U.S. Passes Bill to Suspend Some Aid to Cambodia

(Cambodia Daily 17 Jan. 2014)

The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday has Passed Spending Bill That Would suspends Some funding to Cambodia Until the government caries out an independent investigation of July's national election and Disputed Reforms icts electoral system, or Until the opposition boycott of parliament ends icts. The bill aussi instructs the World Bank not to "re-engaged" with Cambodia Until the election argument is-settled and to report to U.S. Lawmakers Regularly on what the Bank is doing to help the Thousands of families Evicted in recent years from Phnom Penh's Boeng Kak neighborhood. The bill, if approved by the U.S. Senate in the coming days, Would follow through on terrorism threats Some U.S. Lawmakers HAD made to cut aid funding over Cambodia's flawed election, All which returned Prime Minister Hun Sen to power goal tainted the ruling CPP's win due to evidence of Widespread Irregularities. While the U.S. Has not rejected the results of the election, It Has Avoided conspicuously Endorsing em. The Spending Bill May carry more power as a symbolic gesture than as a financial burden, HOWEVER. The text of the bill Does not Specify just how much aid Cambodia Could we lose out, and includes exceptions That Would Prevent much of it from Being Withdrawn. Of the more than $ 1 trillion in foreign aid Donors shower on Cambodia Each year, less than $ 80 million comes from the U.S., and MOST of That Goes Directly To nongovernment groups.

The new bill targets only Spending Those funds would go straight into That government coffers for anything other than Humanitarian Aid. It aussi Protects Any funds for human rights training for the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces, units of All which-have Recently Implicated in violently putting down a protest for higher wages garment factory. Whatever is left modest aid, the bill Would have it suspended until "a) Such government is Conducting and Implementing, with the competition of the political opposition in Cambodia, an independent and credible investigation into Irregularities Associated with the July 28, 2013 parliamentary elections , and comprehensive reform of the National Election Committee [NEC] or b) all the parties won parliamentary seats in That Such elections-have Agreed to join the National Assembly, and the National Assembly is Conducting Business in Accordance with the Cambodian Constitution. " The opposition won NIPA Nearly half the Assembly's 123 seats in the July poll and claims it has won Majority Would Have Had the voting-been free and fair. The party HAS Refused to take icts seats since the Assembly convened in September and is calling for an independent investigation and Reforms to the NEC. Prime Minister Hun Sen's government is Refusing to do Either. Negotiations Between the opposition and ruling CPP are still stalled, while mass protests against Mr. Hun Sen cam to an abrupt end early this month Effective government thugs raided a camp of opposition supporters in central Phnom Penh. CPP lawmaker Cheam Yeap and party Spokesman Said He Was deeply disappointed by the bill's passing and the U.S. Accused of unfairly singling out Cambodia. "I very much regret That America Passed the law only on Cambodia, Why Does not America Implement this on other countries?" He Abebooks web sites. "I study the law a lot, I know about international law and common law. According To procedure, the Western countries shoulds not do things like this. " Mr. Yeap Lamented what he felt Was an American bias Toward the opposition. "America cannot control Cambodia," he added. As for Phnom Penh's Boeng Kak neighborhood, from All which the government in recent years HAS Illegally Evicted Some 3,000 families to make way for a CPP senator's real estate project, the bill calls for Spending more accountability from the World Bank. In early 2011, an independent investigation Concluded That A World Bank project in Cambodia That Was Meant to furnish Cambodians with land titles HAD Actually Helped Boeng Kak to strip the families of Their land rights. Later That year, the Bank confirmed That It WAS suspending all new lending to Cambodia Until the government and families Reached an agreement to compensate_for_errors the evictees. The Spending Bill Would Have the U.S. treasury secretary live the World Bank's American executive director to report Regularly to the House Appropriations Committee on what the Bank WAS doing to "provide Appropriate redress" to the Boeng Kak families Harmed by the Bank's land titling project. The Bank director aussi Would-have to tell the Appropriations Committee what he WAS doing to "postpone REAPPOINTMENT" with Cambodia Until the election fight WAS resolved. Evictees and human rights groups-have the World Bank Accused of not doing enough to help the Displaced families. Tep Vanny, Boeng Kak resident has protested against Who has the evictions for years and paid for it with jail time, Welcomed the new provision in the bill by the House of Representatives. "We are very glad for the solidarity of the American people and we Hope that the World Bank Will take notice. It is time to resolve our case once and for all our people-have Suffered Because long enough, "she Said in a statement circulated by rights groups. The bill suspends Would aussi Any U.S. Appropriated funds for the Khmer Rouge tribunal Until the Cambodian government secures Gold Provides funding for the national side of the hybrid, UN-backed court. The government is Obliged to supporting the chronically under-funded national side of the court under agreement icts with the goal HAS A Largely failed to do so. The U.S. is the third-largest court's donor, behind Japan and Australia. Of the $ 200 million provided by Donors to the court as of September, the U.S. $ 16.1 million HAS Given, or about 8 percent. U.S. Embassy Spokesman Sean McIntosh Declined to comment on how much aid the bill Could Actually cost Cambodia. "In general we do not how pending legislation," he said.