WASHINGTON (AFP)
-- Lawmakers called Tuesday for the United States to cut off aid to
Cambodia unless veteran strongman Hun Sen allows free elections on July
28.
Hun Sen, who has ruled Cambodia for 28 years and vowed to
stay in power for another decade, has been accused of muzzling dissent
to eliminate any chance of losing.
The main opposition leader,
Sam Rainsy, lives in exile and faces prison if he returns as planned.
Cambodia briefly banned foreign-produced radio broadcasts ahead of the
election.
Representative Steve Chabot, who heads the House
Foreign Affairs subcommittee on East Asia, said he had no doubt Hun Sen
would win a fresh term as prime minister "through the incitement of
political violence, corruption and nepotism."
Chabot praised the
decision of US President Barack Obama and other Western governments not
to send observers to "legitimize" the election.
"But declaring
the election 'not free or fair' is not enough," Chabot, a member of the
rival Republican Party, said at a congressional hearing.
"US
policy toward Cambodia needs to change and the Obama administration
needs to take a much tougher approach to Asia's longest-ruling
dictator," Chabot said.
Chabot said he was introducing legislation to cut assistance to Cambodia if the election is not fair.
Two
prominent Senate Republicans, Marco Rubio and Lindsey Graham,
introduced a similar bill saying that a Cambodian government formed
through "illegitimate elections" would be ineligible for "direct" US
aid.
The proposal also called for the United States to reduce
development assistance and to use its influence to encourage
international institutions to do likewise.
Obama has made
Southeast Asia a top priority but has kept a distance from Hun Sen.
During a visit to Cambodia in November to attend an East Asia Summit,
Obama pressed Hun Sen on human rights and democracy in a meeting that
the White House described as tense.
The administration has
nonetheless requested $73 million for Cambodia in the next fiscal year,
almost the same as in previous years.
Cambodia could also
stand to gain under a $50 million initiative, launched by former
secretary of state Hillary Clinton, to support health, women's rights
and the environment in the Lower Mekong region.
The amount is
tiny compared with billions of dollars in investment in infrastructure
and other areas promised by China, which has increasingly found an ally
in Hun Sen.
John Sifton, the Asia advocacy director of Human
Rights Watch, told the hearing that the United States nonetheless had
clout. He said that the ruling Cambodian People's Party has released
campaign material that shows Hun Sen next to Obama during last year's
summit.
Sifton said that the United States should cut ties to the
Cambodian military and speak out "loudly" after the election to make
clear "that one-man and one-party rule are not acceptable in the 21st
century."
More than 85 percent of US aid to Cambodia goes to
development or health, including fighting AIDS, malaria and other
diseases in a country that suffered some of the 20th century's worst
horrors under the Khmer Rouge regime.
The United States routes much of its aid through non-governmental organizations, a policy required by Congress until 2007.
Rainsy,
who lives in exile in France, told AFP during a May visit to Washington
that the United States should consider economic sanctions if Hun Sen
goes ahead with "a boxing match in which he boxes alone."
Rainsy
said that the United States should focus on Cambodia after the wave of
democratic reforms in Myanmar, where Obama has suspended most sanctions
to reward changes.
Eni Faleomavaega, the top Democrat on the
House subcommittee on East Asia whose views are sometimes contrarian,
lashed out at attempts to curb aid.
Charging that US policy
contributed to the rise of the Khmer Rouge, Faleomavaega called instead
for greater US investment as well as debt relief for "a country that we
failed so miserably."
