Vong Sokheng and Will Baxter
The Phnom Penh Post
THE ambassador to the United Kingdom has accused Global Witness of pursuing “a ferocious politically motivated campaign against the government of Cambodia” after the international watchdog said a US$28 million payment made by a French oil company lacked transparency.
Hor Nambora issued a statement on Friday condemning the group, one day after it said the issue of extractive industries payments must be addressed when donors meet with the government in June.
“The people of Cambodia and governments who give development assistance have a legitimate right to know what happened to that money,” Global Witness said in a statement.
Eleanor Nichol, a campaigner for Global Witness, said Sunday that the group stood by the statement, and added: “The easiest way to clarify this issue would be for the Cambodian government to publicly issue details on this payment and others made by companies.”
Penelope Semavoine, a spokeswoman for Total, confirmed last Thursday that the company had paid a $20 million signature bonus in January to the Cambodia National Petroleum Authority and had earmarked an additional $8 million for a social development fund in order to secure exploration rights to the 2,430-square-kilometre offshore block designated Area III.
Prime Minister Hun Sen referred to the Total deal in a speech last week, comparing it to a payment he said had been made by mining giant BHP Billiton, which has recently launched an internal inquiry that some have speculated concerns its work in Cambodia.
Global Witness has been a frequent target of Hor Nambora, who routinely goes after groups and media outlets he accuses of being unfairly critical of the Cambodian government.
In his most recent statement, the ambassador said, “It’s time Global Witness was stopped in its tracks and forced to explain and justify its campaign of smear and hatred against the Cambodian government and Cambodian people.”
Hor Nambora issued a statement on Friday condemning the group, one day after it said the issue of extractive industries payments must be addressed when donors meet with the government in June.
“The people of Cambodia and governments who give development assistance have a legitimate right to know what happened to that money,” Global Witness said in a statement.
Eleanor Nichol, a campaigner for Global Witness, said Sunday that the group stood by the statement, and added: “The easiest way to clarify this issue would be for the Cambodian government to publicly issue details on this payment and others made by companies.”
Penelope Semavoine, a spokeswoman for Total, confirmed last Thursday that the company had paid a $20 million signature bonus in January to the Cambodia National Petroleum Authority and had earmarked an additional $8 million for a social development fund in order to secure exploration rights to the 2,430-square-kilometre offshore block designated Area III.
Prime Minister Hun Sen referred to the Total deal in a speech last week, comparing it to a payment he said had been made by mining giant BHP Billiton, which has recently launched an internal inquiry that some have speculated concerns its work in Cambodia.
Global Witness has been a frequent target of Hor Nambora, who routinely goes after groups and media outlets he accuses of being unfairly critical of the Cambodian government.
In his most recent statement, the ambassador said, “It’s time Global Witness was stopped in its tracks and forced to explain and justify its campaign of smear and hatred against the Cambodian government and Cambodian people.”
7 comments:
ambassador hor bora or cambodia set a good example for ambassadors of cambodia. yes, you should defend cambodia and have cambodia interest. good job, ambassador bora. i wish more khmer ambassadors are like you. god bless.
Ambassador Hor 5 Bora? this gang is the youn mafia in Khmer ambassy in London!!
Isn't it ashame that foreigners care about cambodian interests more than Cambodian so-called "elites" do? Hor Nambora desn't give a damn about the interest of Cambodia. His main purpose to be ambassador is to protect Hun Sen's and his CPP's interests. It's quite easy to discredit Global Witness by just open the book and let independant auditors look at it to see where the money go?, in Hun Sen's account or other CPP big shots' accounts? Or does the money go into the cambodian treasury that is always in the red due to rotten-to-the-bones corruption, and always in need of more foreign aids?
With help from outside exactely like it is, even monkeys, as Prime minister and ministers, Cambodia would be better than today because
CPP government does nothing different from corruption. It has nothing to vaunt.
Why I alway see foreigner speak up about corruption in Cambodia? Why Cambodian people do not stand up for them self? It's time for all Khmers who live inside Cambodia to stand up and fight for their freedom of speech, human rights and democracy.
" what is done by night appears by day ".
The donors country or the so call international community has failed to force Hun Sen to uplift the freedom of Cambodia in fact it is now getting worst every institution in Cambodia are now tightly controlled by the oppressed authority, the only time they appear to do something is when the meeting with donors nations is closed, Hun Sen government simply picked a few scape goat to put the blame on and viola it's business as usual, the money flowing in everyone is happy and Hun Sen Government would go back to business as usual turning a blind eye to the destruction of the Cambodia... The opposition is also another issue they seems to pick around the time when the donors meeting is due get himself into trouble then he would become the bargaining chip for Hun Sen to use, is it smart move to let himself for Hun Sen government to take advantage of? He must change tack this approach clearly is not working, it simply legitimized Hun Sen goverment in the eyes of those blind donors.
We Cambodian must come together to build a class action case against those donors country for ignoring the obvious abuse of power and for contributing the strengthening the CPP strong hold by providing the the live line for this corrupt, oppress regime.
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