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“THE SITUATION IN CAMBODIA” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E2217 on Oct. 28, 2005.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
THE SITUATION IN CAMBODIA
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HON. JAMES A. LEACH
of iowa
in the house of representatives
Friday, October 28, 2005
Mr. LEACH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express concern about heightened threats to fundamental freedoms in Cambodia.
As my colleagues know, since the 2004 formation of a new coalition government, Prime Minister Hun Sen of the dominant Cambodia People's Party (CPP) has steadily consolidated his authority. According to credible nongovernmental organizations like Human Rights Watch, threats to opposition figures, trade unionists, journalists, human rights defenders and civil society leaders have intensified. Freedom of assembly has become increasingly restricted, while freedoms of speech and association have likewise been significantly curtailed. Meanwhile, the government's long-standing influence over the judiciary has been extended through a so-called ``Iron Fist'' policy which has included the dismissal or suspension of judges and prosecutors. The courts are increasingly being used to harass and silence government critics.
The coalition between the CPP and the former Royalist opposition party FUNCIPEC has also resulted in ominous new pressures on Cambodia's political opposition, the Sam Rainsy Party, SRP. The immunity of three SRP parliamentarians, including its leader Sam Rainsy, was lifted in February. One of them, Mr. Cheam Channy, was convicted and sentenced to seven years imprisonment in August for the alleged creation of an illegal army. Party leader Sam Rainsy fled Cambodia when his immunity was lifted in February and, fearing arrest because of criminal defamation lawsuits against him, has not since returned.
Here it should be noted that the United States condemned the August 9 conviction by a military court of Cheam Channy and conviction in absentia of Kong Piseth on charges of fraud and establishment of an illegal armed group. According to a State Department spokesperson, the conduct of the trial appeared to violate international standards, again raised questions about the competence and independence of Cambodia's judiciary and constituted further intimidation of opposition voices. The U.S. urged appropriate review of this case. In addition, the U.S. also called on the Cambodian National Assembly to immediately restore the immunity of the Sam Rainsy Party, SRP, parliamentarians that was stripped by the National Assembly on February 3, an action which Washington strongly condemned.
In the view of many observers, the current deteriorating environment in Cambodia is not an isolated event but part of an ongoing trend toward silencing dissident voices and cementing the power the incumbent Prime Minister.
According to reports from the field, attacks on freedom of speech have escalated significantly since the signing of a border treaty between Cambodia and Vietnam on October 10. Relations with their larger neighbor Vietnam has traditionally been a neuralgic issue for many Cambodians, and as a consequence the treaty (the terms of which have not been revealed to the Cambodian public) has been highly controversial. In response, the government of Hun Sen has filed criminal defamation complaints against persons who have criticized the treaty. The Prime Minister appears to be particularly sensitive to accusations of having surrendered Cambodian territory to Vietnam.
Two arrests have been made in connection with criticism of the treaty. Mam Sonando, director of the independent Beehive Radio station in Phnom Penh, was arrested earlier this month on charges of criminal defamation for broadcasting an interview with a Cambodian activist in France who criticized the border treaty. Rong Chhun, president of Cambodia's Independent Teacher's Association, was also arrested this month in connection with a press statement issued by a coalition of groups that was critical of the treaty. He has been charged with criminal defamation and incitement to commit a crime.
According to Peter Leuprecht, Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for Human Rights in Cambodia, these arrests appear to be procedurally unlawful. Both men are now detained in Phnom Penh's Prey Sar prison.
It is my understanding that other Cambodian figures also fear imprisonment because of widespread rumors about further imminent arrests. At least four persons are believed to have entered Thailand for safe haven, and a number of others have apparently gone to other countries. According to credible sources, among those who may be subject to possible arrest are at least two human rights NGOs, several opposition parliamentarians, and a number of political party and trade union activists. Indeed, it would appear that the current climate of fear in Cambodia among civil society leaders and the political opposition is worse than it has been since the violence of 1997, when the current Prime Minister first sought to consolidate his power, and the subsequent 1998 elections.
Mr. Speaker, while Cambodian-Vietnamese relations are of an historically sensitive nature, that issue should not be used by the government in Phnom Penh as a pretext to imprison critics of the Prime Minister or to further manipulate the Cambodian judiciary. More broadly, concern is widespread that the current attacks on free speech are not an isolated event related solely to the border issue, but part of an ongoing campaign to silence political opponents and stifle other critical voices.
In this context, it is incumbent on the United States and other interested countries to urge in the strongest possible terms that the Prime Minister take immediate, credible steps to strengthen Cambodia's democratic institutions, fight corruption, and respect basic human rights. Absent such steps, Cambodia's backsliding on human rights can only have negative implications for Phnom Penh's relations with the United States and other members of the international donor community.
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