US Department of State
Washington, DC
February 12, 2008

Office of the Historian, Bureau of Public Affairs Release of Foreign Relations, Volume XVIII, China, 1973–1976

Click here to read this document in PDF (3.7MB)
(Right click to save the document)

The Department of State released today Foreign Relations of the United States, 1969–1976, Volume XVIII, China, 1973–1976. This volume documents fluctuations in Sino-American relations, ranging from the euphoria lingering from President Nixon’s visit to China in 1972, to the practical challenges of normalizing diplomatic relations between Washington and Beijing.

Like all recent Foreign Relations volumes in the Nixon-Ford subseries, the emphasis of this volume is on policy formulation, rather than the implementation of policy or day-to-day diplomacy. Influence on major U.S. foreign policy decisions was generally restricted to a small circle including the President, Henry Kissinger, and some influential officials they trusted. During this period, control over U.S. China policy shifted from the White House to the Department of State as a result of the Watergate crisis, the appointment of Kissinger as Secretary of State, the resignation of Nixon as President, and Kissinger’s involuntary resignation as Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs. The chapters of this volume integrate documents about U.S. relations with the People’s Republic of China and with Taiwan, reflecting the fact that the former government received much more attention from high-level American policymakers than did the latter. The central theme of the volume is the effort to strengthen and formalize the U.S.-PRC relationship, which had been established during 1971 and 1972 after decades of bitter estrangement, and the concurrent disestablishment of formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, a task that remained unfinished at the end of the Ford Administration. The primary means of improving relations during these years were long conversations between U.S. and PRC leaders, recorded in memoranda of conversation, which were supposed to initiate—but at this time generally substituted for—a more developed and institutionalized relationship.

The volume is divided into five chapters. The first chapter, from January until May 1973, documents the establishment of unofficial liaison offices in Washington and Beijing, the most concrete achievement of the 1973–1976 period. Both sides expressed their desire to normalize relations by 1976. In retrospect, however, Kissinger’s February 1973 visit to the People’s Republic of China proved to be the acme of Sino-American relations during these years. Although the United States and China agreed to finesse the Taiwan dispute and formed a tacit anti-Soviet alliance, the two countries did not agree on the war in Cambodia or the wisdom of détente with the Soviet Union. The second chapter, containing documents from June 1973 until August 1974, indicates that domestic politics in both countries threatened the still-fragile Sino-American relationship. In China, aftershocks from the Cultural Revolution and the death of Lin Biao, as well as the aging of China’s leadership, raised doubts about the stability of Chinese foreign policy. This chapter also reveals U.S. efforts to reassure Chinese leaders baffled by Watergate and fearful that American policy would become erratic. In addition, China was dissatisfied with the pace of U.S. disengagement from formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Meanwhile, an early example of economic competition is revealed through the fears of U.S. textile manufacturers that they would be hurt by increased American trade with China. The third chapter, with documents from September 1974 until July 1975, covers the Sino-American effort to re-establish the momentum toward normalization. Along these lines, the United States attempted to reconcile the improvement of Sino-American relations with the preservation of Taiwanese security through such policies as a careful diminution of U.S.-Taiwanese military links. Nonetheless, the United States and China continued to bicker over the subjects of détente and Cambodia. The fourth chapter, which covers the period from August to December 1975, includes the planning for Ford’s trip to Beijing, and the details of the actual trip itself. China experts within the U.S. Government asserted that the President should attempt to normalize relations quickly, but Kissinger believed that such a policy would produce a right-wing backlash against Ford that would endanger the Administration’s effectiveness and reelection. The Chinese Government agreed to host Ford without a prior agreement for rapid normalization, and the visit maintained existing friendly relations, while breaking little new ground. The final chapter, containing documents from January 1976 until January 1977, reveals how domestic political developments in both countries distracted policy makers from the Sino-American relationship. By January 1977, the change of leadership in both countries had been so dramatic that there seemed little doubt that the Sino-American relationship was entering a new era. During these years, relations between the United States and China were conducted at the highest political level, which meant that incapacitation of the top leadership tended to bring progress to a standstill. More than most volumes in the Foreign Relations series, this one documents the influence of domestic politics on foreign policy. However, despite numerous obstacles and failures, each country’s troubled relationship with the Soviet Union produced a continual impetus to improve the Sino-American relationship.

The volume and this press release are available on the Office of the Historian website at http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ho/frus/nixon/xviii. Copies of the volume will be available for purchase from the U.S. Government Printing Office online at http://bookstore.gpo.gov (GPO S/N 044–000–02612–1; ISBN 978–0–16–077110–1), or by calling toll-free 1-866-512-1800 (D.C. area 202-512-1800). For further information contact Edward Keefer, General Editor of the Foreign Relations series, at (202) 663–1131 or by e-mail to history@state.gov.