Sunday, July 19, 2009

Reaction from the European Parliament in favour of democracy in Cambodia

July 17, 2009

MEMBERS OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
INTERVENE IN FAVOR OF DEMOCRACY IN CAMBODIA
Members of the European Parliament from the Liberal Group (ALDE) issued yesterday the following statement. The Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) is affiliated with Liberal International and many MEPs from ALDE have visited Cambodia to support democracy here.
SRP Cabinet
_______________________________________
Distribution: immediate - July 16, 2009, 1:03 pm

LIBERALS AND DEMOCRATS CALL FOR EU
TO UPHOLD HUMAN RIGHTS IN
CAMBODIA

Today the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) have tabled a question to the European Commission and Council demanding action to stand up for Cambodian opposition politicians, journalists and lawyers who are facing serious defamation charges for daring to criticise the governing authorities.

The ALDE political initiative comes in support of a UN Human Rights report published last month indicating an increasing use of defamation and disinformation lawsuits to undermine freedom of opinion in the country and stifle any criticism of the ruling elite or the Cambodian People's party which has a huge majority in the Cambodian Parliament.

In particular, in recent weeks the editor of a national newspaper (Khmer Mchas Srok) which has shown support for the opposition Sam Rainsy Party and published articles accusing the Deputy Prime Minister of corruption was arrested. Similarly, two deputies from the Sam Rainsy Party were stripped of their parliamentary immunity at the end of June and face a trial on 24th July.

Alexander Graf Lambsdorff (FDP, Germany) and ALDE first Vice-President initiated the appeal to EU leaders to intervene in defence of democracy in Cambodia with whom the European Union has had a trade and cooperation agreement since 1997. The first article of this agreement deals with "respect for democratic principles and fundamental human rights" which are to "inspire the internal and international policies of the EU and Cambodia" and which "constitute an essential element of the agreement".

"The EU has the vocation and obligation to export its values of democracy and human rights across the globe. Its soft power can and should be exerted through political and economic pressure on partner countries with which it has contractual relations," said Lambsdorff.

"We expect the Cambodian Government to drop its lawsuits against members of the opposition and we call on the European Union to send an observer to monitor the trial in Phnom Penh on 24th July of Mu Sochua, member of the Sam Rainsy opposition or any other politician facing similar charges."


The ALDE initiative has been co-signed by ALDE MEPs Niccolo Rinaldi (Italia dei Valori) and Annemie Neyts (OpenVLD, Belgium). See attached a copy of the full text of the parliamentary question.

Les Démocrates et les Libéraux exhortent l'UE à faire respecter des droits de l'homme au Cambodge

Texte en français non disponible.

For more information, please contact:
Neil Corlett: +33-3-88 17 41 67 or +32-478-78 22 84
e-mail: neil.corlett@europarl.europa.eu

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks all the European countries ,giving Samransy of hope and support.
May God bless Cambodia and punish the devils!

Anonymous said...

Mr Samrainsy you are Cambodia found father, you are Cambodian George Washinton. We love you, we respect you.

Anonymous said...

The ignorant people like Hun Sen it doesn't matter he try very hard with thousand of advisers but the devil acts will appearing in daylight difference from the scholar people like Sihaknuk Varamarn it take so long to find Sihaknuk is the king of communist creator and lead Cambodia get it the killing field path 75% of citizen still believe with good deed that this retire king
had done to Cambodia.
Sorry Khmer depend on these two khmer will wipe out
from the planet earth.

Anonymous said...

Democratic Kampuchea Pol Pot Khmer Rouge Regime had committed:

Tortures
Executions
Massacres
Atrocities
Crimes Against Humanity
Starvations
Overwork to Death
Slavery
Rapes
Human Abuses
Assault and Battery


Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime had committed:

Assassinations
Assassinate Journalists
Assassinate Political Opponents
Murders
Killings
Extrajudicial Execution
Grenade Attack
Terrorism
Drive by Shooting
Tortures
Intimidations
Death Threats
Threatening
Human Abductions
Human Rights Abuses
Human Trafficking
Drugs Trafficking
Under Age Child Sex
Corruptions
Bribery
Illegal Mass Evictions
Illegal Land Grabbing
Illegal Firearms
Illegal Logging
Illegal Deforestation
Illegally use of remote detonation on Sokha Helicopter, while Hok Lundy and others military official on board.
Illegally Sold State Properties
Illegally Remove Parliamentary Immunity of Parliament Members
Plunder National Resources
Acid Attacks
Turn Cambodia into a Lawless Country
Oppression
Injustice
Steal Votes
Bring Foreigners from Veitnam to vote in Cambodia for Cambodian People's Party.
Abuse the Court as a tools for CPP to send political opponents and journalists to jail.
Abuse of Power
Abuse the Laws
Abuse the National Election Committee
Abuse the National Assembly
Violate the Laws
Violate the Constitution
Violate the Paris Accords
Impunity

Under Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime, no criminals that has been committed all of these crimes above within Hun Sen Khmer Rouge government have ever been brought to justice.