KKC (The Khmer Kampuchea Krom Community) to request Cambodia’s Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports to incorporate Khmer Kampuchea Krom history into curriculum
Thu the 4th Waning Moon of Poṭṭhapāda
BE2559, October 1, AD2015 Year of the Goat
Public Meeting with Thach Setha in Lyon, France on SEPT. 05
[Mr. Thach Setha, KKC & KYAD delegation had conducted research on historical Khmer Krom documents at A.N.O.M. for the second time in the post-2014 Mass Demonstration to protect Khmer history after Vietnam failed to apologize to the Khmers publicly for falsely claiming Kampuchea Krom belongs to Vietnam for a long time.]
These priceless historical Khmer Krom documents to benefit the whole Khmer nation, not Khmer Kampuchea Krom people due to Khmer Krom, Khmer Kandal, Khmer Ler and Khmer Islam are 'One Khmer.'
Sat the 7th Waning Moon of Sāvaṇa BE2559, September 5, AD2015 Year of the Goat
Can these French-drawn map be verified with the government’s maps?
[Mr. Thach Setha, KKC & KYAD delegation had conducted research on historical Khmer Krom documents at A.N.O.M. for the second time in the post-2014 Mass Demonstration to protect Khmer history after Vietnam failed to apologize to the Khmers publicly for falsely claiming Kampuchea Krom belongs to Vietnam for a long time.]
These priceless historical Khmer Krom documents to benefit the whole Khmer nation, not Khmer Kampuchea Krom people due to Khmer Krom, Khmer Kandal, Khmer Ler and Khmer Islam are 'One Khmer.'
Mon the 10th Waxing Moon of Sāvaṇa BE2559, August 24, AD2015 Year of the Goat
Thach Setha and KKC & KYAD delegation visit Austria on AUG 18
[Mr. Thach Setha, KKC & KYAD delegation had conducted research on historical Khmer Krom documents at A.N.O.M. for the second time in the post-2014 Mass Demonstration to protect Khmer history after Vietnam failed to apologize to the Khmers publicly for falsely claiming Kampuchea Krom belongs to Vietnam for a long time.]
Wed the 5th Waxing Moon of Sāvaṇa BE2559, August 19, AD2015 Year of the Goat
Map of Indochina that drawn by colonial French administration contained Khmer village, Vietnamese village
[Mr. Thach Setha, KKC & KYAD delegation had conducted research on historical Khmer Krom documents at A.N.O.M. for the second time in the post-2014 Mass Demonstration to protect Khmer history after Vietnam failed to apologize to the Khmers publicly for falsely claiming Kampuchea Krom belongs to Vietnam for a long time.]
Tue the 4th Waxing Moon of Sāvaṇa BE2559, August 18, AD2015 Year of the Goat
Mr. Thach Setha and KKC & KYAD delegation visited Italy on AUG 14
[Mr. Thach Setha, KKC & KYAD delegation had conducted research on historical Khmer Krom documents at A.N.O.M. for the second time in the post-2014 Mass Demonstration to protect Khmer history after Vietnam failed to apologize to the Khmers publicly for falsely claiming Kampuchea Krom belongs to Vietnam for a long time.]
Fri the 15th Waning Moon of Āsāḷha BE2559, August 14, AD2015 Year of the Goat
Mr. Thach Setha, Mr. Vann Vannarin, KKC & KYAD delegation continue their research of historical Khmer Krom documents on AUG 11 & 12
[Mr. Thach Setha, KKC & KYAD delegation had conducted research on historical Khmer Krom documents at A.N.O.M. for the second time in the post-2014 Mass Demonstration to protect Khmer history after Vietnam failed to apologize to the Khmers publicly for falsely claiming Kampuchea Krom belongs to Vietnam for a long time.]
Thu the 14th Waning Moon of Āsāḷha BE2559, August 13, AD2015 Year of the Goat
Thu the 14th Waning Moon of Āsāḷha BE2559, August 13, AD2015 Year of the Goat
PHNOM PENH (11 August 2015) – Today, OHCHR finalized and shared with the Constitutional Council its human rights analysis of the Law on Associations and NGOs, which hold profound implications for the ability of persons to exercise through associations and NGO's their internationally and consitutionally recognized rights to freedom of expression and association.
Ban Ki-moon: The United Nations is not to be understood to officially endorse or accept the boundaries and names shown on the maps concerned.
[The U.N. Secretary General wrote to RGC on August 5, B.E.2559 A.D.2015]
Thu the 7th Waning Moon of Āsāḷha BE2559, August 6, AD2015 Year of the Goat
Thach Setha: Today found map of Kampuchea (Cambodia), which the French colonial administrators cartographed manually in 1932-1933. August 5, B.E.2559 A.D.2015
[Mr. Thach Setha, KKC & KYAD delegation had conducted research on historical Khmer Krom documents at A.N.O.M. for the second time in the post-2014 Mass Demonstration to protect Khmer history after Vietnam failed to apologize to the Khmers publicly for falsely claiming Kampuchea Krom belongs to Vietnam for a long time.]
Thu the 7th Waning Moon of Āsāḷha BE2559, August 6, AD2015 Year of the Goat
Thach Setha: Today [KKC & KYAD delegation] found map of Koh Tral Island, which is undeniably Khmers’ and the French also called Koh Tral Island. August 5, B.E.2559 A.D.2015
[Mr. Thach Setha, KKC & KYAD delegation had conducted research on historical Khmer Krom documents at A.N.O.M. for the second time in the post-2014 Mass Demonstration to protect Khmer history after Vietnam failed to apologize to the Khmers publicly for falsely claiming Kampuchea Krom belongs to Vietnam for a long time.]
Thu the 7th Waning Moon of Āsāḷha BE2559, August 6, AD2015 Year of the Goat
DAY 05 and Final Day PHASE 02: KKC & KYAD Research Team at A.N.O.M. in France on JUL 31
Khmers in solidarity in pursuit of research, contribution, studies, safeguard and uplift Khmer history
Fri the 1st Waning Moon of Āsāḷha BE2559, July 31, AD2015 Year of the Goat
DAY 04 PHASE 02: KKC & KYAD Research Team at A.N.O.M. in France on JUL 30
Khmers in solidarity in pursuit of research, contribution, studies, safeguard and uplift Khmer history
Thu the 15th Waxing Moon of Āsāḷha BE2559, July 30, AD2015 Year of the Goat
DAY 03 PHASE 02: KKC & KYAD Research Team at A.N.O.M. in France on JUL 29
Khmers in solidarity in pursuit of research, contribution, studies, safeguard and uplift Khmer history
Wed the 14th Waxing Moon of Āsāḷha BE2559, July 29, AD2015 Year of the Goat
KKC & KYAD Delegation (The Khmer Kampuchea Krom Community and Khmer Youth Alliance for Democracy) continues mission two to research historical Khmer Kampuchea Krom documents at A.N.O.M. in France on July 27, B.E.2559 A.D.2015 (Interview ២/2)
Tue the 13th Waxing Moon of Āsāḷha BE2559, July 28, AD2015 Year of the Goat
គណៈប្រតិភូសហគមន៍ខ្មែរកម្ពុជាក្រោម ទៅប្រមូលឯកសារប្រវត្តិសាស្ត្រ ស្តីពីទឹកដីកម្ពុជាក្រោម នៅប្រទេសបារាំង ថ្ងៃទី 27-07-2015 Part 2
KKC & KYAD Delegation (The Khmer Kampuchea Krom Community and Khmer Youth Alliance for Democracy) continues mission two to research historical Khmer Kampuchea Krom documents at A.N.O.M. in France on July 27, B.E.2559 A.D.2015 (Interview 1/2)
Tue the 13th Waxing Moon of Āsāḷha BE2559, July 28, AD2015 Year of the Goat
គណៈប្រតិភូសហគមន៍ខ្មែរកម្ពុជាក្រោម ទៅប្រមូលឯកសារប្រវត្តិសាស្ត្រ ស្តីពីទឹកដីកម្ពុជាក្រោម នៅប្រទេសបារាំង ថ្ងៃទី 27-07-2015 Part 1
DAY 02 PHASE 02: Khmer Krom Research Team at A.N.O.M. in France on JUL 28
Khmers in solidarity in pursuit of research, contribution, studies, safeguard and uplift Khmer history
Tue the 13th Waxing Moon of Āsāḷha BE2559, July 28, AD2015 Year of the Goat
The 66th Annual Kampuchea Krom Loss Commemoration and the Offering Ceremony to 1,949 Buddhist monks to honor Khmer heroes on June 4, B.E2559 A.D.2015 in Phnom Penh, Kampuchea (Cambodia).
June 4, B.E.2493 A.D.1949 is the date when France transferred Khmer land called Kampuchea Krom to Vietnam to continue colonizing, plundering her until today.
Sun the 11th Waxing Moon of Āsāḷha BE2559, July 26, AD2015 Year of the Goat
Thach Setha: Today I saw the words ‘Yuon’ and ‘Khmer Krom’ at the French Foreign Affairs Ministry used in 1945.
Thach Setha: La recherche au Ministère Français des Affaires Étrangères, a vu aujourd'hui la Yuon et Khmer Krom au Ministère Français des Affaires Étrangères en 1945.
Wed the 7th Waxing Moon of Āsāḷha BE2559, July 22, AD2015 Year of the Goat
Mr. Thach Setha, delegation chief of the Khmer Kampuchea Krom Community and Khmer Youth Alliance for Democracy (KKC & KYAD), conducting research on maps of Kampuchea (Cambodia) at the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs on July 20, B.E.2559 A.D.2015
Mon the 5th Waxing Moon of Āsāḷha BE2559, July 20, AD2015 Year of the Goat
A Transfer Ceremony of Historical Khmer Kampuchea Krom Documents to Mr. Thach Setha on July 13, B.E.2559 A.D.2015 in France
Sat the 3rd Waxing Moon of Āsāḷha BE2559, July 18, AD2015 Year of the Goat
(Mr. Thach Setha is delegation leader of the Khmer Kampuchea Krom Community and Khmer Youth Alliance for Democracy to France, president of the Khmer Kampuchea Krom Community and representative of Khmer Youth Alliance for Democracy)
Oxfam: '1% will soon own world's wealth while 1 in 9 go hungry'
Mon the 15th Waning Moon of Phussa BE2558, January 19, AD2015 Year of the Horse
Courtesy BBC
Oxfam report says the wealthiest 1% will own more than 50% of the world's wealth by 2016. The charity's research shows that the share of the world's wealth owned by the richest 1% increased from 44% in 2009 to 48% last year.
Katie Wright is Head Global External affairs at Oxfam. She said: "The world talks about having the ambition to end poverty but that simply isn't going to happen until we tackle this vast and growing inequality."
This clip is originally from Breakfast on Monday 19 January 2015.
Cambodia: 30 Years of Hun Sen Violence, Repression
Tue the 9th Waning Moon of Phussa BE2558, January 13, AD2015 Year of the Horse
Courtesy HRW
Donor Countries Should Promote Democracy, Human Rights
<<After 30 years of experience, there is no reason to believe that Hun Sen will wake up one day and decide to govern Cambodia in a more open, inclusive, tolerant, and rights-respecting manner. The international community should begin listening to those Cambodians who have increasingly demanded the protection and PROMOTION of their basic human rights, Brad Adams, Asia director>>
New York – The 30th anniversary of Hun Sen’s rule in Cambodia highlights the need for influential governments and donors to strengthen efforts for human rights and democratic reforms, Human Rights Watch said in a new report today. January 14, 2015, marks 30 years since Hun Sen took office as PRIMEminister on January 14, 1985.
Hun Sen is now the sixth-longest serving political leader in the world, just behind Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe and ahead of Yoweri Museveni of Uganda.
“For three decades, Hun Sen has repeatedly used political violence, repression, and corruption to remain in power,” said Brad Adams, Asia director and author of the report. “Cambodia urgently needs reforms so that its people can finally exercise their basic human rights without fear of arrest, torture, and execution. The role of international donors is crucial in making this happen.”
The 67-page report, “30 Years of Hun Sen: Violence, Repression, and Corruption in Cambodia,” chronicles Hun Sen’s career from being a Khmer Rouge commander in the 1970s to his present role as PRIME minister and head of the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP). The report details the violence, repression, and corruption that have characterized his rule under successive governments since 1985.
