‘The Rule of Murderers and Thieves’

(Photo: Heng Sinith / AP)

"Hun Sen thinks he is a giant who can sit on a volcano and keep it down, but it could blow at any moment" - Opposition leader Sam Rainsy

A Cambodian opposition leader has little hope that his country's upcoming election will be free or fair. Why he's fighting hard anyway.

Rainsy believes the West is losing its leverage in Cambodia

Jul 23, 2008
Eric Pape
Newsweek Web Exclusive

Cambodia was once the grand international project. Before the upheavals of Iraq, Afghanistan and the Balkans, the global community launched an ambitious plan to heal a ruined country through diplomacy, development and democracy. It's been an uneven road--littered with hundreds of bodies, questionable elections and billions of aid dollars.

The next milestone comes on July 27, the day Cambodians will take part in national polls to choose a prime minister for the third time since 1993, when the United Nations oversaw one of the biggest electoral projects in its history. Outside Cambodia, the world may be focusing on whether a war-crimes tribunal will finally bring some hint of justice for the 1.8 million victims of the Khmer Rouge nearly three decades after the regime fell, but inside the country voters have more pressing concerns: rising inflation, glaring corruption (including government-backed land seizures) and an ever-larger gap between the wealthy and the dirt-poor.

A dozen parties qualified to run parliamentary candidates, but two main contenders for the premiership stand out. The People's Party of incumbent Prime Minister Hun Sen--a former communist and one-time low-level Khmer Rouge commander who remains an intimidating presence after more than two decades in power--holds 73 seats. The other is Sam Rainsy, a former finance minister who has long railed against corruption and was almost killed during a hit-squad attack during a 1997 protest. (A quick-moving bodyguard sacrificed his life by jumping in front of Rainsy; he was among the 13 confirmed dead.) Rainsy's party, which currently holds 24 parliamentary seats, appears likely to benefit from internal divisions in the royalist FUNCINPEC party, which currently holds 26 seats and is the junior partner in the current coalition government. But given Hun Sen's near absolute control of Cambodian television, radio, the courts and the electoral structures that validate elections, any meaningful decline in his power would amount to a stunning blow.

NEWSWEEK's Eric Pape spoke by cell phone with Cambodia's opposition leader about his third run against archrival Hun Sen, the "curse" of oil discoveries and the rise of Chinese influence. Excerpts:

NEWSWEEK: As with the last three elections, rights groups are reporting political murders of government opponents during this campaign…
Sam Rainsy: [Last week] a journalist from the Khmer Conscience newspaper, Khim Sambo, and his 21-year-old son, were killed near the Olympic Market in Phnom Penh by a motorcycle hit squad. These are the sixth and seventh murders linked to politics in this campaign.

But [Hun Sen allies] also threaten villagers. "And if you vote for the opposition," they are told, "there could be civil war; your homes could be destroyed." They can lose their livelihoods, even their cows.

How is this campaign different from the last three?
There is less killing, less violence and more subtle tricks to disenfranchise. Many people's names are not on the voter rolls. All of the government's supporters will have the right to vote--and they have "ghost voters" to inflate those numbers--but many others will not be able to vote.

What do you expect to happen on Election Day?
The [ruling People's Party] will organize something very exceptional; otherwise their result will be very bad. So they threaten and buy off party agents [party appointees who help monitor the election], so that they turn a blind eye to cheating. This leads to another problem: there are a few hundred international observers for 15,000 polling and ballot-counting stations; how can they guarantee a fair election?

The final results depend on the degree of manipulation. If we can prevent, resist or overcome this, we will have more votes than last time. But in the end, if they use violence, manipulation and money to buy party agents and neutralize observers, they can proclaim any result that they want.

Is your campaigning causing you trouble in Cambodian courts?
There are lawsuits accusing me of insulting the country's leaders. I publicized a report by [environmental watchdog] Global Witness that was banned in Cambodia because it describes some leaders as "thieves." So I said: "Our leaders are thieves, according to Global Witness." I mentioned it, so I may be liable to five fines of up to 10 million riels [$2,410 each]. But people who steal from the country are thieves.

Hun Sen recently said that he had stopped talking to the opposition because they only insult him.
If Hun Sen doesn't talk to the opposition, I don't mind. As long as he doesn't kill the opposition.

Why is Hun Sen still prime minister after a quarter century?
He is clever and very gifted. He is a survivor, but survival means there is no vision. You eliminate or weaken opponents, but he is leading the country nowhere. This can't last forever. There is growing unemployment, accelerating inflation, ongoing land grabs, continuing poverty, the using-up of natural resources. There are economic crimes and impunity for violent crimes and assassinations. It is the rule of murderers and thieves.

