Phnom Penh Post
By Meas Sokchea
Prime Minister Hun
Sen gestures as he delivers a speech at the Peace Palace in Phnom Penh
yesterday. Photograph: Pha Lina/Phnom Penh Post
Prime Minister Hun Sen yesterday suggested that international critics
who have accused Cambodia of political abuses might want to refocus
their attention on Thailand.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the National Council on Green Growth at Phnom Penh’s Peace Palace, the prime minister asserted that the international community did not dare accuse Thailand of legal and human rights violations as they did Cambodia, because Thailand was wealthier and more powerful.
“The military coup [in Thailand] ousted Thaksin [Shinawatra] and blocked him from returning to the country, destroyed political parties, cut political rights - and no one criticises them,” said the premier.
In contrast, Hun Sen said, the international community had heaped unfair criticism on poorer, less-powerful Cambodia for its treatment of opposition leader Sam Rainsy, even though the charges against self-exiled Rainsy, the prime minister reiterated, were motivated by Rainsy’s own illegal actions, rather than politics.
“If anyone comes to visit me,” Hun Sen said, “I will ask them: ‘In your country, if someone uproots [border markers] like that, what kind of crime is that?’”
Turning to the case of Boeung Kak community activist Yorm Bopha, who was accused of ordering two motorcycle taxi drivers to be beaten and sentenced to three years in prison in December, the prime minister maintained that Bopha, too, was convicted because she had violated the law and not for political reasons.
“Why don’t they dare criticise Thailand? Because it has a strong economy, and some countries need Thailand a lot even though Thailand has had a coup, because they have military bases are there,” Hun Sen said.
Ou Virak, president of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights, said the international community had in fact criticised Thailand for rights abuses, but he added that at least Thailand had independent courts.
“Our court is not independent. This is a very important basis for the complaints of the international community,” he said, noting that it was the Cambodian courts’ lack of independence that allowed government influence of the case against Rainsy.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the National Council on Green Growth at Phnom Penh’s Peace Palace, the prime minister asserted that the international community did not dare accuse Thailand of legal and human rights violations as they did Cambodia, because Thailand was wealthier and more powerful.
“The military coup [in Thailand] ousted Thaksin [Shinawatra] and blocked him from returning to the country, destroyed political parties, cut political rights - and no one criticises them,” said the premier.
In contrast, Hun Sen said, the international community had heaped unfair criticism on poorer, less-powerful Cambodia for its treatment of opposition leader Sam Rainsy, even though the charges against self-exiled Rainsy, the prime minister reiterated, were motivated by Rainsy’s own illegal actions, rather than politics.
“If anyone comes to visit me,” Hun Sen said, “I will ask them: ‘In your country, if someone uproots [border markers] like that, what kind of crime is that?’”
Turning to the case of Boeung Kak community activist Yorm Bopha, who was accused of ordering two motorcycle taxi drivers to be beaten and sentenced to three years in prison in December, the prime minister maintained that Bopha, too, was convicted because she had violated the law and not for political reasons.
“Why don’t they dare criticise Thailand? Because it has a strong economy, and some countries need Thailand a lot even though Thailand has had a coup, because they have military bases are there,” Hun Sen said.
Ou Virak, president of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights, said the international community had in fact criticised Thailand for rights abuses, but he added that at least Thailand had independent courts.
“Our court is not independent. This is a very important basis for the complaints of the international community,” he said, noting that it was the Cambodian courts’ lack of independence that allowed government influence of the case against Rainsy.
1 comment:
A message to Hun sen,
Please do not worry about Thailand or another country about human rights abuse,worry about your country only stop talking like a child,you're a leader of the country poor or rich dosen't matters,Thailand has a law that enforce by independent from government unlike your country mixed up all power goes to you [Hun Sen] only,its seems like you're a jack of all trades,you're a lawyer,a jury,a prosecutor,a judge,a court clerk,a police all roll up in one.
Thailand has separated power and prime minister didn't interfere with court or anything else in that matters.Please tone down your arrogance voice,your comparison was off the marks,lets just focus on your issue not others countries about human rights abuse your country is the worse in Asia now.
You're strong among your own khmers people but weak among Vietnamese and Chinese you let them destroyed your country left and right you have to divert your abusive manner on Thailand because you're very weak among the strong (Viets &Chinese) you're strong among your weak/helpless khmers people.
Please clean up your Ass before you try to tell someone to clean up theirs.Don't worry about Thailand worry about country instead and don't be so arrogance,you're nothing but a puppet to your enemy for century [Vietnam] this message is for your arrogance attitude to tone down your voice and worry about your country only because you're the worse of the worse when come to HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSE....
kmenhwatt
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