Hun Sen has ruled through violence and fear. He has often described politics as a struggle to the death between him and all those who dare to defy him. For example, on June 18, 2005, he warned political opponents whom he accused of being “rebels” that “they should prepare coffins and say their wills to their wives.” This occurred shortly after he declared that Cambodia’s former king, Norodom Sihanouk, who abdicated to express his opposition to Hun Sen’s method of governing, would be better off dead.
In a speech on August 5, 2009, he mimicked the triggering of a gun while warning critics not to use the word “dictatorship” to describe his rule. On January 20, 2011, responding to the suggestion that he should be worried about the overthrow of a dictator in Tunisia at the time of the “Arab Spring,” Hun Sen lashed out: “I not only weaken the opposition, I’m going to make them dead ... and if anyone is strong enough to try to hold a demonstration, I will beat all those dogs and put them in a cage.”
Just after his Cambodian People’s Party suffered major electoral setbacks in the National Assembly elections of July 28, 2013, despite systematic fraud and widespread election irregularities orchestrated by his government, he proclaimed that only “death or incapacitation to the point of being unable to work” could unseat him from the summit of power.
“Although in recent decades he has allowed limited space for political opposition and civil society, the patina of openness has concealed an underlying reality of repression, and his government has been quick to stifle those who pose a threat to his rule,” Adams said.
Human Rights Watch examined Hun Sen’s human rights record during various Cambodian governments since 1979, and in particular the current Royal Government of Cambodia, which has been in place for more than 20 years. Since Hun Sen maneuvered to stay in office after rejecting the results of a United Nations-administered election in 1993, he and the CPP have remained in power by manipulating the elections held every five years since.
The report is based on materials in Khmer, English, Vietnamese, and Chinese, including official and other Cambodian documents; interviews with Cambodian officials and other Cambodians; interviews with journalists, academics, and nongovernmental organizations; and UN records, foreign government reports, and Cambodian COURT RECORDS.
The report describes:
Hun Sen’s early life in Kampong Cham province;
His decision to join the Khmer Rouge after the ouster of Prince Norodom Sihanouk in 1970;
His role as a Khmer Rouge commander in the 1970s in areas where crimes against humanity were committed;
His responsibility in the 1980s as prime minister for a notorious forced labor PROGRAM and systematic imprisonment of dissidents, and for death squads during the UN peacekeeping operation in 1992-93;
The role of his personal bodyguard unit in the deadly March 30, 1997 grenade attack on opposition leader Sam Rainsy;
His bloody coup of July 5-6, 1997, and its aftermath, in which more than 100 mostly royalist opposition party members were summarily executed; and
The repression and corruption of the past decade during which political and social activists, trade union leaders, and journalists have been killed in connection with their opposition to CPP policies and practices.
In recent years, a government-generated land crisis affecting the urban and rural poor has adversely affected hundreds of thousands of Cambodians, while Hun Sen has openly obstructed accountability for international crimes perpetrated in 1975-1979 by the Khmer Rouge, relying on his control of a Cambodian judiciary that also ensures CONTINUING impunity for abuses.
Human Rights Watch called on influential governments and donors to end their passive response to these decades of rights abuses, repression, and massive corruption, and to make a renewed commitment to support Cambodians who struggle for free and fair elections, the rule of law, an end to corruption and land grabs, and respect for basic rights such as freedom of expression, association, and assembly.
“After 30 years of experience, there is no reason to believe that Hun Sen will wake up one day and decide to govern Cambodia in a more open, inclusive, tolerant, and rights-respecting manner,” Adams said. “The international community should begin listening to those Cambodians who have increasingly demanded the protection and PROMOTION of their basic human rights.”
Amid Cambodia protests, UN rights expert appeals for calm, urges ‘meaningful talks’
Courtesy UN News Centre
Fri the 10th Waning Moon of Māgasira BE2557, December 27, AD2013 Year of the Snake
Surya P. Subedi, Special Rapporteur on the situation of Human Rights in Cambodia. UN Photo/Jean-Marc Ferré
Photo courtesy UN News Centre
27 December 2013 – An independent United Nations human rights expert today urged Cambodian authorities to continue to exercise restraint amid daily demonstrations in the capital of Phnom Penh, while also praising the increasing democratic space allowing people to comfortably express themselves in the streets without fear of retaliation and warning them against resorting to violence.
Surya P. Subedi, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Cambodia, appealed to all sides to exercise “the utmost restraint and calm,” adding that tolerance and racial harmony are crucial for the future of democracy in the country.
Members of the opposition have been boycotting the Cambodian National Assembly for more than five months in a reported attempt to oust Prime Minister Hun Sen, whose win in the last election extended his 28-year rule, alleging vote-rigging and calling for a new election. They have recently been joined by thousands of garment workers pressing for higher wages.
The Special Rapporteur has called for “meaningful talks to resolve the current dispute” based on concrete data that reflect the real cost of a dignified life respectful of human rights.
“All parties – the Government, striking workers, trade unions, the factories and buyers – needed to reassure protesting workers that they would develop a realistic wage structure,” he said in a news release.
Turning to the political dispute that sent the protestors originally to the street, Mr. Subedi urged both sides to return to the negotiation table.
“Any dispute needs a credible mechanism for dispute resolution which is acceptable to both sides. Such a mechanism was missing and this is why frustrated opposition supporters have taken to the streets,” he said.
The expert also expressed “cautious optimism for 2014,” saying that the recent election can “mark a turning point in the process of improving the protection of human rights” in the country.
“There seems to be an emerging consensus that reform needs to take place in many sectors, including electoral management, justice, land management, labour, education and health care,” he said, adding that there was a pressing need to develop effective ways of settling disputes.
“The opportunities are there. This is the moment to seize them and to translate promises of meaningful structural reform into reality,” he said, pledging support to the Government and the opposition in this regard.
Independent experts or special rapporteurs are appointed by the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council to examine and report back, in an unpaid capacity, on specific human rights themes.
Anti-Vietnamese rhetoric is being misinterpreted, misdirected
Courtesy The Cambodia Daily
Thu the 9th Waning Moon of Māgasira BE2557, December 26, AD2013 Year of the Snake
Election Reform Alliance (ERA)'s Joint Report on the 2013 Cambodian Elections
Courtesy ERA
Fri the 11th Waxing Moon of Māgasira BE2557, December 13, AD2013 Year of the Snake
របាយការណ៍ទើបតែចេញផ្សាយជាភាសាខ្មែររបស់អង្គការ ERA ដែលមានអង្គការអាមេរិក NDI ចូលរួមផងដែរ បង្ហាញថាមានការលុបឈ្មោះអ្នកបោះឆ្នោត និងលួចបន្លំសន្លឹកឆ្នោត យ៉ាងសន្ធឹកសន្ធាប់ ដែលធ្វើឲ្យការបោះឆ្នោតថ្ងៃ ២៨ កក្កដា ២០១៣ កន្លងទៅនេះ បំភ្លៃឆន្ទៈប្រជារាស្រ្តយ៉ាងធ្ងន់ធ្ងូរ។
This report was compiled based on the research conducted by various independent organizations over the past year, including: the voter registry audits. While these studies provide a detailed view of the elections, the ability of these organizations to draw comprehensive conclusions about the impact on the electoral results has been limited as the relevant Cambodian government bodies have not provided full data on a number of issues.
Letter to Prime Minister Abe on Making Human Rights a Cornerstone of the Japan-ASEAN Summit
Courtesy HRW
Thu the 10th Waxing Moon of Māgasira BE2557, December 12, AD2013 Year of the Snake
Map of the 10 countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe
Japan
Logo of the Human Rights Watch, HRW
Kanae Doi
HRW Japan Director
Bram Adams
HRW Asia Director
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe
Cabinet Secretariat, Government of Japan
1-6-1 Nagata-cho, Chiyoda-ku
Tokyo 100-8968, Japan Fax: +81-3-3592-0179
Re: Making Human Rights a Cornerstone of the Japan-ASEAN Summit
Dear Prime Minister Abe,
We write in regard to the Japan-ASEAN summit scheduled for December 13 to 15, 2013. We sincerely urge you to make human rights and democracy a cornerstone of your discussions with the ASEAN leaders, and make prominent reference to specific rights concerns in your public appearances at the summit.
On January 28, 2013, you made an important and welcome policy announcement that the Japanese government will pursue an international “diplomacy based on the fundamental values of freedom, democracy, basic human rights, and the rule of law.” Needless to say, protection and promotion of human rights are a central element of international law and raising concerns about other governments’ failure to protect human rights is a legitimate area of international diplomacy. The Japan Ministry of Foreign Affairs formally agrees with this position in its official policies. But in practice, Japanese diplomats at Embassies throughout ASEAN commonly tell Human Rights Watch that they avoid raising human rights issues in their interactions with host governments because they think that doing so constitutes interference into domestic affairs of another country. As a major Asian power that is also the biggest aid donor to many ASEAN countries, Japan is in a unique position to encourage its aid recipients to significantly improve their compliance with international human rights and humanitarian law.
In the past, Japan’s approach to human rights has largely been to engage in quiet diplomacy and avoid public criticism of abusive governments. We believe that Japan’s efforts would be more effective if Japan combines private diplomacy on human rights concerns with speaking forthrightly about rights in public.
We sincerely expect the vision you expressed in your January speech will transform Japan's tradition oflargely “behind closed doors”diplomacy into a more strategic policy of engagement and public criticism. The upcoming summit meetings are an excellent opportunity to put your vision into practice by making human rights and democracy apriority of the meetings. In this regard, we sincerely request your attention to the concerns we have about human rights in Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Burma, the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, and Brunei Darussalam.
Laos
Prominent Lao civil society leader Sombath Somphone, a Magsaysay award winner, was abducted on December15, 2012 in Vientiane, the Lao capital. Closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage obtained by his family showed Sombath was last seen with local police at the ThaDeua police post before being taken away by unknown persons in a pickup truck. TheLao authorities have responsibility to account for Sombath’s enforced disappearance, but they refused to conduct a thorough investigation into his abduction, rejected all offers of external assistance, including professional analysis of the original CCTV footage showing the abduction, and have not put forward any credible explanation for his disappearance.
Both the US and the EU have publicly expressed their concerns about Sombath’s enforced disappearance. As December 15, 2013 marks one year since his disappearance, Japan should use thisopportunity to also publicly raise serious concerns about his abduction.
Cambodia
Cambodia remains in a deep political crisis threatening the democratic process that was the objective of the 1991 Paris Agreements, of which Japan was a major architect and a signatory. The crisis is largely a result of the failure of the Cambodian government to fulfill itscommitments under international law and the Paris Peace Agreements to promote and protect human rights. The most immediate cause is the authorities’ failure to respect the people’s right to choose their leaders through free and fair elections and their right to peaceful assembly. Large segments of the population and much of Cambodian civil society reject the official results of the July 28, 2013 elections, according to which the long-ruling Cambodian People’s Party won a majority and a result of which Hun Sen has continued as prime minister. The authorities’ attempts to prevent and suppress demonstrations related to the elections have been accompanied by repeated instances of excessive use of force by the police and gendarmerie, killing two people and wounding many others.
Japan should join other countries in publicly calling for an independent, internationally assisted investigation into election irregularities.During your recent visit to Cambodia, we understand that Prime Minister Hun Sen made a request for Japanese assistance for electoral reform in Cambodia. Human Rights Watch urgesJapan to withhold such assistance until there is an agreement among the main political parties and Cambodian civil society on concrete and feasible steps to ensure that future elections conform with international human rights standards and best practices, including the creation of a fully independent and impartial election management machinery and a reliable and credible voter registration list.Even then, Japan should only provide assistance after consultation with the main political parties and Cambodian civil society. In the meantime, Japan should urge the main political parties and Cambodian civil society to agree upon and implement a new binding regulatory framework for the promotion and protection of the right to peaceful assembly, one fully based on international standards and best practices,including those identified by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association.
Vietnam
Despite some encouraging steps, such as signing the Convention Against Torture and decriminalizing same-sex marriage, the Communist Party of Vietnam, through its control of Vietnam’s government, security forces, national assembly and judiciary, continues to repress human rights. The amended constitution adopted on November 28, 2013 and scheduled to come into force on January 1, 2014, contains additional rhetorical commitmentson human rights, but its operative articles maintain loopholes contrary to international standards that provide an ongoing legal basis for human rights violations via the application of abusive laws and decrees. Among the many areas for concern are freedom of expression and association, peaceful assembly and the right to a fair trial. The government’s determined disregard of these rights is evidenced by the conviction and sentencing to prison by party-controlled courts of at least 63 political and other activists during 2013, a significant increase from recent years.