How will the discovery of oil deposits affect Cambodia?
If things stay as they are, it will mean more problems and instability, more corruption and poverty. It will be a curse--unless there is more pressure for Cambodia to become a real democracy. Then these new resources could be used to develop the country and its human resources, to strengthen democracy. But if Hun Sen remains in power, we will go the way of Nigeria.

How has the international role in Cambodia evolved?
Hun Sen needs the recognition of the West, but he no longer needs its money. China brings money to Cambodia without taking an interest in human rights or democratic conditions. And it is lucrative for China here; they enjoy the natural resources. In different forms, China is probably the largest investor in Cambodia. You can see it even in education now. There are hundreds of Chinese schools, recently built, with funds from Chinese authorities. And more and more Chinese companies come in "under the table."

The West is losing its power here. And when we get oil revenues, Western countries' leverage will be even smaller. There are just a few more years now when Western countries can still press for change. After that, it will be impossible. So the will of the Cambodian people must be expressed properly now. If the West allows it to be distorted again, it is the worst service they could render to Cambodians.

Is it possible to have a free election in Cambodia?
No. You have to measure the degree of unfairness. The question is: how unfair and how unfree?

Can you campaign?
We don't have access to broadcast media, and we have to rely on word of mouth, and there are dangers, but we still try.

You accuse the government of cheating in each election; why do you keep running for office?
If we persevere we will reach our goal in time. Despite the problems, our vote increases in each election. And even the most powerful dictators make mistakes. Who predicted the fall of the Soviet Union and its disintegration? They were much more powerful than Cambodia's leaders.

There is a wave of change, in mentalities and expectations. People say: We've had nearly 30 years of Hun Sen. They say, "K'plo," "change, change, change." Hun Sen thinks he is a giant who can sit on a volcano and keep it down, but it could blow at any moment.

Report Says Cambodia Media Subject to Political Pressures, Bias

By Rory Byrne
Voice of America
Phnom Penh
27 May 2008

With just two months to go before a general election in Cambodia, a report on the news media says that local journalists regularly face interference from the business and political elite. It says journalists work in a climate of fear in Cambodia and that there is impunity for those who threaten or kill them, allegations the government rejects. Rory Byrne has more from Phnom Penh.

The report found that over half of Cambodian journalists live in fear of physical or legal attack. Most say they are pressured to cover stories with a political bias.

"They have political bias because the conditions that they work push them to do that, you know, because their newspaper were supported by one political party, but mostly the ruling party," said Kek Galabru, the president of Licadho, the Cambodian rights group that produced the report.

All of Cambodia's television stations, and the bulk of its radio stations, are owned by people close to the ruling Cambodian People's Party. Galabru says the owners use those outlets to gain political advantage.

"Concerning the electronic media - the government controls (it) very tightly," Galabru noted. "They know that it makes a big impact on the public opinion. There is no single one - concerning television - that belongs to (an) independent voice."

With the election in July, campaign observers complain about what they call excessive pro-government content on the airwaves. Koul Panha is heads the Committee for Free and Fair Elections.

"The election process in Cambodia [does] not reach to international standard [for a] free and fair election," Panha said. "The key measure of importance is the media - equal access to the media. But in the Cambodian context it's not like that - you can see the TV - 84 percent of political coverage is still in favor to the ruling party."

The minister of information, Khieu Kanharith, denies that the media favors the government.

"You know the people criticizing this, or assert these allegations, most of the time they are not really journalists," Kanharith said. "They don't understand the job or sometimes they didn't listen to the radio or watch the TV. And if everyone can read Khmer, or listen [to] Khmer, they know well that we have real freedom here."

The Licadho report also says there is little risk for those who threaten or kill journalists.

"We found at least nine that were killed for their work and none of the perpetrators was brought to justice so it sends a very strong message that there is impunity for the one that wants to attack the journalists," Galabru said.

The government disputes the number of journalists killed and denies that killers go unpunished.

"They say nine were killed - are you sure they got killed? Two or three - traffic accident," Kanharith said. "When you are a journalist killed it doesn't mean politically killed. When [Prime Minister] Hun Sen's brother was killed, until now also we couldn't find the murderer. Nobody says 'Why don't you go to find Hun Sen's brothers killer?'"

The minister says journalists can, and do, write and say what they want, including attacking Prime Minister Hun Sen.

"If you [are] scared you cannot accuse Hun Sen of being a Vietnamese puppet, as a thief, as the most corrupt family or anything. Read the newspaper, listen to the radio - you can see it. If they [are] really scared, how you can put it?" Kanharith asked.

Rights activists, however, say that critical voices find it hard to get heard in Cambodia. Koul Panha of the Committee for Free and Fair Elections says the authorities should do more to ensure fair access to the media.

