Oct 27, 2023 | DFF, Statements
JAKARTA – Lawmakers from Southeast Asia strongly condemn the recent sentencing of Cambodian opposition leaders and activists to up to eight years imprisonment for posting comments criticizing the government on social media and urge the international community to take action against the continuing repression of the Cambodian people.
“Hun Manet has attempted to portray himself as a new start for Cambodia. These most recent sentences against members of the opposition for making comments on social media prove that his regime is just as draconian and anti-democratic as his father’s was,” ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) Co-Chair and former Malaysian MP Charles Santiago said today.
On 18 October, Candlelight Party vice president Thach Setha was sentenced to three years imprisonment for alleged incitement to commit a felony and incitement to discriminate on the basis of race, religion or nationality, based on social media comments he made that criticized the Cambodian government’s policy on Vietnam.
On 24 October, four former opposition parliamentarians in exile, Sam Rainsy, Mu Sochua, Eng Chhai Eang, and Ho Vann – the latter three of whom are APHR members – were sentenced to eight years imprisonment and a five-year ban from running for office for alleged incitement and conspiracy to commit treason. They were charged in relation to a series of Facebook comments about whether Cambodians should temporarily stop paying loans during COVID-19 as well as another set of Facebook comments about high-ranking Cambodian officials buying citizenships in Cyprus. Eight other opposition activists were also found guilty in the same case and sentenced to five years imprisonment.
“The charges brought against these opposition members are patently absurd and do not bear scrutiny. These clearly politically-motivated prosecutions reveal a government that is determined to stamp out even the mildest of critics,” said Santiago.
The sentences are a continuation of the repressive policies of former prime minister Hun Sen, the father of current Prime Minister Hun Manet. This year alone, Hun Sen has openly threatened opposition supporters with legal and physical violence, while his regime has shut down one of the country’s last remaining independent media outlets Voice of Democracy (VOD) and sentenced former CNRP leader Kem Sokha to 27 years of house arrest on trumped-up treason charges.
Shortly before the general elections in July, the Cambodian National Election Commission (NEC) rejected the registration of the main opposition Candlelight Party on administrative grounds, in what was clearly a manufactured bureaucratic obstacle designed to block the Candlelight Party from competing in the elections by any means possible.
“We stand in solidarity with APHR members and all other members of the opposition that have been the targets for baseless prosecution and harassment simply for peacefully expressing their political beliefs,” said Santiago.
APHR is deeply concerned that if these attacks against opposing voices are allowed to continue unabated, any real opposition that may stand against the regime in the upcoming Senatorial Elections in 2024 will be completely decimated and any remaining hope for democracy in Cambodia will be fully snuffed out.
“These sentences should shatter any illusions that the international community might have had about Hun Manet,” said Santiago. “We urge parliamentarians in Southeast Asia and worldwide to take legislative action, through a bill or resolution, condemning the human rights abuses of the Hun Sen and Hun Manet regimes and send a clear message to the Cambodian government that its actions are unacceptable and will not be tolerated.”
May 16, 2023 | DFF, Statements
JAKARTA – ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) condemns the Cambodian government’s continued efforts to undermine and block opposition parties from participating in the upcoming general elections in July.
“The Hun Sen regime once again shows its utter disdain for the principles of democracy and unwillingness to compete in free and fair elections,” APHR Board Member and former Thai minister of foreign affairs Kasit Piromya said today. “If it wants the world to take the results of the July elections seriously, the Cambodian government must halt all efforts to hamstring its opponents and instead ensure a space for all parties to participate.”
The latest government effort to thwart the opposition comes in the form of the bureaucratic stonewalling of the main opposition Candlelight Party, which has been disqualified by Cambodia’s National Election Committee (NEC) for supposedly failing to submit “proper registration documents”.