Japan should press Vietnam to begin reversing this trend by immediately and unconditionally releasing the following 10 political prisoners,whom – notwithstanding the charges pursuant to which they have been convicted and sentenced to prison – we believe are imprisoned for their exercise of basic human rights: Nguyen HuuCau, Tran Huynh DuyThuc, Le Van Son, Nguyen Van Hai, Ta Phong Tan, Nguyen Van Ly, Cu Huy Ha Vu, Dinh Dang Dinh, Ho ThiBichKhuong, and Vi Duc Hoi. Japan should also urge Vietnam to start a process of legal reform that gives effect to the human rights rhetoric of the constitution instead of relying on its language of exceptions to abuse them.Among the abusive texts currently most used to deny people their basic human rights are penal code articles 88 and 258, which are used to imprison people on politicallymotivated and trumped-up charges of conducting anti-state propaganda and abusing democratic freedoms, respectively. Again as one of many steps, Vietnam should immediately abolish or amend these provisions to bring Vietnamese law in line with international human rights standards, such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, ratified by Vietnam, and do so in consultation with the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to freedom of opinion and expression.
Indonesia
President SusiloBambangYudhoyonohas made public appeals for greater religious freedom and tolerance, but his government continues to respond weakly to growing violence and discrimination against religious minorities in Indonesia. Other areas of concern include new onerous restrictions on the activities of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), the proliferation of local decrees that violate women’s rights, and mistreatment of the increasing number of refugees and migrants, including unaccompanied migrant children, reaching Indonesia.
Japan raised the issue of freedom of religion and belief for religious minorities at Indonesia’s session at the UN Universal Periodic Review in 2012, and in response, Indonesia agreed to take further measures. However, according to the Jakarta-based Setara Institute, which monitors religious freedom, there were 264 cases of attacks on religious minorities recordedin 2012 and 243 cases in the first 10 months of 2013. Japan should further press Indonesia to respond strongly to the growing violence and discrimination against religious minorities.
The perpetrators are usually Sunni Islamist militants andtheir targets include Christians, other Muslims, including Ahmadiyah, Shia, and Sufis. For example, on June 20, 2013, a mob of more than 800 Sunni militants pressured local authorities to evict hundreds of displaced Shia villagers from a stadium in Sampang, Madura, where they had been living since August 2012 after more than 1,000 Sunni villagers attacked their homes and killed one resident. The displaced Shia villagers were then forcibly driven to an apartment building that the government had prepared in Sidoarjo, Java, three hours away. The Ministry of Religious Affairs organized a “supervision” in which the Shia villagers were forced to convert to Sunni Islam.
Japan should express concerns on the proliferation of decrees that violate women's rights. InAugust 2013, Indonesia's official Commission on Violence against Women reported that national and local governments had passed a total of 342 discriminatory regulations, including 79 local bylaws requiring women to wear the hijab. More than 60 of these regulations were promulgated in 2013.
Burma
Burma has been experiencing important but still fragile political, economic and social reforms since the new government took power in March 2011, yet serious and systematic human rights challenges remain. Japan has been one of the most supportive international aid donors and investors in these reform efforts, but has continually hesitated to speak openly and critically about the shortcomings of the reform process to guarantee basic rights and freedoms. Japan should make it a priority to press Burma to end ongoing abuses against the stateless Rohingya Muslim population in Arakan State,where an estimated 180,000 remain internally displaced after communal violence in 2012 that in some cases constituted ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity, and urge Burma to address the grave humanitarian situation there. Japan should push Burma to improve the condition of Rohingya Muslims and amend the citizenship law to end discrimination against Rohingya and ensure their full participation in the 2014 census.Japan has an opportunity to partner with ASEAN states to work with the Burmese government to improve this dire humanitarian crisis before it worsens. Japan should also prioritize action to seek and end ongoing abuses against ethnic Kachin in northern Burma,where an estimated 100,000 civilians displaced from the 2011-2013 conflict face dire restrictions on humanitarian aid and human rights protection against abuses by all sides to the conflict.
Japan should also call on Burma to permit the establishment of an office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Burma,which would fulfill a public pledge made by President Thein Sein in 2012 that remains unmet through 2013. Such an office would have an important role to play in monitoring and reporting on ongoing rights violations in Burma and supporting the realization of both government human rights mechanisms and civil society efforts to promote and protect human rights.
Japanese investment through JICA in the Thilawa Special Economic Zone (SEZ) outside of the commercial capital Rangoon has been mired in controversy for the past two years. Despite the good efforts of Japanese officials to consult with all parties, Burmese officials continue to intimidate farming communities slated to be displaced by this project. Japan should press harder for Burma’s government to protect the rights of communities facing widespread displacement and forced eviction for infrastructure, development, agriculture and natural resource extraction projects by Burmese and foreign investors throughout Burma,which is a major national issue that contributes to ongoing rights violations. Japan should view the Thilawa project as a cautionary case study setting out Japan’s obligation to help ensure that the rights of local communities are supported against capricious, abusive and illegal displacement.
Legal reform in Burma remains uneven, and some recently promulgated laws purporting to guarantee rights have actually contributed to arbitrary and abusive use of power by local authorities in cases involving land rights, freedom of protest, media freedom, and commercial development. Despite the laudable release of political prisoners in Burma during 2013, there still remain some 60 political prisoners behind bars and another 250 people facing charges related to conducting peaceful public assemblies and marches. President Thein Sein has promised to release all political prisoners by the end of 2013. Japan should usethe Japan-ASEAN meeting to call for the Burmese government to meet its promise to release all political prisoners, and pledge to end the cycle of politically motivated arrests and charges that are putting a new generation of activists behind bars.
Thailand
Close diplomatic, political, economic, and socio-cultural ties have provided Japan significant leverage to be frank and forthright in raising human rights issues with the Thai government. We urge your government to make use of this leverage through strong public statements and private diplomacy.
A new round of street battles in Bangkok erupted after Prime MinisterYingluckShinawatra’sgovernment tried to pass a blanket amnesty for all individuals responsible for political violence and corruption from 2004 to 2011. More than 100,000 opposition supporters took to the streets in November and December, leading clashes that left at least four dead and over 200 wounded. Against the backdrop of new violence, those responsible for past violence remain unpunished. In political confrontations and violence in 2010, at least 90 people died—including Japanese photographer Hiroyuki Muramoto—and more than 2,000 were injured. The large majority of casualties in 2010 resulted from unnecessary or excessive use of lethal force by soldiers, although there were elements of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD), popularly known as the “Red Shirts” who were also responsible for armed attacks on soldiers, police, and civilians. Japan should make it clear to the Thai government that it opposes an amnesty for the killings and other abuses related to political confrontations, and urge the Thai government to prosecute all those responsible for rights abuses, regardless of political affiliation or position.
Restrictions on the right to freedom of expression in Thailand continue unabated. Thousands of websites have been blocked for suspected content considered offensive to the monarchy, and the highly popular Japan-based LINE mobile messaging service has been targeted for surveillance by Thai authorities. Under the lese majeste statute of the Penal Code and the Computer Crimes Act, Thai authorities prosecute individuals deemed to be critical of the monarchy, as well as webmasters and magazine editors who fail to censor lese majeste content. Often persons charged with lese majeste offenses have been denied bail and remain jailed for many months awaiting trial. In many cases, those convicted receive very harsh sentences. Japan should urge the Thai government to end this climate of fear and censorship and urge Thailand to reform its lese majeste laws in line with international human rights standards.
Finally, Japan should press Thailand to protect refugees and asylum seekersand ensure all are given access to a fair refugee status determination procedure that conforms to international standards. Japan should urge Thailand to sign and ratify the 1951 Refugee Convention andits 1967 Protocol and develop and pass a national law that recognizes refugee status.
Thai authorities have frequently intercepted and pushed back boats carrying ethnic Rohingya from Burma and Bangladesh, despite allegations that such practices led to hundreds of deaths in 2008 and 2009. Since January 2013, Thai authorities have detained more than 2,000 ethnic Rohingya on the grounds that they are “illegal migrants.” Families were separated, with the men sent to overcrowded and under-resourced immigration detention centers, while the women and children are held in government shelters. In the detention centers, men were restricted to extremely cramped conditions in small cells resembling large cages, where they barely had room to sit. Since October 2013, these Rohingya have been taken by Thai Immigration officials to Ranong for return to Burma after signing ‘voluntary’ departure forms written in Thai that the Rohingya neither could read nor understand. However, rather than being returned to Burma, the Rohingya have been transferred to the control of human traffickers who have detained them in remote jungle camps, where the Rohingya were beaten and tortured until they come up with money to pay for their transfer to Malaysia.
Japan should encourage Thailand to follow the Guidelines of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on Applicable Criteria and Standards Relating to the Detention of Asylum Seekers, which state that as a general rule, asylum seekers, including children, should not be detained but allowed to remain in the community, work, and live under temporary protection. Japan should offer concrete assistance and urge Thai authorities to work closely with UNHCR, which has the technical expertise to screen for refugee status and the mandate to protect refugees and stateless people.
Philippines
As Philippines President Benigno Aquino III enters the second half of his six-year term in office, his administration has still not delivered on many of its human rights commitments. The government has not made significant progress on its pledge to expedite the investigation and prosecution of extrajudicial killings, torture, and enforced disappearances, and other serious violations of human rights. While the number of extrajudicial killings has dropped significantly since Aquino took office in 2010, politically motivated killings are still frequently reported and the killings of petty criminals by “death squads” in urban areas continue unabated. Human Rights Watch appreciates the fact that you publicly raised the concerns about the extrajudicial killings with then President Arroyo in 2006 and 2007. However, in the past three years, there have been only two cases of extrajudicial killings in which someone was convicted for the crime, and even in those cases, other key suspects did not face justice. Harassment and violence against leftist political activists and environmentalists continues. The killing of journalists has recently worsened, with 10 members of the media murdered in 2013 alone.
Japan should continue to engage with the Philippines on the issue of extrajudicial killings by pressing the government to end impunity for these human rights violations. Specifically, Japan should press the Philippines to make fully operational the inter-agency committee on extrajudicial killings that President Aquino created in November 2012.This committee has been tasked to expedite and streamline the investigation and prosecution of specific cases. Japan should urge President Aquino to explicitly order the Philippines military to stop targeting leftist activists and to investigate those soldiers and officers implicated in past attacks.Japan should also press President Aquino to rescind Executive Order 546 that was promulgated by his predecessor and authorizes local government officials to arm militias.We urge your government to emphasize to President Aquino that he should order the disbanding of abusive paramilitaries and militias such as the CAFGUs (Citizen Armed Force Geographical Units), SCAA (Special CAFGU Auxiliary) and CVOs (Civilian Volunteer Organization) that are blamed for many human rights violations.
Malaysia
Following the May 5, 2013 election that saw the ruling BarisanNasional returned to power with a reduced majority, Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak has reversed course on key human rights reforms while expanding prosecutions of opponents for actions that are consistent with exercise of civil and political rights. Specifically, the government dusted off a long-ignored law, the Prevention of Crime Act 1959, and amended it to reintroduce up to two years of administrative detention for alleged “criminals” that is not subject to judicial review, and accordingly will undermine due process under the law. Japan should urge Malaysia to revoke these changes, and pass laws on criminal activities that comply with international human rights standards.
The Malaysia government continued the politically motivated prosecution of opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim on thoroughly discredited “sodomy” charges. In just a few days, starting on December 11, Anwar will again be in court, facing the prosecutors appeal against his acquittal. Japan should intervene with the Malaysia government and urge it to order the Attorney-General’s Chambers to drop the appeal, thereby ending this case against Anwar. Moreover, Japan should urge Malaysia to repeal its sodomy statute, and replace it with a gender neutral law outlawing rape, and end all other policies and laws that discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.
Malaysia has also continued a frontal assault on the rights to freedom of assembly and association following the May election, and re-energized opposition political campaigners and civil society activists have been the victims of these efforts. At least 43 persons have been charged with violating the Peaceful Assembly Act for failing to give 10days’ noticeto police in advance of protest, a requirement that is excessive by international rights standards. A number of other opposition activists have been charged under the Sedition Act for public speeches or comments that did not advocate violence, and thus should be protected under the international right to freedom of expression. Japan should press Malaysia to follow through on past, pre-2013 election pledges by Prime Minister Najib to revoke the Sedition Act.
