Phnom Penh Post
By Abby Seiff and Vong Sokheng
A senior US government official yesterday called on Cambodia to take
“concrete steps” on a number of high-profile human rights issues, but
fell short of saying whether the Kingdom would be held accountable if
they failed to do so.
During a visit lasting less than a day, Assistant Secretary of State
for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Michael Posner met with rights
groups, labour lobbyists, opposition lawmakers and Foreign Minister Hor
Namhong.
Although Posner declined to discuss the issues raised by NGOs and
opposition, he said that in his half-hour meeting with Namhong, he had
raised the cases of imprisoned broadcaster Mam Sonando, Sam Rainsy, land
disputes, failures of the judiciary, harassment of activists and
excessive force exercised by police.
The list is nearly identical to that raised by US President Barack
Obama, who discussed the topics with Prime Minister Hun Sen on the
sidelines of November’s ASEAN summit. Those, in turn, echoed the
concerns brought up by then-secretary of state Hillary Clinton during a
June meeting with Namhong.
Asked whether the US would consider tying its foreign and military
aid to the issues raised by the three senior officials, Posner declined
to answer outright.
“We are discussing within our government and certainly with the
Congress the best way to improve progress on these issues, we are
mindful of the importance of our continued relationship with the
government of Cambodia but also the importance of continuing to support
the Cambodian people in their support for democracy and human rights.”
Although the US’s role as a donor has been dwarfed in the past decade
by Australia, China and Japan, it remains one of the largest. In 2012,
it disbursed more than $82 million in aid.
As the superpower increasingly turns its eye to countering China’s
military might in the region, military aid to Cambodia has skyrocketed,
growing from $1.2 million in 2010 to $5.7 million last year.
Asked what the consequences would be if the government did not heed
the US’s recommendations, Posner said they would “consider a range of
policy options”, but stressed that “Our goal here is to encourage the
Cambodian government to do what is right — not because we’re saying it,
but because this is how you build a sustainable democracy that is
stable, that has a strong economy.”
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
secretary of state Ouch Borith said Namhong had denied Posner’s request
that Cambodia release Sonando and drop charges against Rainsy, who is in
self-exile after being convicted of charges including incitement.
“On the one hand, they demand that we respect the law and the
independence of the court. On the other hand, they [the US] insist that
we violate the law. What do they want?”
To contact the reporters on this story: Abby Seiff at
abby.seiff@phnompenhpost.com
Vong Sokheng at
sokheng.vong@phnompenhpost.com
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