CAMBODIA: Opposition Leader Mu Sochua -- "It's Morally Wrong to Stay Complicit" with an Oppressor

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

CAMBODIA: Opposition Leader Mu Sochua -- CAMBODIA: Opposition leader Mu Sochua -- "It's morally wrong to stay complicit" with an oppressor May 1, 2012 Contributors: Dr. Gaffar Peang-Meth , ARHC An article by Dr. Gaffar Peang-Meth published by the Asian Human Rights Commission I wrote in my last article in this space of the accumulating circumstances that compel a change in the current leadership of Cambodia. In Cambodia, the rich are getting richer while one-third of the population lives on less than US$0.61 per day. Many survive on what they scavenge from garbage dumps only blocks from the lavish homes of the wealthy. Those who live in rural areas, too, are losing economic ground, and most are impoverished. Considering Cambodia's estimated annual population growth rate of 1.7 percent (compared with France, 0.5 percent or England, 0.2 percent) and the slow increase of Cambodia's GDP per capita, it would seem that Cambodians will continue to struggle against a tide of poverty for the foreseeable future. Odom, an unemployed university graduate in Cambodia, armed with World Bank statistics on Gross National Income per capita between 2007 and 2010, reminds me that Cambodia remains the poorest country among its neighbors: a Lao is on average richer than a Cambodian by a ratio of 1.24 to 1, a Malay, 10.51 to 1, and a Singaporean, 53.03 to 1; in 2010, a Thai had an income 1.4 time higher than the incomes of a Vietnamese, a Lao and a Cambodian combined. Martin Hutchinson's "Cambodia must solve two big problems for takeoff" (Reuters) asserts that "Feeding, educating and housing ever more Cambodians will be a challenge," but zeroes in on "Corruption as the real enemy" and cites Transparency International's Corruption Index ranking of Cambodia as among "the worst global slums." Greek philosopher Aristotle (384 BC-322 BC), a founder of Western civilization, warns in Politics, "The passion for equality is at the root of revolution." An established general theory links inequality and violent rebellion. Students of conflict argue that economic inequality is a major cause of dissent, and that poverty and deprivation lead the disadvantaged person to revolt. Land concessions I have written here and elsewhere about Cambodia's current land concession policies that lead to land conflicts, mass evictions of people from their homes and land, violations of individual and property rights, among other issues. After all is said, I argue for change of the present status quo. Last week, I watched a video titled, "Illegal logging by Cambodia: What the (Prime Minister Hun Sen) says and what the PM does", posted on the website of opposition leader Mu Sochua. The logging video is informative and includes a professionally presented film embedded in the video, "The Green Deal in Cambodia," in English and with subtitles. Ms. Sochua wrote on her website: "For land and forests in Cambodia, we demand accountability of the head of the government." Anarchic logging The video opens with a collage of news clippings on the massive logging operations, followed by dramatic night scenes of trucks with headlights carrying huge logs. In the background one hears Premier Hun Sen giving an address in Khmer with appropriate English subtitles--Khmer language being more vulgar than the English subtitles, I must add. The audio clips are eventually succeeded by videoed segments of the premier delivering this speech. The video is undated, as is the embedded film with English narration. What the posting makes clear, however, is that the deforestation of Cambodia has been under way for decades, documented by the World Bank and other agencies, and has continued at an accelerated pace during the regime of Hun Sen. It is under the current regime, in fact, that the denuding of Cambodia’s forests has not only increased, but has been done for no purpose other than to enrich members of the ruling party. Aware, perhaps, of the emotional impact of thousands of acres of tree stumps, Hun Sen is heard in the video on Mu Sochua's website to decry the very destruction he has sanctioned: "I admit the biggest mistake of my life was management of the forests … from '93 to '98. It was a big mistake," he declares. "From '79 to '93, I wasn't responsible because I didn't let people log," he said, "But from ’93 to ’98 it was incredible," and the video shows more night scenes of trucks carrying huge felled trees. "Consider that forestry is the life of this government" he said, and, "I'm not asking for a lot. Let's protect the forests that we still have." Juxtaposed with Hun Sen's hypocritical remarks is the film "The Green Deal in Cambodia," narrated in English: "Cambodia is one of the most forested countries in Southeast Asia," but the forests "disappeared at an alarming rate" in the last three decades. According to the narration, under Pol Pot's regime forests were cleared to increase farm acreage (1975-79), but the film report claims that during the 1990s, the forested lands that had survived the Khmer Rouge clear- cutting" were given as logging concessions to Cambodian and foreign companies many of which enjoyed close ties with senior officials." The report alleges the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces are heavily involved in anarchic logging and provide protection and labor for logging operations. "Corruption and the absence of law enforcement ensured that the profits from the logging benefited only a powerful elite," says the narrator, as "most taxes due on the timber from concessions were not paid and the logging contributed nothing to Cambodia’s development." The video cites a 1998 World Bank report finding that Cambodia’s forest cover had been reduced by 30 percent in the previous 30 years, and if logging continued at this same rate the country’s forest reserves would be exhausted by 2003 (sic). The video also cites a 1999 Asian Development Bank report describing Cambodia’s forest management as a total system failure. Three years after the World Bank report, the video says, the government announced a ban on all logging concession activities effective January 1, 2002. The video then returns to Hun Sen's speech (undated): "If the logging companies still don't listen, take away their licenses." He said he read in The Cambodia Daily that morning that, "many companies won't (don't) obey the order of the Ministry of Agriculture. "Just you try," he shouted, "If you aren't going to obey, just you try." "If I don't take way your concession and shut down your factory, I will cut off my head (and throw it away)," he announced dramatically. Cold-blooded murder Cambodians have vehemently protested the loss of the country's forests. Memorable protests have occurred in recent months such as the Prey Lang protest. In the forefront of this protest movement, Cambodian Green activist Chut Wutty has been an outspoken leader. In fact, I quoted Wutty in my March 15 article for the AHRC, when he spoke of the leasing to a Chinese firm of land in Cambodia's Botum Sakor national park in Koh Kong province. Wutty said, "You think after 99 years this land will be returned to Cambodia? You think they will kick the Chinese out? No way. It's forever." On April 25th, while escorting reporters to another site in Koh Kong undergoing deforestation, Wutty was fatally shot by military police charged with guarding the site from those who might interfere with the work of the lessees. Speaking earlier of Wutty, Ou Virak, the president of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights said that Wutty, subject of many threats because of his advocacy, had told one of Virak's colleagues that he would likely end up "in jail or he'll be shot. He understands the risk and he's aware of the risk, and still chose to continue to do the work" (of protecting Cambodia's forests). According to news reports, on April 25, Chut Wutty, 43, father of two, director of Cambodia's environmental watchdog Natural Resource Protection Group in Phnom Penh, was fatally shot as he took two female journalists from The Cambodia Daily, Khmer Phorn Bopha and Ukrainian-born Canadian Olesia Plokhii, to see large-scale forest destruction and illegal rosewood smuggling near a Chinese-built hydroelectric dam in Koh Kong in Cambodia's southwest. The two reporters were detained by the military for questioning, and later released. According to news reports, a confrontation between Wutty and the Cambodian military police occurred when Wutty declined to surrender a memory card of photos of illegal logging, taken in the protected forest. Military spokesman Colonel Kheng Tito said Wutty was armed, and refused to stop as ordered by police officer In Ratana; that the two were cursing one another, and that In Ratana shot Wutty with his AK-47 rifle. The government of Hun Sen initially announced it would investigate the shooting. On April 27, the Associated Press reported the military closed its investigation. The military's spokesman said in the April 27th announcement that a pistol with nine bullets was found inside Wutty's vehicle but Wutty never shot the pistol, and there never was any exchange of fire. Colonel Kheng Tito said when MP In Ratana learned that Wutty had died, Ratana then killed himself with his own weapon -- case closed. Cambodia's Center for Cambodian Civic Education called the shooting death of Wutty cold-blooded murder. Global Witness's statement calls Wutty one of the few remaining Cambodian activists willing to speak out against the rapid escalation of illegal logging and land grabbing which is impoverishing ordinary Cambodians and destroying the country's rich natural heritage.
