Photo: VOA Khmer
Cambodian NGOs at a social forum.
Kong Sothanarith, VOA Khmer | Phnom Penh Thursday, 07 April 2011
Eight prominent international organizations issued a statement Thursday urging the Cambodian government to drop a controversial law to regulate NGOs, claiming it would hurt development in the country.
Cambodian NGOs at a social forum.
Kong Sothanarith, VOA Khmer | Phnom Penh Thursday, 07 April 2011
Eight prominent international organizations issued a statement Thursday urging the Cambodian government to drop a controversial law to regulate NGOs, claiming it would hurt development in the country.
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“Cambodia’s proposed law could too easily be used to refuse registration or close down organizations that serve the public interest,” Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said in the statement.
They called the new law a “significant threat” to Cambodian civil society groups. On Wednesday, 62 international NGOs working in Cambodia stated their strong opposition to the law, which local groups say will hamper their effectiveness and leaves them vulnerable government interference.
The Ministry of Interior, which is in charge of drafting the law, has said it will not be discussed with groups again before it is passed on to the Council of Ministers for approval and National Assembly debate.
“We cannot throw away the draft law,” said Khieu Sopheak, a spokesman for the ministry. “To throw it away means we throw away the 1993 constitution.”
The eight groups said the draft requires “excessive,” compulsory registration and provides few legal safeguards for NGOs that are vulnerable to abuse of the law.
Cambodia has an estimated 3,000 associations and organizations operating outside the government. Proponents say the new law, which has 11 chapters and 58 articles, will help regulate the sector.
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Rights groups fear charity crackdown in Cambodia
PHNOM PENH (AFP) — Leading human rights groups urged the Cambodian government on Thursday to drop a controversial draft law they fear is aimed at restricting the activities of campaigners and charity workers.
The proposed law, which is in the final stages of review, "should be abandoned because it will undermine rather than promote civil society", Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and six other groups said in a joint statement.
The draft law threatens the right to freedom of association and could serve to "silence civil society criticism", they said, because it would allow the government to refuse registration or close down non-governmental organisations (NGOs) without offering a right to appeal.
"The Cambodian government has failed to provide an adequate answer as to why this new law is needed alongside other existing laws and regulations that govern civil society," the statement read.
The organisations called for international donors to take a stand.
"If the donors stand by while the government adopts this law, they cannot in good conscience claim to be working in the interests of Cambodia's development objectives," said Simon Taylor, director of Global Witness.
Charities have played an active role in rebuilding Cambodia since it emerged from the brutal Khmer Rouge regime and years of civil war but they have on occasion clashed with the government.
In January the US State Department said it had "serious concerns" about the draft law and questioned whether the measure was even necessary.
But Interior Ministry spokesman Khieu Sopheak insisted the proposed law would help organisations to carry out their activities "in accordance with Cambodian laws".
"Some NGOs use the funds they get for their own interests and do not work to serve society," he told AFP.
He added that of the more than 3,000 NGOs in the country, "less than one hundred" had protested against the law.
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