- See more at: http://www.thecambodiaherald.com/cambodia/detail/1?page=11&token=OTUzZWNiMmIwNGV#sthash.KFISsosC.dpuf
(ថ្ងៃទី 10 កក្កដា 2013,) | ដោយ: មុនីរាជ CEN
ភ្នំពេញ:
សមាជិកសភាសហរដ្ឋអាមេរិក កាលពីយប់ថ្ងៃទី៩ ខែកក្កដា
ឆ្នាំ២០១៣ បានធ្វើការប្រជុំពិភាក្សាអំពាវនាវឲ្យរដ្ឋាភិបាលអាមេរិក
ធ្វើការដាក់សម្ពាធមកលើរដ្ឋាភិបាលកម្ពុជា បើសិនជាការបោះឆ្នោតមិនសេរី
យុត្តិធម៌ ត្រឹមត្រូវ ជាពិសេសដោយគ្មានវត្តមានរបស់លោក សម រង្ស៊ី។
ទាក់ទងទៅនឹងការអំពាវនាវរបស់សមាជិកសភាអាមេរិកនេះ ត្រូវបានលោកកុយ
គួង អ្នកនាំពាក្យក្រសួងការបរទេសកម្ពុជា
បានមានប្រសាសន៍នៅព្រឹកថ្ងៃទី១០ ខែកក្កដា ឆ្នាំ២០១៣នេះថា ៖
សវនាការនាពេលថ្មីៗនេះដោយសមាជិកសភាសហរដ្ឋអាមេរិក ចំនួនពីរបីនាក់
គឺជាសិទ្ធិរបស់បុគ្គលសមាជិកសភាអាមេរិកតែប៉ុណ្ណោះ
ហើយសមាជិកសភាអាមេរិកពីរបីនាក់នេះគ្មានសិទ្ធិអ្វីទាំងអស់មកកំណត់
ជោគវាសនាកម្ពុជាបានទេ។ កម្ពុជាជារដ្ឋឯករាជ្យ
សហរដ្ឋអាមេរិកជារដ្ឋអធិបតេយ្យ ឯករាជ្យដែរ
ដូច្នេះហើយសមាជិកសភាអាមេរិកពីរបីរូប
មិនតំណាងឲ្យគោលនយោបាយសហរដ្ឋអាមេរិកទាំងមូលទេ។
ចំពោះករណី របស់លោកសម រង្ស៊ី ក្នុងការវិលត្រឡប់មកវិញ ឬមិនមកនោះ ត្រូវបានលោក កុយ គួង បញ្ជាក់ថា ៖ រដ្ឋាភិបាលនៅតែគោរព និងអនុវត្តន៍ផ្ទៃក្នុងរបស់កម្ពុជា ដូច្នេះតុលាការសម្រេចបែបណា ត្រូវអនុវត្តន៍ទៅតាមនោះទៅ។
រីឯការបោះឆ្នោតដោយគ្មានវត្តមាន របស់លោកសម រង្ស៊ី ត្រូវបានលោកកុយ គួង បន្ថែមថា ៖ គណបក្សសង្គ្រោះជាតិរបស់លោក សម រង្ស៊ី កំពុងបំពេញការងារយ៉ាងសកម្មនៅក្នុងអំឡុងពេលឃោសនាបោះឆ្នោតនៅក្នុងប្រទេស កម្ពុជា ហើយអត់មានប៉ះពាល់វត្តមានលោកសម រង្ស៊ី និងមិនមានផលអ្វីប៉ះពាល់ដល់ដំណើរការបោះឆ្នោតនោះទេ៕
ចំពោះករណី របស់លោកសម រង្ស៊ី ក្នុងការវិលត្រឡប់មកវិញ ឬមិនមកនោះ ត្រូវបានលោក កុយ គួង បញ្ជាក់ថា ៖ រដ្ឋាភិបាលនៅតែគោរព និងអនុវត្តន៍ផ្ទៃក្នុងរបស់កម្ពុជា ដូច្នេះតុលាការសម្រេចបែបណា ត្រូវអនុវត្តន៍ទៅតាមនោះទៅ។
រីឯការបោះឆ្នោតដោយគ្មានវត្តមាន របស់លោកសម រង្ស៊ី ត្រូវបានលោកកុយ គួង បន្ថែមថា ៖ គណបក្សសង្គ្រោះជាតិរបស់លោក សម រង្ស៊ី កំពុងបំពេញការងារយ៉ាងសកម្មនៅក្នុងអំឡុងពេលឃោសនាបោះឆ្នោតនៅក្នុងប្រទេស កម្ពុជា ហើយអត់មានប៉ះពាល់វត្តមានលោកសម រង្ស៊ី និងមិនមានផលអ្វីប៉ះពាល់ដល់ដំណើរការបោះឆ្នោតនោះទេ៕
- See more at: http://www.cen.com.kh/localnews/show_detail/19?token=NmNmMjkxYj#sthash.gWaXqWzQ.dpuf
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