Recommended publications
  • Cambodia Prepares for New Fight: the Intellectual War Against Drugs and Crime
    ODCCP Eastern Horizons News on the fi ght against drugs and crime No. 8 in East Asia and the Pacifi c December 2001 Cambodia Prepares For New Fight: The Intellectual War Against Drugs And Crime Myanmar Stars Against Drugs International Day Against Drug Abuse And Illicit Traffi cking A Time For Leadership In The Fight Against The HIV Epidemic Business And Labour Responds To HIV/AIDS Targetting Illicit Profi ts Goes To Scale The Marginalisation Of Substance-abusing Street Children FIGHTING AGAINST DRUGS Cambodia Prepares for New Fight: THE INTELLECTUAL WAR Against Drugs and Crime P.M. Hun Sen met ODCCP delegation on 26 September Following the terrorist attacks of 4 to the deep-sea port of Sihanoukville and September 11, 2001, in the U.S.A., the Road Number 5 to Northwest Cambodia borders of Afghanistan have been closed and onwards to Thailand, are all likely to to all forms of trade, both legal and see a dramatic increase in illicit drug move- illegal. Consequently, it is possible that ments in the coming months as the impact the production and traffi cking of illicit of Afghanistan’s isolation hits hard on the drugs in the Golden Crescent, which drug production and traffi cking gangs. The includes Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan, on-going rehabilitation of the road linking will move to other areas of the world, in Phnom Penh with Koh Kong and the Thai particular to the Golden Triangle. Province of Trat is also certain to see a large increase in the fl ow of drugs. he Golden Triangle, which encom- passes Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and At a meeting held in Phnom Penh with the Yunnan Province of China, has UNDCP Representative for East Asia and T used with permission.
    [Show full text]
  • Corporate Land-Grabbing & Fabricated Charges in Cambodia: What
    Corporate Land-Grabbing & Fabricated Charges in Cambodia: What Can Canadian Lawyers Do? Canadian Bar Association International Assistance Section Vancouver, BC, Canada Catherine Morris1 February 12, 2014 Speaking notes I have been invited to speak to your section about the work of Lawyers’ Rights Watch Canada (LRWC), a committee of Canadian lawyers who campaign on a pro bono basis for lawyers and other human rights defenders around the world who are threatened as a result of their advocacy. LRWC also conducts research and education to promote the independence of lawyers and judges and the integrity of legal systems. The best way for me to illustrate the work of LRWC is to tell you about some of my own work on Cambodia. I will discuss three cases in which LRWC intervened in Cambodia. I will conclude by summarizing what LRWC does around the world and mentioning two major challenges we face in our work. First, I will provide some briefly background about Cambodia. Background on Cambodia The first things that often come to mind about Cambodia are the atrocities of the Khmer Rouge period from 1974-1979 when close to a quarter of the population perished or was slaughtered. Canadian lawyers interested in Cambodia tend to focus on the Khmer Rouge tribunal that is working to hold top leaders of that regime accountable.2 While this is important, it will not be the focus of my talk today. Nevertheless, it is important to note that the Khmer Rouge period and its aftermath continue to form the violent backdrop for happenings in Cambodia today.