Finally, despite its membership on the UN Human Rights Council, Malaysia’s record on ratification of international human rights instruments is abysmal, and among the worst in Southeast Asia. Japan should encourage Malaysia to ratify key international human rights conventions, and issue an open invitation for UN Special Rapporteurs, operating under the Special Procedures auspices of the UN Human Rights Council, to visit the country.
Singapore
Singapore has significantly increased its restrictions on freedom of expression and the press by extending onerous controls to Internet news websites that previously had been allowed to operate without significant government interference. In June, the government began to require submission of a US$50,000 bond and annual licensing for websites meeting criteria set out by the government, accompanied by requirements to take down any content that the government unilaterally determines violatesvaguely defined conceptions of “public interest,” “public security” or “national harmony.” In late November, the government’s media regulator, the Media Development Authority, required Breakfast Network (www. breakfastnetwork.sg) to register with it and ostensibly to ensure the site will “not to receive foreign funding for its provision, management and/or operation.” Japan should raise concerns with Singapore about using regulatory process to undermine freedom of expression on the Internet, and urge them to revoke the regulations promulgated in June.
Singapore has also increasingly used an antiquated charge of “scandalizing the judiciary” to suppress commentary that touches on the country’s courts. What constitutes an offense under this law is left to the discretion of the government, and during the year, authorities targeted LGBT and social activist Alex Au, and Facebook-based cartoonist Leslie Chew, for prosecution. Japan should press Singapore to revoke this criminal offense in its penal code, and recognize that respecting people’s right to analyze and criticize judicial decisions is critical to fair and transparent judicial process.
Singapore also continues to use the Public Order Act 2009 to regulate, and frequently deny permits to public assemblies or processions that occur outside the city-state’s designated “Speaker’s Corner” area at Hong Lim Park. Moreover, highly restrictive regulations that are implemented by the Registrar of Societies require government approval for any group with more than 10 members to exist. Japan should urge Singapore to revise its laws and regulations on freedom of association and public assembly and bring those into compliance with international standards.And like Malaysia, Singapore has a very poor record in ratifying international human rights conventions or cooperating with the Special Procedures under the UN Human Rights Council, and Japan should urge significant improvements in both areas.
Brunei Darussalam
In October, absolute monarch Sultan HassanalBolkiah promulgated a new Sharia criminal code that will introduce punishments such as stoning for adultery, and amputation of limbs for theft. Such treatment constitutes cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment as set out under international law.Japan should raise serious concerns with Brunei’s leader and urge him to reverse this decision, and ensure that Brunei’s criminal code fully complies with international human rights standards.The code will only apply to Muslims, who comprise approximately two-thirds of Brunei’s population, when it comes into effect in 2014.
Thank you for your consideration of our views. We stand ready to provide further information or details that you might find helpful about the rights record of ASEAN member states.
Sincerely,
Brad Adams
Kanae Doi
ទិវាសិទ្ធិមនុស្សថ្ងៃ១០ ធ្នូ
On the occasion of Human Rights Day
Courtesy UNOHCHR
Tue the 8th Waxing Moon of Māgasira BE2557, December 10, AD2013 Year of the Snake
One year ago, the United Nations commemorated Human Rights Day under the theme, "My Voice Counts!" Yes, it does.On the occasion of Human Rights Day 2013,we look back on an eventful year in which that voice demanded to be counted and reform in some areas has been initiated. In light of Cambodia's ambitious development targets, the three critical components of the human rights-based approach to development – accountability, transparency and participation - would improve the chances for successful reform.
Vietnam: Amended Constitution a Missed Opportunity on Rights
New UN Human Rights Council Member Not Living Up to Commitments
Wed the 2nd Waxing Moon of Māgasira BE2557, December 4, AD2013 Year of the Snake
Human Rights Watch logo
“While proposed amendments were vigorously debated, hard-liners prevailed and the new constitution has tightened the ruling party’s grip. Instead of responding to popular demands and international human rights commitments, Vietnam remains a one-party state with a constitution that allows authorities to restrict basic rights on vague grounds whenever it suits them.” Brad Adams, HRW Asia director
New York – The amended constitution Vietnam adopted on November 28, 2013, failed to address popular aspirations for change and reform, Human Rights Watch said today. Vietnam’s donors and development partners should redouble their efforts to press the Vietnamese government for constitutional and legal reforms to protect basic rights, such as freedom of expression and association.
When the amendment process began on January 2, the Vietnamese government and National Assembly urged members of the public to make recommendations for changing the constitution. Hundreds of thousands of people responded, in an unprecedented display of public participation in a legal reform process in Vietnam. Many comments were critical of the ruling Vietnamese Communist Party, with large numbers of calls for ending one-party rule and instituting genuine periodic elections. On October 22, Human Rights Watch sent a letter to Vietnam’s National Assembly urging it to accept amendments to promote and protect rights.
“While proposed amendments were vigorously debated, hard-liners prevailed and the new constitution has tightened the ruling party’s grip,” said Brad Adams, Asia director. “Instead of responding to popular demands and international human rights commitments, Vietnam remains a one-party state with a constitution that allows authorities to restrict basic rights on vague grounds whenever it suits them.”
On November 28, 98 percent of the members of the National Assembly, 90 percent of them members of the Communist Party, voted for the government-sponsored draft. While taking account of officially collated comments that stayed within bounds defined by the Communist Party, they ignored suggestions from the Vietnamese public for fundamental changes to bring the constitution in line with international human rights standards. In the end, the National Assembly made very few changes to what the government put forward.
The amended constitution will come into force on January 1, 2014. It includes two key changes to strengthen the Communist Party’s monopoly on power. Article 4 makes the party the vanguard and representative not only of the Vietnamese working class, but of the whole Vietnamese people and nation, further narrowing the legal space to exercise the right to pluralistic and freely contested elections. Article 65 follows the government lead in enshrining a new legal requirement for Vietnam’s armed forces to be absolutely loyal to the Communist Party.
New clauses in articles 16, 31, 102, and 103 appear to allow freedom of expression and other basic rights and promise to end arbitrary arrests of critics and political trials on trumped-up charges. But these provisions have been effectively negated by loopholes and weak guarantees in other provisions. Article 14 states that the authorities can override human rights guarantees in other passages if they deem it necessary for national defence, national security, public order, the security of society, or social morality.
Similarly, reaffirmation of rights like freedom of religion in article 24 and freedom of speech in article 25 are accompanied by qualifications allowing vague and broad legal restrictions. Articles 70, 88, and 105 make possible continued tight Communist Party control of the judiciary, meaning there is still no guarantee of fair and impartial trials.
“The amended constitution leaves the door wide open to the continued use of harsh laws and politically controlled courts to target activists and critics,” Adams said.
The passage of the amended constitution is the first major Vietnamese government human rights move since it was elected by the United Nations General Assembly to the United Nations Human Rights Council on November 12.
“The new constitution betrays Vietnam’s claim when it sought election to the United Nations Human Rights Council that it will ‘uphold the highest standards in the promotion and protection of human rights,’” Adams said. “The Constitution is a big disappointment for the Vietnamese people and leaves the government with a very long way to go if it wants Vietnam to become known as a human-rights-respecting country.” Courtesy HRW
Vietnam: Letter on UN Human Rights Council Candidacy to Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung
Wed the 4th Waxing Moon of Kattikā BE2557, November 6, AD2013 Year of the Snake
U.N. Human Rights Council
Nguyen Tan Dung
Vietnam's Prime Minister
Brad Adams
Human Rights Watch
Director
November 4, 2013
Nguyen Tan Dung
Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam
Office of the State
1 Bach Thao
Hanoi, Vietnam
Via facsimile: +84 80 48924
Via Email: toasoanwebcp@chinhphu.vn
Dear Prime Minister,
With elections to the United Nations Human Rights Council quickly approaching and with Vietnam standing as a candidate, we are writing to urge your government to take several specific, concrete, visible steps aimed at meeting its obligation to "uphold the highest standards in the promotion and protection of human rights," as set forth in UN General Assembly Resolution 60/251.
In making these recommendations, Human Rights Watch recalls that in Vietnam's note verbale from August 27, 2013, to the President of the General Assembly containing its human rights pledges and commitments in connection with its candidacy for Council membership, your government affirms that that the rights and fundamental freedoms of Vietnam's people have recently been "respected and ensured in an increasingly effective and full manner." Further, the government of Vietnam pledges that the respect for and promotion of human rights has been concretized via Vietnam's "constitution and relevant laws, in their implementation mechanisms and in practice" and, in particular, that the right to freedom of opinion expressed via internet has been "enhanced."
The real human rights situation in Vietnam is very much contrary to the characterization in the note verbale and if your government's pledges are to be taken as credible, Vietnam should act immediately to demonstrate their sincerity.
Therefore, we urge Vietnam to signal its willingness to begin to address ongoing human rights concerns in advance of the November 12 elections by immediately and unconditionally releasing the following ten political prisoners, whom – notwithstanding the charges pursuant to which they have been convicted and sentenced to prison – we believe are imprisoned for their exercise of basic human rights: Nguyen Huu Cau, Tran Huynh Duy Thuc, Le Van Son, Nguyen Van Hai, Ta Phong Tan, Nguyen Van Ly, Cu Huy Ha Vu, Dinh Dang Dinh, Ho Thi Bich Khuong, and Vi Duc Hoi.
Releasing these ten people now will be an important step towards indicating Vietnam's commitment towards improving its human rights record and will set an example as it campaigns for a seat on the Human Rights Council. They are among the more than 150 individuals, including human rights defenders, political dissidents, lawyers, journalists, bloggers, democracy advocates, religious activists, land rights campaigners, and others whose convictions and imprisonment on politically-motivated charges are inconsistent with Vietnam's candidacy for the Human Rights Council. Particularly inconsistent with this candidacy is the fact that the number of such convictions is dramatically rising, with at least 61 such people sentenced to prison so far this year, compared with some 40 convictions known to Human Rights Watch in 2012.
Constitutional reform is another step Vietnam could take to demonstrate its suitability for Human Rights Council membership. In this regard,Human Rights Watch wrote on October 22, 2013 to the chairman of Vietnam's National Assembly urging its members to ensure that the revisions of the constitution currently being undertaken fully meet international human rights standards to protect the rights and liberties of all people in Vietnam. We urge your government to support these recommendations. If the Vietnam government shows it has the political will to undertake such reforms, it would open the door for the National Assembly to initiate pro-human rights constitutional changes.
Among other things, amendments should include adoption of provisions on the right to freedom of opinion and expression as laid out in international standards, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Vietnam acceded in 1982, and in the explanatory United Nations Human Rights Committee General Comment on freedom of expression.[1]
UN General Assembly Resolution 60/251 also calls for all members of the Human Rights Council to fully cooperate with the council, including with its special procedures. To heed this call, Vietnam should issue a standing invitation to all special procedures mandate-holders. In particular, it should urgently invite the special rapporteur on the right to freedom of opinion and expression to Vietnam with a view to ensuring it becomes possible to exercise this right in practice there, along with all other human rights.
The Human Rights Council election provides an important moment for Vietnam to demonstrate an enhanced commitment to addressing human rights concerns. Human Rights Watch appreciates your serious consideration of our proposals made in this letter.
Sincerely,
Brad Adams
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[1] Human Rights Committee, General Comment 25 (37), General Comments under article 40, para 4, of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, adopted by the Committee at its 1510 meeting, U.N. Doc. CCPR/C/21/Rev.1/Add. 7 (1996), para 27.
The October 23m B.E.2535 A.D.1991 Paris Peace Accord. Many national issues remain unresolved and flagrantly neglected to suit the ruling party and Vietnam (For examples, issues of borders, Khmer Krom, immigrants, forestation, and so forth).