The NEC had demanded that the Candlelight Party, which was formerly called the Sam Rainsy Party and had previously merged with the Human Rights Party to form the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) until the latter’s dissolution in 2017, produce its original party registration document from the Ministry of the Interior.
In the past, including during local elections in May 2022, the Candlelight Party was able to use a photocopy of the letter to register for the polls, as the original was lost during police raids on CNRP’s headquarters in November 2017. The NEC has nevertheless insisted on the original documents.
“The Cambodian government is clearly fishing for any excuse to block opposition parties from competing. Disqualifying a party on the basis of such a small technicality fools absolutely no one and just serves as another show of the Hun Sen regime’s bad faith dealings,” said Piromya. “We call on the Cambodian government to allow the registration of the Candlelight Party and any other opposition parties for the upcoming elections.”
These latest tactics come hand-in-hand with direct physical intimidation. As Human Rights Watch has documented, at least six opposition party members have been assaulted by unidentified men riding motorcycles, since Hun Sen publicly threatened opposition supporters with violence in January. . There have been at least six cases in recent months, after Prime Minister Hun Sen on January 9 publicly threatened opposition supporters with violence.
Previously, in March 2023, former CNRP leader Kem Sokha was sentenced to 27 years of house arrest and barred from running for political office or voting in elections after being found guilty on trumped-up treason charges. He was convicted over absurd accusations of conspiring with the United States to overthrow Hun Sen.
“It is disheartening to see Cambodia continuing on this trajectory, especially when recent elections in neighboring countries such as Malaysia and Thailand show how free and fair elections can breathe new life into democracy in countries long-dominated by authoritarian rule,” said Piromya.
“The government of Hun Sen appears determined to drive the final nail into the coffin of Cambodia’s democracy, which is guaranteed by the Paris Peace Agreements of 1991. If the Hun Sen regime persists in blocking opposition parties from participating, then the international community must refuse to accord legitimacy from a government which claims an electoral mandate from a bogus election.”
Feb 14, 2023 | DFF, Statements
JAKARTA — Parliamentarians from Southeast Asia condemn in the strongest terms the shutting down of the last independent media outlet operating in Cambodia, Voice of Democracy (VOD), regarded as the voice of millions of Cambodians, by the regime of Prime Minister Hun Sen and call on the Cambodian government to respect and uphold freedom of the press, especially at this moment, with the upcoming general elections scheduled for July 2023.
According to media reports, last week VOD published a story stating that Hun Sen’s son, Hun Manet, had signed on behalf of his father an agreement to provide earthquake aid to Turkey, quoting a statement from government spokesperson Phay Siphan.
Hun Sen alleges that the story was false and hurt the “dignity and reputation” of the Cambodian government, as Hun Manet, who is deputy commander of the country’s military, does not have the authority to approve foreign aid. VOD has apologized for the mistake, but the Prime Minister ordered the Ministry of Information to cancel VOD’s license.
“Shutting down an independent media outlet due to a single perceived ‘mistake’ is a blatant violation of freedom of the press. This is unacceptable in any circumstance, even more so when elections are set to be held in a few months’ time. Cracking down on a media outlet like VOD at the first opportunity not only serves to silence it, but also anyone else who might consider writing anything critical of the government. How can there be free and fair elections under such a climate of fear and self-censorship?,” said Mercy Barends, Chairperson of ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) and member of the Indonesian House of Representatives.
The shutdown of VOD is the latest in a long series of steps that the Cambodian government has taken in recent years to suppress criticism against the government. In 2017 and 2018, two independent newspapers, The Cambodian Daily and The Phnom Penh Post, were closed and bought out, respectively, after being hit by exorbitant tax bills. The government has also used articles in the criminal code, as well as COVID-19 regulations, to prosecute journalists and social media users that question or criticize government policies.
Besides the press, the Hun Sen regime has also cracked down on its political opponents, by arbitrarily dissolving the main opposition party, the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), in 2017 and more recently by threatening legal action and physical violence against the country’s remaining opposition parties.