    [Show full text]
  • LEGAL ANALYSIS: the Case of the Kingdom of Cambodia V. Mu Sochua
    May 2010 LEGAL ANALYSIS: The Case of the Kingdom of Cambodia v. Mu Sochua LEGAL ANALYSIS: THE CASE OF THE KINGDOM OF CAMBODIA V. MU SOCHUA A Report by the Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR) May 2010 Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR) The CCHR is a non-political, independent, non-governmental organization that works to promote and protect democracy and respect for human rights throughout Cambodia. For more information contact: Cambodian Center for Human Rights #798, Street 99 Boeng Trabek, Chamkarmon Phnom Penh Cambodia. Email: [email protected] Tel: 023726901 Fax: 023726902 Web: http://www.cchrcambodia.org/ Table of Contents INTRODUCTION AND EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................. 1 THE FACTS ................................................................................................................................... 1 April 4 Speech by the Complainant............................................................................................ 1 Relevant past incidents ............................................................................................................... 2 Interpretation of the April 4 Speech .................................................................................. 2 The Applicant’s response to the April 4 Speech ................................................................. 3 Subsequent events .............................................................................................................. 3 THE LAW .....................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • VIA EMAIL [email protected] and [email protected] November
    Perseus Strategies 1775 K St. NW, Suite 680 Washington, D.C. 20006 Jared Genser and Brian Tronic [email protected] T +1 202.466.3069 VIA EMAIL [email protected] and [email protected] November 23, 2020 Ms. Rhona Smith UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Cambodia Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Palais Wilson 52 rue des Pâquis CH-1201 Geneva, Switzerland Ms. Irene Khan UN Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of the Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Palais Wilson 52 rue des Pâquis CH-1201 Geneva, Switzerland RE: Request for URGENT ACTION – Forthcoming Trial of Cambodian-American Human Rights Lawyer and Advocate Theary Seng – November 26, 2020 Dear Ms. Smith and Ms. Khan, We are writing with this request for urgent action on behalf of our client, Theary Seng, a prominent Cambodian-American human rights lawyer and democracy advocate who has been summoned to appear in court for trial on November 26, 2020, to answer criminal charges of “incitement to create social disorder” and “conspiracy to commit treason.” Approximately 60 other people have also been summoned to appear on that day – most are members of the banned opposition and non-violent Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP). The charges against Ms. Seng are politically motivated and directly connected to her political and social advocacy. Over the past 20 years, she has established herself as an outspoken critic of Prime Minister Hun Sen, both domestically and internationally. Ms. Seng has been a leader in Cambodia’s civil society since 2006 and is widely known for her involvement in the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia.
    [Show full text]
  • Grave Violations of Human Rights on Cambodia
    GRAVE VIOLATIONS OF HUMAN RIGHTS ON CAMBODIA NATIONAL RESCUE PARTY Torture and Death- the case of Tith Rorn 38-year-old Tith Rorn died on 18 April in Kompong Cham prison after his arrest on 15 April. https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national-politics/officials- respond-kampong-cham-prison-death According to Eam Tieat, Tith Rorn’s father, 3 commune police officers came to his home on 15 April and took Tith Rorn away without an arrest warrant. In the evening of 18 April, a neighbor came to inform the father that his son had died in prison. He should go to the provincial prison to fetch the body. In the morning of 19 April, the father went to the prison and found his son’s body. He was allowed to bring the body home for proper funeral arrangements. The authorities covered the cost of the ambulance and part of the funeral arrangements. Police told him that his son had epileptic seizures three or four times a day when in detention. He categorically rejected it as his son had no history of epilepsy. On 30 April the father made an appeal, recoded on video , to Prof. Rhona Smith - the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights to bring justice to his son. The video is widely circulated on Facebook. A video of the body when returned home, shows that the neck was broken, the right eye severely bruised and suspicious marks on his back. This video is also widely circulating on Facebook. According to the police report on 30 April, Kompong Cham prosecutor ordered an investigation of the death on 29 April.