Wed the 4th Waning Moon of Assayuja BE2557, October 23, AD2013 Year of the Snake
Statement of the Deputy High Commissioner presenting the annual report of activities of OHCHR-Cambodia to the Human Rights Council
Sat the 9th Waning Moon of Poṭṭhapāda BE2557, September 29, AD2013 Year of the Snake
Left: Flag of the United Nations
Right: Flag of Cambodia
26 September 2013 - I am pleased to introduce the report of the Secretary-General on the role and achievements of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in assisting the Government and People of Cambodia in the promotion and protection of human rights which is A/HRC/24/32 and covers the period between July 2012 and May of this year. During this period, OHCHR continued to work with the Government and the people of Cambodia in a number of key areas such as rule of law; prison reform; fundamental freedoms; land and housing rights. And we also expanded our work on the issue of business and human rights. We hope that Cambodia will embark, as promised, on an ambitious programme to reform of some of its key institutions which are fundamental for the promotion and protection of human rights, including the judiciary and the National Assembly. OHCHR will continue to remain fully committed to supporting the Government and the people of Cambodia in this important endeavour. Read the statement in English. Courtesy OHCHR
សុន្ទរកថារបស់រដ្ឋមន្រ្តីក្រសួងការបរទេសសហរដ្ឋអាមេរិក លោក John Kerry នៅឯកិច្ចប្រជុំរដ្ឋមន្ត្រីអាស៊ាន សមាគមនៃប្រជាជាតិនៅអាស៊ីអាគ្នេយ៍
Remarks at the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting
Sat the 9th Waning Moon of Poṭṭhapāda BE2557, September 29, AD2013 Year of the Snake
U.S. State Secretary Hon. John Kerry
Remarks
John Kerry
Secretary of State
New York City
September 27, 2013
Well, thank you very much, Secretary Russel. It's great to have you aboard. And I think everybody here appreciates your outreach and your efforts in the region, and I know everybody has confidence in your leadership.
And it's a pleasure to sit around the table with our friends from ASEAN. All of you welcomed me so warmly at our first meeting when I – my first meeting as Secretary of State. I met with many of you previously. And I want to thank particularly our friends from Brunei, including His Royal Highness Prince Mohamed. Thank you so much for that unbelievable welcome when we were all there, and I thank you for your leadership of ASEAN over the last year as chair. Let me also thank Myanmar for the work as the United States' country coordinator, and I thank you in advance for chairing ASEAN this next year.
Without any question, ASEAN has been at the center of the Asia Pacific's regional architecture. And this organization is also at the center of the United States' strategy to rebalance our resources and our engagement in the region. And that is a priority for President Obama, and I'm pleased to continue to work on that priority as we implement it. And the entire Administration is committed to this initiative. President Obama is very much looking forward to returning to the region in a few days, a few weeks, to participate in the U.S.-ASEAN summit, as am I.
As we have discussed in recent months, our strategy is about much more than just security. We're working to strengthen every single part of our relationship, including our economic links directly between our citizens. Bolstering our shared prosperity through economic growth and development is one of the primary goals that's at the heart of the U.S.-ASEAN relationship. And within the decade, half of the 600 million people who live in Southeast Asia will be entering the middle class. So as I said at Bandar Seri Begawan in July, we need to do all we can to help this enormous aspirational population achieve its dreams in order to touch the global economy, and we need to help build an integrated ASEAN economic community by 2015. That's our goal.
One of the ways that we're working to do that is by expanding trade and investment between the United States and the 11 countries within ASEAN. And the ASEAN Expanded Economic Engagement Initiative, known as E3, is a framework for economic cooperation that will create new business opportunities and new jobs on both sides of the Pacific. I just had a good meeting with the Prime Minister of Vietnam this morning. The Foreign Minister is here. And we talked about E3 and the importance of it to this effort.
Through other projects, like the Lower Mekong Initiative, which I am particularly supportive of and engaged in, we're partnering there to tackle energy and environment challenges – challenges in water, agriculture, and food security that simply don't stop at anyone's border. So these efforts can improve lives for everybody in the region on a day-to-day basis, and we need to invest a lot more even going forward, as all of you know. The Mekong River is one of the great rivers of the world. And so many countries – China, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam – all share a part of that river, and each has an interest in the integrity of that river. So we need to focus on this challenge.
Another of our goals is, obviously, peace and security. And we're mindful that our shared security is a prerequisite for our shared prosperity. We're focused on every aspect, from maritime security to cyber security, from the high seas to our PCs, and beyond.
And your region is home to the world's busiest ports and most critical sea lanes, so stability where you live matters deeply to prosperity where we live. And it matters around the world. That's one of the reasons why the United States is so committed to maritime security, to the freedom of navigation on the seas, and to resolving the disputes with respect to territory and achieving a code of conduct with respect to that.
This is going to require respect for international law and unimpeded lawful commerce in the South China Sea. And that's why China and ASEAN should move as swiftly as possible to reach a binding code of conduct for addressing disputes without threats, without coercion, and without use of force.
Now, in the end, the relationships between our countries are only going to be as strong as the relationships between our citizens. And that's why a third priority of our initiative is stronger people-to-people ties. In this area, there's actually a lot of good news. Last year, we launched the U.S.-Brunei English Language Program. And in the past month, the first scholars in the new ASEAN Fulbright Program began their studies. One of the largest Fulbright programs in the world, which I'm proud to have started a number of years ago when I was in the Senate, is the Fulbrights program, and it's one of the largest – the second-largest, I think, in the world now. And then the Fulbright Program in Malaysia is expanding significantly every single year. And every one of these programs is another opportunity for countless students to build a connection, build friendships, and develop new perspectives that they bring back to their own countries – and I might add, new skills, new talents.
So our focus on these three goals is laser sharp. The commitment of the United States, led by President Obama, is strong. And the United States and ASEAN, I think together recognize the unlimited potential for cooperation in the region. I am convinced that our partnership can play a central role in promoting peace and prosperity in the 21st century. And we're very grateful to all of you for taking the time to come here today to focus on these issues and to focus on this relationship, and I look forward to the discussion that we're going to have.
Thank you, Mr. Secretary.
Courtesy U.S. Department of State
Op-Ed: The Washington Post -- The U.S.'s Lagging Commitment to Religious Freedom
Thu the 8th Waning Moon of Sāvaṇa BE2557, August 29, AD2013 Year of the Snake
Courtesy USCIRF
Official logo of USCIRF
Dr. Robert P. George, USCIRF Chair
Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett, Vice Chair
Although religious freedom is a pivotal human right, critical to national security and global stability, key provisions of the landmark International Religious Freedom Act are being neglected years after its passage. A number of studies demonstrates the link between freedom of religion and societal well-being, while its absence correlates closely with instability and violent religious extremism, including terrorism. Many governments, including those topping the U.S. foreign policy and security agendas, perpetrate or tolerate acts of religious repression, such as arbitrary detention, torture and murder.
The International Religious Freedom Act provides vital tools, including identifying and sanctioning the world's worst violators. But over many years and different administrations, the executive branch has not employed them fully or in a timely manner. With a key deadline for action arriving this month, it is time to confront this unwise failure to act.
When the act was passed in 1998, it made the promotion of religious freedom an official U.S. foreign policy priority and established at the State Department an ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom. The legislation also created a bipartisan and independent U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, on which we serve, to monitor this right worldwide and make policy recommendations to Congress, the secretary of state and the president.
Congress gave the legislation real teeth through a groundbreaking enforcement mechanism: requiring annual administration review and designation of "countries of particular concern," defined as those governments engaging in or allowing "systematic, ongoing, egregious" violations.
While the law provides the administration with flexibility in how it will pressure those countries, the review and designation process is not discretionary. The law requires it. Whatever one's view of appropriate sanctions for violators, there can be little disagreement on the imperative of bearing witness to abuses.
Unfortunately, neither Republican nor Democratic administrations have consistently designated countries that clearly meet the standard for offenders. The Bush administration issued several designations in its first term but let the process fall off track in its second. The Obama administration issued designations only once during its first term, in August 2011.
The result? Violators such as Egypt, Pakistan and Vietnam are escaping the accountability that the International Religious Freedom Act is meant to provide.
Even those nations currently designated as "countries of particular concern" could escape accountability if there are no designations this month; under the law, countries remain designated until removed, but any corresponding penalties expire after two years. Without new designations, sanctions attached in 2011 to Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea and Sudan will expire this month. And while those countries are subject to sanctions under other U.S. laws, allowing the International Religious Freedom Act's sanctions authority to expire would send the disturbing message that the United States won't implement its own law on religious freedom.
To be sure, the Obama administration has taken some positive steps. It created a State Department working group on religion and foreign policy and this month established a new faith-based office, both tasked with religious engagement.
Also this month, Secretary of State John Kerry announced a U.S. Strategy on Religious Leader and Faith Community Engagement. As our commission has recommended, promoting religious freedom is among the three key objectives of this engagement.
Engagement should be part of any strategy for the promotion of religious freedom. But what will move gross offenders to stop persecuting individuals if not the credible threat of consequences? By letting the process of designating offenders atrophy, the United States surrenders its leverage while creating a chilling precedent for other rights. If this process is allowed to wither, what will happen to similarly designed programs such as the tiered system of the Trafficking in Persons Report, which was modeled on this approach?
The process of designating countries of particular concern works when deployed as intended — that is, not as a single bludgeon but as a targeted tool. When diplomacy is combined with the prospect or reality of such designations and attendant sanctions or other specific diplomatic and related actions, repressive governments — including Vietnam and Turkmenistan — have made meaningful changes. Moreover, countries often consider such a designation a stigma and blow to their world standing. Because a designation of concern is rightly perceived as an important factor in a country's relationships with the United States, it can create political will for reform where none otherwise would exist.
For the sake of freedom and security, it is time to apply the International Religious Freedom Act fully and the country designation process decisively. Congress has the right and the duty to press the executive branch to do so.
The following op-ed appeared in The Washington Post on August 21, 2013.
Robert P. George is chairman of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. Katrina Lantos Swett is a vice chairwoman of the commission.
Freedom Online Coalition Joint Statement on the Socialist Republic of Vietnam's Decree 72
Mon the 5th Waning Moon of Sāvaṇa BE2557, August 26, AD2013 Year of the Snake
Courtesy U.S. Department of State
Press Statement
Marie Harf
Deputy Spokesperson, Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
August 26, 2013
The Freedom Online Coalition is deeply concerned by the announcement of Vietnam's new Decree 72, which will impose further restrictions on the way the Internet is accessed and used in Vietnam when it comes into effect September 1. For example, Decree 72 restricts online information flow and limits the sharing of certain types of news and other speech. Decree 72 appears to be inconsistent with Vietnam's obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, as well as its commitments under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Decree 72 risks harming Vietnam's economy by constraining the development of businesses in Vietnam, limiting innovation, and deterring foreign investment. An open and free Internet is a necessity for a fully functioning modern economy; regulations such as Decree 72 that limit openness and freedom deprive innovators and businesses of the full set of tools required to compete in today's global economy.
The Freedom Online Coalition notes that resolution 20/8, adopted by consensus by the UN Human Rights Council in July 2012, confirms that human rights apply online as well as offline. The Freedom Online Coalition calls on the Vietnamese government to revise Decree 72 so that it promotes the ability of individuals to exercise their human rights, including the right to freedom of expression.
The Freedom Online Coalition is a cross-regional group of 21 governments that collaborate to advance Internet freedom worldwide. The Coalition provides a forum for like-minded governments to coordinate efforts and work with civil society and the private sector to support the ability of individuals to exercise their human rights and fundamental freedoms online.
The Freedom Online Coalition was formed at a conference hosted by the government of the Netherlands in 2011, and held further meetings hosted by Kenya in 2012, and Tunisia in 2013. The government of Estonia, chair of the Coalition, will host the next conference in spring 2014.
Obit: The late Mr. Phuong Thach, age 84, passed away on Saturday the 11th Waning of Sāvaṇa B.E.2557, August 17, A.D.2013
Sat the 3rd Waning Moon of Sāvaṇa BE2557, August 24, AD2013 Year of the Snake
Sun the 12th Waxing Moon of Sāvaṇa BE2557, August 18, AD2013 Year of the Snake
Courtesy Michael Benge
The "he said, she said" dispute over the claim that the Cambodian regime suspended or cancelled international military cooperation with the U.S. offers an ideal opportunity for the Obama administration to right a wrong-headed policy of providing aid to a corrupt and politicized military implicated in brutal human rights abuses.
Cambodia 's military openly and illegally campaigned for former Khmer Rouge commander Prime Minister Hun Sen and the ruling Cambodian People's Party, a repressive communist kleptocracy, and created an atmosphere of voter intimidation in the recent July 28th elections marred by fraud according to Human Rights Watch.