“Hun Sen’s flagrant flouting of democratic principles and civil rights cannot continue to be left unanswered. ASEAN, and the global community in general, must denounce these authoritarian tactics and demand that the Cambodian government uphold freedom of the press and freedom of expression in order to create a climate conducive to a free and fair election. Until the government allows independent journalism to flourish in the country, releases all political prisoners, and allows opposition parties to express their political views without fear of reprisals, any elections held in Cambodia will be just a farce,” said Barends.
Jan 12, 2023 | DFF, Statements
JAKARTA – Parliamentarians from Southeast Asia are denouncing as a direct attack on democracy the threats of physical violence and legal action made by the Cambodian Prime Minister, Hun Sen, to anyone who dares to criticize his party, the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP), ahead of the general election scheduled for July this year.
According to media reports, Hun Sen has warned the opposition that, if someone expresses any criticism against the CCP, “there are only two options: one is using legal action, the other is using sticks…. What do you want? Either you face legal action in court or I rally CPP people for a demonstration and beat you guys up.”
“Threats of physical violence, especially from a man who has ruled his country for almost four decades and has turned it into a dictatorship, should send chills down the spine of anyone who believes in democracy. Hun Sen and his regime have a long story of silencing, harassing, and persecuting the opposition, and his threats are fully consistent with that. He should be unreservedly denounced for eroding democratic institutions in Cambodia,” said Mercy Barends, Member of the Indonesian House of Representatives, and Board Member of ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR).
The Hun Sen regime has steadily consolidated itself over the years. The main opposition party, and the only that posed a challenge to the CPP hegemony, the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), was arbitrarily dissolved in 2017. That opened the way for the CPP to win all 125 seats in parliament at the national elections held the following year, turning Cambodia into a de facto one-party state tightly controlled by Hun Sen, in power since 1985, and his allies.
The CPP has used the judiciary as a tool to persecute and jail members of the opposition. Dozens of CNRP leaders and members have been charged with treason and sentenced in kangaroo trials, including the party’s former President, Sam Rainsy, and its Vice-President, and Board Member of APHR, Mu Sochua, both in exile. The leader of the opposition inside the country, Kem Sokha, was jailed in 2017, and then released in 2019, but he is not allowed to leave Cambodia or engage in political activities, and stands accused of treason in a case that has been dragging on for years.
“In contemporary Cambodia, the judiciary is just another instrument put at the service of Hun Sen and his cronies to cement their power, and separation of powers, one of the main pillars of democracy, simply does not exist. By threatening legal action against its critics in the same breath that he is threatening physical attacks by his followers, Hun Sen is making very clear how he sees both: as lackeys whose sole raison d’être is to do his bidding,” said Barends.
Currently the main opposition party operating inside the country is the Candlelight Party, which managed to get over 22 percent of the votes in the Communal and Sangkat Elections held in June 2022, despite a campaign of intimidation launched by the government during the campaign.
Yet harassment is not confined to politicians, as human rights activists, journalists or union leaders have also been persecuted by the regime. One of the most prominent cases is that of Cambodian-US lawyer Theary Seng, who was sentenced in June 2022 to six years in jail for criticizing Hun Sen on Facebook, along with dozens others. Meanwhile, the trade union leader Chhim Sithar was arrested in November for allegedly breaking the terms of her bail.
“As the general election in Cambodia approaches, ASEAN and the global community at large should not be fooled into believing that it can be a democratic process in the conditions prevailing now in the country. They should put real pressure on the Cambodian government to unconditionally release all political prisoners, stop its campaign of harassment against the opposition, and comply with the terms of the Paris Peace Accord, signed in 1991 and designed to put the country on a democratic path,” added Barends.
Oct 26, 2022 | DFF, Opinion Articles
By Kasit Piromya.