"The Cambodian government, and the National Electoral Commission must make more effort to encourage the state media and the private media [to] open [themselves] to all political parties," said Panha. "If they can do that they will contribute a lot to the improved election environment and electoral process in Cambodia."

The Licadho report calls on the government to pass a law guaranteeing the electronic media's independence. It also calls for abolishing prison sentences for defamation, misinformation and incitement, and for media owners to increase salaries for journalists to make them less susceptible to bribery.

Can the NEC really prevent TVK to broadcast CPP-biased news?

NEC urges TV, radio neutrality during election campaign

Tuesday, 20 May 2008
By Touch Yuthear
The Mekong Times

“The ruling CPP misuses media. The NEC does not dare to criticize or prohibit it. This is different for parties outside the government. If those parties do something wrong, the NEC will quickly prohibit or fine them” - Thun Saray, Adhoc Director

In a bid to ensure balanced political coverage, the National Election Committee (NEC) met with directors of local radio and TV stations yesterday to discuss broadcasting rules during upcoming election campaigns.

“The NEC’s aim is to make media directors understand the media’s role in terms of hiring out airtime or broadcasting information during the election campaign,” said Tep Nytha, NEC secretary general, stressing that the institutions must remain politically neutral.

Mam Sonando, director of Beehive Radio, applauded the NEC’s initiative, particularly its stressing the need for professional journalism ethics as the elections approach.

“All the power is concentrated in the NEC. If we do not listen and do not follow, it will cause trouble,” he said. “The NEC can control the ruling party by not allowing [it] to use radio and television stations to conduct election campaigns to seek votes.”

Kim Kunvath, general director of TVK, said his TV station is duty bound to follow NEC procedures during election campaigns.

“Political parties broadcasting information, for example policies, during upcoming election campaigns will adhere to media ethics based on the position of neutrality.”

Kem Sokha, president of the opposition Human Rights Party, also welcomed the initiative, saying the NEC “will hopefully be effective in its plans make all radio and television stations stay neutral.”

Thun Saray, director of local human rights group Adhoc, complained that the NEC merely gives guidance to the media and that control of information and punishment for bias is weak.

“The ruling CPP misuses media. The NEC does not dare to criticize or prohibit it. This is different for parties outside the government. If those parties do something wrong, the NEC will quickly prohibit or fine them.”

However, Thun Saray did acknowledge that opposition parties have the opportunity to hire airtime on radio stations for the first time this year.

The campaign for the fourth-mandate election will commence June 26, lasting until July 25, two days before polling.

Politicians Jumping Ahead of Campaign: Expert

By Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Original report from Washington
09 May 2008

Click here to listen to the program in Khmer

“The ruling party has a lot of resources, and they buy all the airtime ... Also, another question is that it depends on the station manager, whether he wants or dares to sell airtime to other parties” - Ly Sothearayuth, senior program officer at the National Democratic Institute

Though the law calls for campaigning only in the month leading into Election Day, parties have already started, a democracy observer said Thursday.

“We see the ruling party campaigning and broadcasting on TV and radio, and the opposition visits directly to help people solve problems like land conflicts and so on,” said Ly Sothearayuth, a senior program officers at the National Democratic Institute, on “Hello VOA.”

With less than three months to go for the election, many voters say they are concerned with media bias. Observers say most of the media is skewed to the ruling Cambodian People’s Party, and voters say they aren’t hearing enough about other parties.

Parties can buy airtime, Ly Sothearayuth said, but it’s expensive.

“The ruling party has a lot of resources, and they buy all the airtime,” he said. “Also, another question is that it depends on the station manager, whether he wants or dares to sell airtime to other parties.”

As Election Nears, Media Still Biased: Expert

By Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Washington
06 May 2008

Click here to listen to the program in Khmer

Media coverage ahead of this year’s elections has been no different than in years past, an expert said Monday, with many journalists and their media outlets biased or subsidized by politics.

“If people do not understand clearly about each political party’s platform, or personality of politicians, these experiences make it difficult of them to decide in electing politicians,” said Moeun Chhean Nariddh, a journalism trainer who was guest on “Hello VOA” Monday.

Observers have warned that the ruling Cambodian People’s Party enjoys much more thorough coverage in the months leading to elections, from radio, TV and newspapers.

Moeun Chhean Nariddh said most of the country’s 22 radio stations broadcast in favor of the ruling party, as well as seven TV stations, including National TVK.

Of all the media, newspapers are the least biased, but even they are politically influenced, he said.

That was no help to rural voters, many of whom are illiterate and rely on radio and TV for information.

Cambodia can and should seek independent news coverage, following the examples of the UK, Australia and Canada he said. Some countries have state media the works independently and even criticizes the government, he added.