According to the Pnomh Penh Post, last April, Cambodia 's pre-eminent environment activist, Chut Wutty was shot dead by military policemen protecting an illegal logging concession. Three weeks after Wutty's murder, soldiers hired to protect the economic concession of a company murdered a 14-year-old girl. In September, Cambodian investigative journalist Hang Serei Odom was hacked to death and stuffed in the trunk by a military officer protecting another concession.
Tens of thousands of people around the country have been forcibly evicted without compensation, and some killed, in land-grabs, often in connection with economic land concessions granted to powerful foreign-owned companies. Cambodia 's Army, commanded by Hun Sen's son, has a rent-a-cop policy -- an army for hire -- paid by the companies to carry out the evictions and guard their assets. Military trucks provided by the U.S. are used to transport soldiers for evictions and to protect private companies and are often seen hauling illegal timber cut from endangered forests.
It is outrageous that the United States supplies millions of dollars of equipment and other aid to Cambodia 's army while it engages in such flagrant abuses of human rights. U.S. military aid to Cambodia should be limited to only training its military on preventing human rights abuses and for disaster response and civic action; and it must be closely monitored to avoid continued misuse. The Obama Administration attempts to justify turning a blind eye toward abuses by the Cambodian military on the necessity to gain influence in Cambodia in competition with China ; a futile endeavor that it cannot win and a pipe dream at best. When the Obama administration suspended a shipment of about two dozen military vehicles to Cambodia in 2010, China promptly stepped in and donated over 250 military trucks. In October last year, Cambodia received about 100 tanks and 40 APCs from Ukraine – a shipment that marked one of the largest ever, suggesting that European arms dealers do not discriminate against Chinese money.
On Wednesday morning ( 08/14/13 ), a port official confirmed that "more than 80 tanks and APCs, and... about 100 containers of bullets and mortar shells," from an Eastern European country arrived at Sihanoukville Autonomous Port. The arrival comes just two weeks after the Chinese government gave 1,000 handguns and 50,000 rounds of ammunition to Cambodian police forces. Officials insisted the handover had been inked long before, but the delivery raised eyebrows among analysts who suggested it had been timed to coincide with post-election unrest. On Thursday, eyewitnesses in Preah Sihanouk province said they saw more than 20 heavily armed vehicles --including at least 16 tanks -- at the Sihanoukville Autonomous Port being transported by truck up National Road 4. Cambodia 's Defense Minister Tea Banh said that the truckloads of tanks and mounted rocket launchers seen by witnesses leaving the Port in the direction of Phnom Penh would be used to protect the country in the case that someone "tries to destroy the nation."
Where the U.S. has a distinct advantage and can gain influence with the disadvantaged Cambodian people is through providing humanitarian aid and economic development assistance at the grass roots level rather than aid to a morally corrupt regime's military.
And the band plays on.
Michael Benge spent 11 years in Vietnam as a foreign service officer and is a student of South East Asian politics. He is very active in advocating for human rights, religious freedom, and democracy for the peoples of the region and has written extensively on these subjects.
US criticises Vietnam internet control law
Tue the 15th Waning Moon of Āsāḷha BE2557, August 6, AD2013 Year of the Snake
Courtesy BBC
Vietnam has more than 30 million internet users
The US has criticised a new internet decree in Vietnam that would restrict online users from discussing current affairs.
The law, announced last week and due to come into force in September, says social media should only be used for "[exchanging] personal information".
The US embassy in Hanoi said it was "deeply concerned" by the decree.
Vietnam has convicted at least 46 activists, including bloggers, for anti-state activity this year.
The law, known as Decree 72, bans the online publication of material that "opposes" the Vietnamese government or "harms national security".
It also specifies that social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook should only be used "to provide and exchange personal information".
In a statement on Tuesday, the US embassy in Hanoi said it was "deeply concerned by the decree's provisions that appear to limit the types of information individuals can share via personal social media accounts and on websites".
"Fundamental freedoms apply online just as they do offline," it said.
Campaign group Reporters Without Borders, which has included Vietnam among its list of "Enemies of the Internet", said: "If [the decree] takes effect, Vietnamese will be permanently deprived of the independent and outspoken information that normally circulates in blogs and forums".
The law would also require foreign internet companies to keep a server inside Vietnam, news agency AP reported.
The Asia Internet Coalition, an industry group that represents companies including Google and Facebook, said in a statement: "In the long term, the decree will stifle innovation and discourage businesses from operating in Vietnam."
Vietnam is a one-party communist state and the authorities maintain a tight grip on the media. Courtesy BBC
Statement Attributable to the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General on Cambodia's elections
Sat the 12th Waning Moon of Āsāḷha BE2557, August 3, AD2013 Year of the Snake
Courtesy the U.N.
Ban Ki Moon
The United Nations Secretary General
The Secretary-General welcomes the peaceful conduct of the elections in Cambodia on 28 July. Amid reports of irregularities, the United Nations encourages the competent authorities to adjudicate complaints fairly and transparently, with the ultimate aim of ensuring the accurate determination of, and respect for, the will of the Cambodian people.
The Secretary-General continues to follow the situation in the country closely.
The 50th Anniversary of the self - immolation of Vietnamese Buddhist Monk Thich Quang Duc
Courtesy Senaka Weeraratna, The Buddhist Channel
Sun the 8th Waxing Moon of Jeṭṭha BE2557, June 16, AD2013 Year of the Snake
Colombo, Sri Lanka -- On June 11, 2013 the world commemorated the 50th Anniversary of the self immolation of Thich Quang Duc, an endeavour that had an enormous impact on world opinion and public perception of the then unfolding events in South Vietnam. It may well be said that it was a moment that changed the course of history of Vietnam, USA and the world at large.
The Buddhist world in particular has a moral obligation to commemorate this event and remember the great sacrifice of Bodhisattva Thich Quang Duc who burned himself to death on June 11, 1963 to protest against the persecution of Buddhists by the US-backed South Vietnamese administration of Ngo Dinh Diem.
Thich Quang Duc actively fought for religious freedom and equality for the Buddhist religion in pre – dominantly Buddhist (90%) South Vietnam. Many Buddhists outside South Vietnam who had lived through the western colonial period in Asia and having had the same / similar experience of denial of religious freedom and true equality for Buddhism under western Christian dominance, were very much moved to extend support for the Buddhist struggle in South Vietnam.
Sri Lanka provided meaningful support to the Buddhists of South Vietnam. Ven. Narada heads the list of supporters in having made 17 journeys on Dharmaduta missions to that country. The Bauddha Jatika Balavegaya (BJB) ( Buddhist National Force) led by L.H. Mettananda spearheaded the campaign of public protest. There were public meetings and public demonstrations throughout the country.
One huge public rally held at Ananda College, Colombo sponsored by the BJB following a three hour long Buddhist demonstration in Colombo called on the Government of Sri Lanka under Mrs. Sirimavo Bandaranaike to extend maximum support to the beleaguered Buddhists in South Vietnam.
Mrs. Bandaranaike who was very sympathetic to the cause of Buddhism, promptly instructed Hon. R S S Gunawardena, Sri Lanka's Ambassador to the UN to highlight the grievances of Vietnamese Buddhists at the UN. His pleas articulated in an outspoken manner and with mounting evidence coming almost daily over the wires of repression of Buddhists in South Vietnam, resulted in the UN General Assembly adopting a motion on Oct. 8, 1963 to send a UN fact – finding mission to South Vietnam to inquire into the grievances of the Buddhists. It was while the UN team was in Vietnam that the Govt. of Ngo Dinh Diem was overthrown in an Army Coup on Nov. 2, 1963.
Thich Quang Duc's self-immolation sparked a sense of solidarity among Buddhists in Vietnam and brought the fight for religious equality and freedom to a success in 1963. The Most Venerable's remains was later re-cremated at 4,000 degree Celsius, but his heart did not burn and remained intact.
Therefore, the heart was considered to be holy and placed in a glass chalice in Xa Loi Pagoda. Thich Quang Duc was declared and honored as a Bodhisattva in 1964.
The last words of Thich Quang Duc before his self – immolation contained in a letter were as follows:
“Before closing my eyes and moving towards the vision of the Buddha, I respectfully plead to President Ngo Dinh Diem to take a mind of compassion towards the people of the nation and implement religious equality to maintain the strength of the homeland eternally. I call the venerables, reverends, members of the sangha and the lay Buddhists to organise in solidarity to make sacrifices to protect Buddhism.”
USCIRF's 2013 Annual Report on Vietnam's Khmer Krom Human and Religious Rights Violations
Tue the 3rd Waxing Moon of Jeṭṭha BE2557, June 11, AD2013 Year of the Snake
Annual Report of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom
April 2013 (Covering January 31, 2012 – January 31, 2013)
Religious freedom conditions remain very poor despite some positive changes over the past decade in response to international attention. The Vietnamese government continues to imprison individuals for religious activity or religious freedom advocacy. It uses a specialized religious police force (công an tôn giáo) and vague national security laws to suppress independent Buddhist, Protestant, Hoa Hao, and Cao Dai activities, and seeks to stop the growth of ethnic minority Protestantism and Catholicism via discrimination, violence and forced renunciations of their faith.
Independent Hoa Hoa congregations, Cao Dai and Khmer Buddhist temples, and United Buddhist Church of Vietnam (UBCV) pagodas faced harassment and restrictions. Human rights defender Le Quoc Quan was arrested and is being held without charge.
USCIRF recommends Vietnam as one of the seven additional countries be designated as CPCs. See downloads on
Report on Vietnam: Pages 195 - 210
VN authorities mistreat Khmer Buddhist monks in Khleang province, Kampuchea Krom
Thu the 14th Waxing Moon of Visakha BE2556, May 23, AD2013 Year of the Snake
The Khmer Kampuchea Krom Community, KKC, requests Cambodia's Foreign Affairs & International Cooperation Ministry to intervene with Vietnam on the cases of the venerables Ly Jenda, Kuy, and Leas, who were illegally detained by VN authorities in Khleang province, Kampuchea Krom, for networking with the overseas Khmer Krom civil society.
The Constitution of Vietnam, chapter 5, article 50 states, "In the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, human rights in all respects, political, civic, economic, cultural and social are respected, find their expression in the rights of citizens and are provided for by the Constitution and the law."
..., article 52 states, "All citizens are equal before the law."
..., article 69 states, "Citizens are entitled to freedom of speech and freedom of the press; they have the right to receive information and the right of assembly, association and demonstration in accordance with the law."
..., article 70 states, "Citizens have the right to freedom of belief and religion, and may practise or not practise any religion. All religions are equal before the law. Public places of religious worship are protected by law. No one has the right to infringe on the freedom of faith and religion or to take advantage of the latter to violate State laws and policies."
A Buddhist Funeral service for the late mr. son to, age 91, on 03.30 - 31, B.E.2556 A.D.2013 in MontrEal, quebec canada
Tue the 7th Waning Moon of Phagguṇa BE2556, Apr 2, AD2013 Year of the Dragon
Click on images to view large picture
Obit: The late Mr. Son To, Age 91, Passed Away on 03.20 B.E.2556 A.D.2013 in Montréal, Canada
Thu the 10th Waxing Moon of Phagguṇa BE2556, Mar 21, AD2013 Year of the Dragon
The late Mr. Son To passed away at 9:30PM on Wednesday the 9th Waxing Moon of Phagguṇa B.E.2556, March 20, A.D.2013 in the Jean Talon Hospital, Montréal, Quebec, Canada due to illness.
The late Mr. Son To, Buddhist, former Buddhist monk, born on Friday the 3rd Waning Moon of Phussa B.E.2466, January 5, A.D.1923 in Ta Maek village, Nakta
Snaa Mphei commune, Kampong Thom district, Preah Trapeang province, Kampuchea Krom, former Cochin China, in the time of French colonial administered Kampuchea Krom, to a farmer family.
Contact Info: Son Trien 514.323.9518, Son Sockha 514.593.7537, Thach Savan 514.915.4318, or Kim Sac Toan 514.331.4698.
Assistant Secretary Posner Makes Human Rights Visits to Cambodia and Burma
Tue the 9th Waxing Moon of Māgha BE2556, Feb 19, AD2013 Year of the Dragon
Michael H. Posner
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor
Photo courtesy State Department
Media Note
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
In Cambodia, Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, Michael Posner met with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Hor Namhong, civil society activists, opposition leaders, and the representative for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on February 19. His discussions focused on promoting electoral reform, resolving land rights disputes, and harassment and detainment of activists while stressing the United States commitment to the Cambodian people's right to a government that reflects their goals and desires.