    [Show full text]
  • Faculty of Human and Social Development Faculty Publications ______
    UVicSPACE: Research & Learning Repository _____________________________________________________________ Faculty of Human and Social Development Faculty Publications _____________________________________________________________ Corporate Land-Grabbing & Fabricated Charges in Cambodia: What Can Canadian Lawyers Do? Speaking notes: Presentation to the Canadian Bar Association, International Assistance Section, Vancouver, BC, Canada February 12, 2014 Citation for this paper: Morris, C. (2014). Corporate Land-Grabbing & Fabricated Charges in Cambodia: What Can Canadian Lawyers Do? Speaking notes: Presentation to the Canadian Bar Association, International Assistance Section, Vancouver, BC, Canada. Retrieved from Lawyers’ Rights Watch Canada Website: http://www.lrwc.org/corporate-land- grabbing-fabricated-charges-in-cambodia-what-can-canadian-lawyers-do-catherine- morris-lecture/ Corporate Land-Grabbing & Fabricated Charges in Cambodia: What Can Canadian Lawyers Do? Canadian Bar Association International Assistance Section Vancouver, BC, Canada Catherine Morris1 February 12, 2014 Speaking notes I have been invited to speak to your section about the work of Lawyers’ Rights Watch Canada (LRWC), a committee of Canadian lawyers who campaign on a pro bono basis for lawyers and other human rights defenders around the world who are threatened as a result of their advocacy. LRWC also conducts research and education to promote the independence of lawyers and judges and the integrity of legal systems. The best way for me to illustrate the work of LRWC is to tell you about some of my own work on Cambodia. I will discuss three cases in which LRWC intervened in Cambodia. I will conclude by summarizing what LRWC does around the world and mentioning two major challenges we face in our work. First, I will provide some briefly background about Cambodia.
    [Show full text]
  • EP Urgency Resolution TA-9-2021
    European Parliament 2019-2024 TEXTS ADOPTED Provisional edition P9_TA-PROV(2021)0087 The mass trials against opposition and civil society in Cambodia European Parliament resolution of 11 March 2021 on the mass trials against the opposition and civil society in Cambodia (2021/2579(RSP)) The European Parliament, – having regard to its previous resolutions on Cambodia, in particular those of 14 September 2017 on Cambodia, notably the case of Kem Sokha 1, 14 December 2017 on Cambodia: notably the dissolution of CNRP Party 2 and 13 September 2018 on Cambodia, notably the case of Kem Sokha 3, – having regard to the Council conclusions on Cambodia of 26 February 2018, – having regard to the 1991 Paris Peace Accords, in which a commitment to uphold human rights and fundamental freedoms in Cambodia, including on the part of international signatories, is enshrined in Article 15, – having regard to the Commission’s decision of 12 February 20204 to withdraw part of the tariff preferences granted to Cambodia under the European Union’s Everything But Arms (EBA) trade scheme as of 12 August 2020, – having regard to the statement by the spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights of 11 September 2020 on the arrest of the prominent trade unionist Rong Chhun and 24 other human rights and environmental defenders5, 1 OJ C 337, 20.9.2018, p. 99. 2 OJ C 369, 11.10.2018, p. 76. 3 OJ C 433, 23.12.2019, p. 128. 4 Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/550 of 12 February 2020 amending Annexes II and IV to Regulation (EU) No 978/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards the temporary withdrawal of the arrangements referred to in Article 1(2) of Regulation (EU) No 978/2012 in respect of certain products originating in the Kingdom of Cambodia (OJ L 127, 22.4.2020, p.