In July, Al Jazeera broadcast a powerful documentary about cyber-scam human trafficking operations in Cambodia. It was a moving, if at times difficult watch, with victims speaking about how they had been lured to Cambodia with the promise of jobs, before being trapped inside compounds and threatened, beaten and electrocuted.
“I was scared [they’d kill me],” said one victim.
Although not the first media outlet to report on the issue, the Al Jazeera documentary placed considerable attention on it, and likely inspired other publications to focus on the issue, with articles run in outlets ranging from the BBC to The Guardian and VICE.
The global coverage has meant the issue has reached the very top of Cambodia’s government, with Prime Minister Hun Sen addressing the issue at a recent event on human trafficking. He told the audience at the 6th Interfaith Forum Against Human Trafficking: “Do not let Cambodia become a haven for crime, a place of money laundering, a place of human trafficking.” He added that he was surprised by the number of foreign nationals who had been brought to Cambodia and “cheated,” and urged authorities to take action.
Clearly, the issue of widespread human trafficking in Cambodia is an embarrassment to Hun Sen and his government, but it cannot have come as a surprise.
After all, as the Al Jazeera documentary points out, many of the compounds where these human rights abuses are taking place are owned by close allies of Hun Sen, including his nephew Hun To, as well as a former advisor, a senator from his Cambodian People’s Party (CPP), and an associate who flew Hun Sen to the United Nations in New York on a luxury private jet.
In fact, corrupt practices – whether human trafficking, deforestation, land confiscation, or many other issues – have been rife in Cambodia under the watch of Hun Sen, who has ruled the country since 1985. In 2005, a World Bank representative said Cambodia faced three major challenges: “corruption, corruption, corruption.”
The situation has not improved since then.
In its annual Corruption Perceptions Index for 2021, Transparency International gave Cambodia a score of 21 out of 100, ranking it 157th of the 180 countries assessed, and the third lowest in the Asia-Pacific, behind only Afghanistan and North Korea. Cambodia was given the lowest spot in Southeast Asia, a region not exactly renowned for its commitment to tackling corruption.
Donor countries must not be fooled by Hun Sen’s remarks that he knows nothing of the human trafficking taking place in Cambodia; in fact, it is ludicrous for him to say so. Over the years Hun Sen – a former Khmer Rouge soldier who became the country’s new leader as it emerged from decades of civil war and strife – has proven himself to be a wily operator when it comes to donor countries, attracting funds to tackle issues that are in fact being exacerbated by his corrupt form of governance, where kick-backs in the form of land, large-scale projects, or senior positions in conglomerates are granted to his supporters.
Last year, the United States ended an aid program aimed at protecting the Prey Lang Wildlife Sanctuary in northern Cambodia, saying the government had not done enough to tackle deforestation and was harassing environmental activists.
“The government continues to silence and target local communities and their civil society partners who are justifiably concerned about the loss of their natural resources,” the U.S. said. Washington had spent more than $100 million on the issue, funds that would be much better spent on supporting civil society and local efforts.
Donor countries must apply the same logic when it comes to cyber-crime and human trafficking, and recognize that while Hun Sen has the means to tackle such an issue, he lacks the will to do so. In fact, he is directly complicit, through the corrupt system of patronage that he oversees.
Hun Sen’s most recent comments, and the arrests made by police of some of those involved in human trafficking scams, are not the actions taken by authorities attempting to solve the problem, but are instead lip service paid to the international community following the embarrassing media coverage.
As the results of June’s commune-level election show – when the opposition, the Candlelight Party, received almost a quarter of the popular vote – there are still many people in Cambodia striving for freedom, democracy, and human rights.
Instead of offering support to a system that supports Hun Sen’s corrupt rule, donor countries should instead invest in civil society representatives and grassroots groups, and ensure their funds are spent on supporting those working for positive change in Cambodia.
Kasit Piromya is a Board Member of ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR), and a former Thai Minister of Foreign Affairs.
This article first appeared in The Diplomat.