On February 20 Assistant Secretary Posner will continue to Rangoon, Burma for a three-day visit where he will discuss human rights reforms with government officials, religious leaders, and civil society activists. Specific topics will include the government's announcement of a political prisoner process, religious freedom of ethnic minority communities, and the human rights situation in current and former conflict areas.
For more on the U.S. Government's engagement on Human Rights, visit www.humanrights.gov. For updates, follow Assistant Secretary Posner on Facebook and Twitter @State_DRL. For further information, please contact Evan Owen at Owene@state.gov or (202) 647-4747.
Vietnam: Crackdown on Critics Escalates
Thu the 12th Waning Moon of Phussa BE2556, Feb 7, AD2013 Year of the Dragon
The Vietnamese government is systematically suppressing freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly, and persecuting those who question government policies, expose official corruption, or call for democratic alternatives to one-party rule, Human Rights Watch said in its World Report 2013.
Wed the 4th Waning Moon of Phussa BE2556, Jan 30, AD2013 Year of the Dragon
John Forbes Kerry is an American politician who has been a United States Senator from Massachusetts since 1985, and has been confirmed as the next U.S. Secretary of State.
Op-ed: Georgetown Journal of International Affairs -- They Are Not Alone: Supporting Prisoners of Conscience, January 14, 2013
Tue the 4th Waxing Moon of Phussa BE2556, Jan 15, AD2013 Year of the Dragon Courtesy USCIRF
Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett, USCIRF Chair
Photo courtesy USCIRF
Former Soviet prisoner and refusenik Natan Sharansky, Burmese human rights activist Aung San Suu Kyi, and Iranian Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani are some of the many people across the globe who were unjustly imprisoned for their beliefs. Fortunately, these three men and women of conscience are now free. We applaud their lives and the work they have done to advance the cause of freedom and dignity for all.
Unfortunately, many people today are not free but languish in jail cells around the world. They are imprisoned because of who they are, what they believe, and how they have chosen to express their convictions. These prisoners are prevented from enjoying the most fundamental human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and other international standards.
We must shine a light on these prisoners of conscience until they are free and the countries that keep them in bonds have released them and have implemented needed reforms.
To that end, as Chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), I join the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission of the U.S. House of Representatives and Amnesty International, USA in support of our joint Defending Freedoms Project. Through this project, members of Congress will select prisoners across the globe to support, highlight their causes, stand in solidarity with them, and let them and the world community know that they are not alone. In addition, by training a spotlight on the laws and policies that have led to their incarceration, members of Congress will be working both for their release and to hold offending governments accountable.
This new initiative will rely not on laws or customs that are specific to any one country, including our own, but on universal human rights benchmarks to which nearly every nation has assented. It will use the same internationally approved standards, freely agreed upon by most of the same countries which violate them in practice, to hold those states responsible for abusing the innocent.
Representatives Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) and Frank Wolf (R-Va), who have taken the lead in this project, are longtime champions of human rights worldwide. My late father, Tom Lantos, was proud to call them colleagues and friends, and worked closely with them on Capitol Hill for many years.
Sadly, as we survey the global landscape, it is clear that there are walls of tyranny in far too many places, and compared to these barriers, our words and deeds might appear humble indeed. But as the late congressman Jack Kemp once said, "there is a kind of victory in good work, no matter how humble." And in the words of the late Senator Robert F. Kennedy, "each time…[we]…strike out against injustice, [we] send forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other….those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance."
Let these memorable words stir our hearts, deepen our commitment, and strengthen our resolve as we open a new chapter in the cause of human rights and universal dignity.
Katrina Lantos Swett is the Chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). This article is adapted from her December 6, 2012 speech on Capitol Hill at the announcement of the Defending Freedoms Project.
King Norodom Sihanouk Replies to Senator Thach Setha
12/11/03
His Royal Majesty Norodom Sihanouk, the King of Kingdom of Cambodia, replies to Senator Thach Setha's 12/08/2003 letter. King Norodom Sihanouk proclaims that the kings of the Kingdom of Cambodia, sequentially, and Norodom Sihanouk never once give territories of motherland Kampuchea not even one arm's length to Vietnam, Thailand, or Laos. In any eras, the countries of Vietnam, Thailand, and Laos never have any gratitudes upon the Kingdom of Cambodia, and the Khmer kings and Norodom Sihanouk never commit [national] treason against the Nation, Citizens and motherland Kampuchea even once.
Download the King's Reply to Senator Thach Setha
Khmers in mourning, former King Norodom Sihanouk passed away, age 90, on Oct 15 2556, 2012
Wed the 2nd Waxing Moon of Assayuja BE2556, October 17, AD2012 Year of the Dragon
A human rights analysis of economic and other land concessions in Cambodia
25 September 2012 - The Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Cambodia, Surya Subedi, has released an assessment report on the human rights impact of economic and other land concessions in Cambodia. The report is an addendum to the Special Rapporteur's report at the 21st regular session of the Human Rights Council. To download the report, click here
To download the OHCHR-Cambodia report to the Human Rights Council, click here
Policy tool on legacy of hybrid courts now available in Khmer
Tue the 3rd Waxing Moon of Poṭṭhapāda BE2556, September 18, AD2012 Year of the Dragon
September 13, 2012 - OHCHR in Cambodia launched the Khmer publication of the Rule of Law Tools for Post Conflict States: Maximizing the Legacy of Hybrid Courts with the aim to assist the Royal Government of Cambodia, the judiciary, lawyers, development partners, and civil society to take full advantage of the opportunity created by the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) and to help ensure it leaves a positive impact on the Cambodian justice system by promoting respect for human rights.
To download the electronic copy, click here. For the English language, click here.
The 63rd Annual Kampuchea Krom Loss
Commemoration and the Buddhist Offering Ceremony to 1,949 Buddhist Monks to honor Khmer heroic Budhdist monks, heroic emperors, heroic kings, heroes, and servicemen and women, on Sundau the 13th Waning Moon of Jeṭṭha BE2556, June 17, AD2012, held at the former SRP HQs, Tonle Basak commune, Chamkar Mon district, Phnom Penh, Kingdom of Cambodia
La 63e commémoration annuelle du Kampuchea Krom et la perte de la cérémonie bouddhiste offre de 1949 moines bouddhistes pour honorer les moines khmers Budhdist héroïques, des empereurs, des rois héroïques héroïques, des héros et des militaires et des femmes, le dimanche de la Lune gibbeuse décroissante de 13 Jeṭṭha BE2556, Juin 17, AD2012 , qui s'est tenue à l'ancien QG de SRP, Tonle Basak commune, district de Chamkar Mon, Phnom Penh, Royaume du Cambodge
The International Parliamentary Committee for Democratic Elections in Cambodia
Sat Full Moon of Sāvaṇa BE2556, September 1, AD2012 Year of the Dragon
Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Cambodia
Tue the 11th Waxing Moon of Sāvaṇa BE2556, August 28, AD2012 Year of the Dragon
Courtesy the U.N.
Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Cambodia
August 27, 2012 - The Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Cambodia, Professor Subedi, has released a report focusing on the human rights aspects of electoral institutions in Cambodia. The report will be presented to the Human Rights Council in Geneva at its upcoming September session. An additional report focusing on the human rights impacts of land concessions in Cambodia, will be released in early September for consideration at the same session of the Council.
Sunday the 2nd Waxing Moon of Sāvaṇa BE2556, August 19, AD2012 Year of the Dragon
Courtesy the U.N.
In December 2008, the sixty-third session of the UN General Assembly decided to designate 19 August as World Humanitarian Day.
19 August is the date on which a brutal terrorist attack on UN headquarters in Baghdad in 2003 killed 22 people, including UN envoy Sergio Vieira de Mello.
World Humanitarian Day honours those, who have lost their lives in humanitarian service and those, who continue to bring assistance and relief to millions.
The Day also seeks to draw attention to humanitarian needs worldwide and the importance of international cooperation in meeting these needs.
Every year, disasters cause immense suffering for millions of people – usually the world's poorest, most marginalized and vulnerable individuals.
Humanitarian aid workers strive to provide life-saving assistance and long term rehabilitation to disaster-affected communities, regardless of where they are in the world and without discrimination based on nationality, social group, religion, sex, race or any other factor.
Humanitarian aid is based on a number of founding principles, including humanity, impartiality, neutrality and independence. Humanitarian aid workers should be respected, and be able to access those in need in order to provide vital assistance.
Humanitarian aid workers can be international, but most come from the country in which they work. They reflect all cultures, ideologies and backgrounds and they are united by their commitment to humanitarianism.
Everyone can be a humanitarian. People affected by disasters are often the first to help their own communities following a disaster.
Responding to emergencies is only one aspect of humanitarian work.
Humanitarian workers also support communities to rebuild their lives after disasters, to become more resilient to future crises, to advocate for their voices to be heard, and to build lasting and sustainable peace in areas of conflict.
Charges Against ADHOC Staffer Mark Decade's Most Serious Threat to Human Rights Work in Cambodia
Thu the 14th Waning Moon of Āsāḷha BE2556, August 16, AD2012 Year of the Dragon
USCIRF on Release of International Religious Freedom Report
Tue the 13th Waxing Moon of Asalha BE2556, July 31, AD2012 Year of the Dragon
Courtesy USCIRF
Washington, D.C. - Today, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom welcomed the State Department's issuance of its 2011 International Religious Freedom Report.
"As always, the State Department does a commendable job of cataloguing the wide-ranging manifestations of religious freedom abuses around the world," said USCIRF Chair Katrina Lantos Swett. "The next step, and real challenge, is convincing policymakers that prioritizing religious freedom through our bilateral and multilateral relationships is both a moral imperative and serves our national interests. The other challenge is convincing foreign governments to make needed improvements. USCIRF looks forward to working with the State Department in this effort to serve our common goal of promoting and protecting freedom of religion and belief globally."
USCIRF particularly commends the State Department's Office of International Religious Freedom and Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom Suzan Johnson Cook for their efforts in spearheading the compilation of this comprehensive annual report.
The International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (IRFA) requires the State Department to undertake an annual review of every country to "determine whether the government of that country has engaged in or tolerated particularly severe violations of religious freedom." Any country meeting that threshold is to be designated a "country of particular concern," or CPC, and the U.S. government is required to take action to encourage improvements in each CPC country. IRFA provides a range of possibilities for such action, from bilateral agreements to sanctions.
USCIRF urges the State Department to promptly designate CPCs and to follow up those designations with vigorous U.S. diplomatic activity to seek improvements with respect to this fundamental human right. While IRFA does not set a specific deadline for CPC designations, the law indicates that these designations should take place soon after the issuance of the State Department's annual report since the decisions are to be based on that review.
USCIRF is an independent, bipartisan U.S. federal government commission. USCIRF Commissioners are appointed by the President and the leadership of both political parties in the Senate and the House of Representatives. USCIRF's principal responsibilities are to review the facts and circumstances of violations of religious freedom internationally and to make policy recommendations to the President, Secretary of State and Congress.
To interview a USCIRF Commissioner, please contact Samantha Schnitzer at sschnitzer@uscirf.govThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or (202) 786-0613.
SRP and HRP announce political merger
Tue the 14th Waning Moon of Asalha BE2556, July 17, AD2012 Year of the Dragon
Sam Rainsy and Kem Sokha appear on screen during a press conference in Manila today.
Cambodia's main opposition party, the Sam Rainsy Party, and the Kingdom's newest opposition party, the Human Rights Party, have agreed to a merger, the parties' leaders said in a press conference from Manila today.
Sam Rainsy will be president of the new party – to be called "Cambodia Democratic Movement for National Rescue" – while HRP leader Kem Sokha will serve as vice president.
The two parties combined to earn more than 30 per cent of the popular vote in the recent commune council elections.
"The SRP and the HRP will unite in accordance with the Khmer people's will in order to save Cambodia by bringing about political change to put an end to a dictatorship serving destructive foreign interests," Rainsy and Sokha said in a joint statement issued today.
Both parties are extremely critical of long-serving Prime Minister Hun Sen's government and have waged political campaigns on platforms calling for change and democracy.
"The two parties absolutely insist on a change in the composition of the National Election Committee and an overhaul of the current complicated election procedures that make voting unnecessarily difficult," the two political leaders further stated.
Cambodia will hold national elections in July next year.