    [Show full text]
  • Samlaut Uprising Might Be Repeated As Peasants Faced Land Confiscations Place
    More Create Blog Sign In Please read more Khmer news and listen to CNRP Radio at National Rescue Party. /Khmer Post Radio. Follow Khmerization on Facebook/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/khmerization.khmerican MONDAY, 3 AUGUST 2009 WELCOME MESSAGE Welcome! You have come to the right Samlaut Uprising might be repeated as peasants faced land confiscations place. Khmerization is a home to the Cambodian daily news, which is Samlaut residents showing Radio Free Asia reporter the lands in dispute. updated twice daily. Please take a tour and enjoy yourself. Thank you. Source: Radio Free Asia To contact Khmerization please send an email to: [email protected] Reported in English by Khmerization . Sources from Samlaut on 30th July said that many Samluat peasants in western parts of Battambang province are facing losing thousands of hectares of their lands to a private development company. FOLLOW KHMERIZATION BY EMAIL Sources said a private company, Rath Sambath, is planning to develop on 5,200 hectares of farm lands the peasants Email address... Submit claimed they owned since the Khmer Rouge still control the areas in the 1980s and 1990s. One peasant said: "At that time, Cambodia was still at civil war, we have not achieved peace yet. But after 1993, after the VISITORS ONLINE peace talks (between the government and the Khmer Rouge), we came to clear the lands, some were killed, some have their limbs blown off (by landmines) in these areas." According to the map of the Rath Sambath concessionaires, it was indicated that in 2002 the 5,200 hectares of lands were areas covered with thick forests.
    [Show full text]
  • Hun Sen Versus Mu Sochua and the State of Democratic Reforms Sebastian Strangio and Sam Rith June 26, 2009
    Hun Sen versus Mu Sochua and the state of democratic reforms Sebastian Strangio and Sam Rith June 26, 2009 Observers say the recent legal offensive against government critics raises questions about how far Cambodia has come on the road to democracy - and how far the nation has yet to go. The National Assembly's decision to strip two opposition lawmakers of their parliamentary immunity on Monday has soured views on the status of democratic reform in Cambodia, with local and international observers saying the gap between the letter of the law and the country's daily reality remains substantial. On paper, Cambodia has relatively progressive laws: The Kingdom's Constitution guarantees the independence of the judiciary, and other key pieces of legislation, including the 2001 Land Law, largely conform to international standards. But with eight separate lawsuits filed against government critics in recent months, including one against Sam Rainsy Party lawmaker Mu Sochua after she filed a defamation complaint against Prime Minister Hun Sen, some claim that nearly two decades of NGO- and donor-led reforms have left the bedrock of Cambodian People's Party power largely untouched. "Things are going back to square one," said Yeng Virak, executive director of the Community Legal Education Centre, a local legal aid group. Yeng Virak drew a parallel to the 1980s, when he said a layer of "invisible law" held sway in Cambodia, informed by personal patronage and the selective application of formal law. In those days, he said, NGOs making legal arguments that ran counter to "invisible" prerogatives were quickly shut out.
    [Show full text]
  • Good Governance from the Ground Up: Women's Roles in Post-Conflict Cambodia
    Good Governance from the Ground Up: Women’s Roles in Post-Conflict Cambodia By Laura McGrew, Kate Frieson, Sambath Chan Women Waging Peace Policy Commission Sanam Naraghi Anderlini, Series Editor March 2004 WOMEN WAGING PEACE is a program of Hunt Alternatives Fund that advocates for the full participation of women in formal and informal peace processes around the world. THE POLICY COMMISSION is conducting a series of case studies to document women’s contributions to peace processes across conflict areas worldwide. Policy Commission Director Sanam Naraghi Anderlini Associate Director Elizabeth Powley Program Associate Camille Pampell Conaway Hunt Alternatives Fund Chair Ambassador Swanee Hunt Executive Director Sarah Gauger Senior Vice President Ambassador Hattie Babbitt www.huntalternativesfund.org www.womenwagingpeace.net ISBN 1-932679-03-0 © Hunt Alternatives Fund. 2004. All rights reserved. TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements i About the Authors i Project Background iii Key Findings and Recommendations iv Executive Summary v Introduction 1 Rationale 1 Assumptions 1 Research Methodology 2 Definitions 3 Part One: Historical Overview 4 The Peace Process 5 The United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia 5 Women’s Contributions to Good Governance During the UNTAC Years 6 Gendered Legacy of the War(s) 8 Aftermath: Challenges to the Rule of Law 11 Current Status of the Peace 12 Part Two: The Role Of Women In Promoting Good Governance 13 Women’s Contributions to Good Governance for Sustainable Peace 13 Mechanisms and Structures For Enhancing Women’s Political Participation 23 Obstacles to and Perceptions of Women in Leadership 26 Conclusion 30 Endnotes 31 Appendix A: UN Cambodia Map 33 Appendix B: List of Acronyms 34 Appendix C: Bibliography 35 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The staff of the Policy Commission and the authors of the report would like to thank the Cambodian members of Women Waging Peace and all of the interviewees for this study; many are quoted within and others wish to remain anonymous.