Vietnam: Clinton Should Spotlight Internet Freedom
Press Vietnam to Tear Down Web Firewall; Release Imprisoned Bloggers
Mon the 6th Waning Moon of Asalha BE2556, July 9, AD2012 Year of the Dragon
Courtesy Human Rights Watch
New York – United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton should publicly press Vietnam to respect freedom of expression and Internet freedom, and release prominent Internet bloggers when she visits Hanoi on July 10, 2012. Read more...
Speech of Senator Thach Setha, Executive Director of the Khmer Kampuchea Krom Community, kKC, giving on the occasion of the 63rd Annual Kampuchea Krom Commemoration in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on June 17, B.E.2556, A.D.2012
Thu the 3rd Waxing Moon of Āsāḷha BE2556, June 21, AD2012 Year of the Dragon
Video of this event will be posted at a later date.
The 63rd Annual Kampuchea Krom Loss
Commemoration and the Buddhist Offering Ceremony to 1,949 Buddhist Monks to honor Khmer heroic Budhdist monks, heroic emperors, heroic kings, heroes, and servicemen and women, on Sundau the 13th Waning Moon of Jeṭṭha BE2556, June 17, AD2012, held at the former SRP HQs, Tonle Basak commune, Chamkar Mon district, Phnom Penh, Kingdom of Cambodia
Sunday the 13th Waning Moon of Jeṭṭha BE2556, June 17, AD2012 Year of the Dragon Play Slideshows
The Khmer Kampuchea Krom commemorate the loss of Kampuchea Krom
Sun the 13th Waning Moon of Jeṭṭha BE2556, June 17, AD2012 Year of the Dragon
[Unofficial translation by KKC]
The Khmer Kampuchea Krom commemorate the loss of Kampuchea Krom
Khmer Kampuchea Krom NGOs commemorated the 63rd annual national mourning when colonial France ceded the Khmer Kampuchea Krom territory to Vietnam on June 17, 20212 at the former Headquarters of the Sam Rainsy Party near the Building block presided by Princess Sisowath Pongneary Monypong, the Highest Representative of the King, with 2,000 Buddhist monks and participants.
Mr. Thach Setha, president of the Khmer Kampuchea Krom Community and Senator from the Sam Rainsy Party, stated that the Khmer Kampuchea Krom people suffer and wish to live in independence, peace, and happiness like other nationals in the world.
Mr. Thach Setha stated again that may all the sufferings turn into a huge movement in order to push the struggle of the Khmer Kampuchea Krom Community to its destination to salvage the Khmer Kampuchea Krom national and motherland.
Khmer Krom denied venue requests to hold the 63rd Annual Kampuchea Krom Commemoration in front of Wat Botumvatei by Phnom Penh City Hall
Tue the 1st Waning Moon of Jeṭṭha BE2556, June 5, AD2012 Year of the Dragon
The ASEAN Human Rights Declaration: Drafts must be published and subject to meaningful consultations with local, national and regional civil society and human rights defenders
Fri the 14th Waxing Moon of Visakha BE2555, May 4, AD2012 Year of the Dragon
Fri the 7th Waxing Moon of Visakkha BE2555, April 27, AD2012 Year of the Dragon
Courtesy U.S. Embassy in Cambodia
Vice Admiral Scott Swift, Commander of the U.S. Seventh Fleet, will visit Cambodia April 30 – May 3, 2012. During his stay, Vice Admiral Swift will meet with officials from the Royal Cambodian Navy and the Ministry of National Defense to discuss bilateral and regional issues of mutual interest to include Cambodian participation in this year's Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training, CARAT, exercise; additional, mutually beneficial exchanges in the areas of maritime security, search and rescue, humanitarian and disaster relief, and seamanship and navigation; and developing closer military bonds. The USS Blue Ridge will also visit Cambodia from April 30 – May 4, 2012, to further strengthen the relationship between the United States and Cambodia.
Letter of King Norodom Sihamoni to Senator-reelect Thach Setha
Fri the 7th Waxing Moon of Visakha BE2555, April 27, AD2012 Year of the Dragon
Subverting standards within the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration
04/26/12
Courtesy Human Rights Watch
Phil Robertson
is Deputy Asia Director
of Human Rights Watch
by Phil Robertson
Published in: Strategic Review
April 26, 2012
In July, the ASEAN foreign ministers meeting in Phnom Penh will receive one of the most important documents drafted since the adoption five years ago of the ASEAN Charter. The ASEAN Declaration on Human Rights supposedly rings in a "new ASEAN" that is "people-oriented" with popular participation at its core. Read more...
Australia: Urge Human Rights Improvements in Vietnam
Thu the 6th Waxing Moon of Visakha BE2555, April 26, AD2012 Year of the Dragon
Courtesy HRW
"Vietnam has mastered the practice of harassing, arresting, and charging activists brave enough to speak their minds with vaguely worded national security crimes that carry severe penalties," said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch.
"Freedom of association is the lifeblood of NGOs" UN human rights chief
Wed the 5th Waxing Moon of Visakha BE2555, April 25, AD2012 Year of the Dragon
"Freedom of association is the lifeblood of NGOs" UN human rights chief
25 April 2012 -United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay expressed concern about recent moves in a number of countries, including Cambodia, that narrow the space for non-government organizations to operate independently and effectively. In a press statement, Pillay however welcomed the Cambodian Government's commitment to pursue further consultation on the draft NGO law. Read the press release in English
The Oct. 23 1991 Paris Peace Accord on Cambodia
Tue the 4th Waxing Moon of Visakha BE2555, April 24, AD2012 Year of the Dragon
Courtesy Thhai Makarar
UN Convention on Migrant Workers now available in Khmer language
Friday the 14th Waning Moon of Citta BE2555, April 20, AD2012 Year of the Dragon
The first-ever Khmer translation of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families (CMW) was launched on 20 March in an event attended by 130 participants from the government, business companies and civil society organizations. The CMW publication, printed in English and Khmer languages, is a collaboration of the UNOHCHR and UNWOMEN in Cambodia. Courtesy UNHR Cambodia
Appeal - The 63rd Annual Kampuchea Krom Commemoration
Sat the 14th Waning Moon of Visakha BE2556, May 19, AD2012 Year of the Dragon
Appeal: The 63rd Annual Kampuchea Krom Commemoration
Left: Heroic Buddhist Patriarch Most Ven. Ganda Dhammo Kim Toc Chon; center: Khmer hero Oknha Son Kuy; right: Heroic Buddhist Patriarch Most Ven. Dhamma Viriyo Kim Sang, and many more heroes, heroines, patriots, both known and unknown not listed here.
Quote, "No Suffering is greater than the loss of Kampuchea Krom and become
an ethnic minority on own land."
An Exclusive Interview with Hon. Sam Rainsy on the current political situation, rights to publish and receive news, human and religious rights in Cambodia
Tuesday the 4th Waning Moon of Citta BE2555, April 10, AD2012 Year of the Rabbit
Courtesy Templenews TV
[Cambodian] Government eyes fuel taxes
Tuesday the 4th Waning Moon of Citta BE2555, April 10, AD2012 Year of the Rabbit
Courtesy The Phnom Penh Post
on Saturday the 9th Waxing Moon of Citta BE2555, March 31, AD2012 Year of the Rabbit at Wat Samakki Rangsey, Stung Meanchey commune, Meanchey district, Phnom Penh, Kingdom of Cambodia
Saturdayday the 13th Waning Moon of Phussa BE2555, January 21, AD2012 Year of the Rabbit, Courtesy AFP
The United States will not sell lethal weapons to Vietnam until it reverses the "backward movement" in its human rights situation, US Senators including John McCain said Saturday.
Eleven (11) Khmer Krom NGOs based in Cambodia representing more than 12 millions Khmer Buddhist monks and people jointly request Vietnam to respect their rights
An Announcement of the Khmer Kampuchea Krom Association for Human Rights and Development on the Youth Convention on Jan. 30, 2011 in Prey Nokor City community
The Report of the 61st International Human Rights Day by the Khmer Kampuchea Krom Cultural Center in Cambodia on December 10, B.E.2553, A.D.2009 in Phnom Penh
The Khmer Kampuchea Krom Non-Governmental Organizations in the Kingdom of Cambodia jointly observe the 61st International Human Rights Day on December 10, B.E.2553, A.D.2009 in Phnom Penh
Sean Pengse: The 1984 newly Vietnamese drawn map used in the 1985 Cambodia-VN Treaty and the 2005 Supplemental Border Treaty caused Khmers to loose land
SRP MP Yont Tharo dispatched a 2-page report on the Khmer Krom human rights vioations within 60 years by Vietnam's subsequent regimes to the European Community
Khmer Krom leader supports the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) on urging the Obama administration to pressure Vietnam to respect human and religious rights of the Khmer Kampuchea Krom
MP Yont Tharo requests Foreign Affairs Minister Hor Nam Hong to take measure on the Khmer Consulate General based in Prey Nokor city to find solution for the Khmers in Kampuchea Krom
The Khmer Kampuchea Krom Community, KKC, welcomes the planned visit by the high ranking Royal Government of Kampuchea official Khieu Kanharith and senior ranking Buddhist leader in Wat Langka Kosamaram to Kampuchea Krom in early September
Vietnam uses old trick by apologizing to Khmer Kampuchea Krom Buddhist monks and people living in the Kingdom of Kampuchea after the Vietnamese authorities killed the Khmers in Kampuchea Krom, then they apologize.
Khmer Kampuchea Krom in Kampuchea honor Buddhist teachers and teachers for their sacrifice in teaching the Khmer language to the Khmer Buddhist monks and people in Kampuchea Krom.
Speech of the Honorable Thach Setha, Former Senator, Executive Director of the Khmer Kampuchea Krom Community on the occasion of the 60th Kampuchea Krom Loss Buddhist Memorial Service, June 4, 1949 - June 4, 2009, the Chaktomuk Conference Hall, Wat Botumvatei Park, Phnom Penh, Kingdom of Cambodia
Letter: The Phnom Penh Mayor dispatched letter to the Ministry of Interior in regard to KKC's 60th Kampuchea Krom Loss Buddhist Memorial Service to hold at the Public Garden in front of Wat Padmavatei (Wat Botumvatei) on June 4, B.E.2553, A.D.2009
The Khmer Kampuchea Krom Community 05/28/09 Full Story
The Khmer Kampuchea Krom Community leader presses the foreign ministers of ASEAN and EU to pressure the government of Vietnam to respect the rights of the Khmer Kampuchea Krom
Letter: HRH Princess Norodom Arunrasmy, Highest Representative of His Majesty The King of Cambodia Norodom Sihamoni, to preside over the Khmer Kampuchea Krom Community’s organized 60th Kampuchea Krom Loss Buddhist Memorial Service on June 4, B.E.2553, A.D.2009 in Phnom Penh, Kingdom of Cambodia
The Khmer Kampuchea Krom Community 05/25/09 Full Story
KKC awaits approval from the Cambodian Ministry of Interior on its request to organize a Buddhist ceremony to be presided by 1,949 Buddhist monks on June 4, 2009 at the Public Park in front of Wat Padmavatei (Botumvatei), Phnom Penh
The Khmer race would become extinct under the [military] occupation of Cambodia by Vietnam if the USSR [The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics did not fall in 1989 1991
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 04/27/09 Full Story
Editorial: Vietnam [leader] visits Cambodia's Hun Sen to talk about the Cambodia-VN borders, keeping low profile amid the ongoing Preah Vihear dispute with Thailand in the West
Tim Sakhorn seeks asylum through domestic and international human rights organizations while obtained permission from VN authority to visit his home on April 4, 2009 at Phnom Den, Kirivong district, Takeo province, Kingdom of Cambodia
Italian MEP and MP told by Vietnam their presence is not welcome
The Transnational Radical Party 12/22/08 Full Story
Human Rights: Marco Pannella heads a delegation of the Radical Party to Cambodia, Vietnam and India. Official meetings and conferences with governments, parliamentarians and dissidents have been scheduled.
The Transnational Radical Party 12/19/08 Full Story
UN official urges Cambodia to address rich-poor divide
MP Son Chhay requests intervention from Vietnam's Ambassador to Cambodia Nguyen Chien Thang for
Ven. Indapanna Tim Sakhorn's return to be reunited with His father and family in Cambodia
Mr. Tim Theang, father of Ven. Indapanna Tim Sakhorn requests Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni to intervene in repatriating his son from Vietnam to the Kingdom of Cambodia