    [Show full text]
  • Cambodia in 2019: Backing Further Into a Corner
    JOHN D. CIORCIARI Cambodia in 2019 Backing Further into a Corner ABSTRACT In 2019, Cambodia saw long-ruling Prime Minister Hun Sen tighten his grip on power. Economic growth continued, but with rising risks related to a real estate bubble, mounting debt, and yawning social inequality. Externally, Cambodia deepened its dependency on China, insulating the Hun Sen regime in some respects but contributing to new vulnerabilities. KEYWORDS: authoritarianism, democracy,repression, sanctions, Cambodia- China relations THE YEAR 2019 SAW CAMBODIA slide further into authoritarian, patrimonial rule. Long-time Prime Minister Hun Sen and his Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) sought to quash what remains of an organized domestic political resistance. Strong economic growth continued, though concerns about a real estate bubble, deepening indebtedness, and widening social inequality presented possible storm clouds on the horizon. In foreign affairs, the CPP doubled down on its partnership with China despite mounting popular frustration with that relationship. SETTLING INTO A SINGLE-PARTY STATE Hun Sen entered 2019 in a commanding domestic political position. Before national elections the previous year, he had cast off the fac¸ade of multiparty democracy, engineering the Supreme Court’s decision to dissolve the rival Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) and impose a five-year ban JOHN D. CIORCIARI is Associate Professor and Director of the Weiser Diplomacy Center and International Policy Center at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA. Email: <[email protected]>. Asian Survey,Vol.60,Number1, pp. 125–131.ISSN0004-4687, electronic ISSN 1533-838X. © 2020 by The Regents of the University of California.
    [Show full text]
  • ISSUE BRIEF No
    ISSUE BRIEF No. 4771 | OCTOBER 12, 2017 The U.S. Should Take Swift Action to Help Preserve Democracy in Cambodia Olivia Enos ambodian democracy is in peril. On September The uptick in repression is largely attributable to C2, Cambodian security forces conducted a sur- looming elections in 2018. After the arrest of Kem prise raid that culminated in the arrest and deten- Sokha ahead of next year’s elections, the U.S. and the tion of Kem Sokha, the leader of the opposition Cam- international community should watch Cambodia bodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), on unfounded closely. Sen’s actions over the past several months charges of treason.1 A month later, opposition par- demonstrate his willingness to thwart the contin- liamentarians are fleeing the country. Cambodia’s ued development of democracy and undermine dem- prime minister, Hun Sen, issued a threat to opposi- ocratic institutions in Cambodia. These substantial tion leaders suggesting that he would round them threats demand action. The U.S. should continue to up and arrest them. This statement led Mu Sochua, call for the release of Kem Sokha, consider cutting deputy president of the opposition, to flee Cambo- aid to Cambodia, place a visa ban on Cambodian dia this week.2 In an unprecedented move, the rul- individuals undermining democracy, and press for ing Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) filed a lawsuit the presence of election monitors. The U.S. should on October 6 with the Supreme Court to dissolve the also consider re-assembling key signatories of the opposition CNRP.3 1991 Paris Peace Agreement to form a Cambodia In addition to targeting the opposition, Prime contact group to serve as advisors in the midst of Minister Hun Sen is going after civil society.
    [Show full text]