By Khmerization
Source: Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch Asia Chapter has called on the U.S government to impose tougher sanctions against the government of Cambodia for forcibly repatriating 20 Uighurs back to China where some of them were rumoured to have been sentenced to death.
The U.S has recently announced the cancellation of a delivery of 200 military trucks to Cambodia in protests against the forced repatriations of 20 Uighurs back to China. However, HRW urges the U.S to go even further with more and tougher sanctions.
In a very long letter to U.S Secretary of State Hillary Clinton dated 9th April, Mr. Brad Adams (pictured), HRW's Director of Asia Division and Mr. Bill Frelick, Director of HRW's Refugees Program, have expressed concerns about the U.S's military cooperation with the Cambodian military which they accused of involving in flagrant human rights abuses against civilians and opposition activists. "The flagrant violation of international and domestic law by the Cambodian government is part of a disturbing recent trend. At the best of times, Prime Minister Hun Sen and other officials routinely violate the human rights of people in Cambodia and ignore the government's obligations under international law", the letter said.
They accused many military units which have received U.S assistance and training of being the worst violators of human rights in Cambodia. They expressed concerns about U.S's assistance to the military units implicated in the worst human rights abuses in Cambodia, including the killings of 19 protesters in the grenade attacks on 30th March 1997 and the summary executions of officers loyal to Prince Ranaridhh during the July 1997 coup. "Human Rights Watch remains particularly concerned about US training and military assistance to Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) units or individuals that have been implicated in serious human rights violations. This includes counter-terror training to personnel from Prime Minister Hun Sen's elite Bodyguard Unit and Brigade 70", they said.
The letter also expressed concerns about military assistance the the Airborne Unit 911 commanded by Maj. Gen. Chap Pheakdey, who was accused of having ordered the executions of Funcinpec officers after the 1997 coup and committed gross human rights violations post-election in 1998. The letter also expressed concerns about U.S's delivery of military trucks to Unit 31 commanded by Brig. Gen. Srun Saroeun, who has also been accused of involving in the human rights abuses in the 1997 coup and 1998 elections.
Mr. Adams and Mr. Frelick have called for the U.S to ban visits by Cambodian officials, such as the visit of Defence Minister Tea Banh, to the United States and the cancellation of a military assistance and joint military exercises between the U.S Military and the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces.
The letter has put forward several recommendations for the U.S government to consider in its dealing with the Cambodian government, and these include the relocation the 2010 Global Peace Operations Initiatives (GPOI) operation, which will take place in June, from Cambodia to another country, ensure that US government vetting of Cambodian military, police, counter-terror, and gendarme units is thorough and effective and does not allow human rights abusers to receive support, end all high-level contacts between US and Cambodian military officials, such as last year's meeting between Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Cambodian Defense Minister Tea Banh and reinstate bans on US government funding to the Cambodian government for International Military Education and Training and Foreign Military Financing and prohibit the participation of Cambodian military, police, and gendarmes in US-sponsored training programs.
Source: Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch Asia Chapter has called on the U.S government to impose tougher sanctions against the government of Cambodia for forcibly repatriating 20 Uighurs back to China where some of them were rumoured to have been sentenced to death.
The U.S has recently announced the cancellation of a delivery of 200 military trucks to Cambodia in protests against the forced repatriations of 20 Uighurs back to China. However, HRW urges the U.S to go even further with more and tougher sanctions.
In a very long letter to U.S Secretary of State Hillary Clinton dated 9th April, Mr. Brad Adams (pictured), HRW's Director of Asia Division and Mr. Bill Frelick, Director of HRW's Refugees Program, have expressed concerns about the U.S's military cooperation with the Cambodian military which they accused of involving in flagrant human rights abuses against civilians and opposition activists. "The flagrant violation of international and domestic law by the Cambodian government is part of a disturbing recent trend. At the best of times, Prime Minister Hun Sen and other officials routinely violate the human rights of people in Cambodia and ignore the government's obligations under international law", the letter said.
They accused many military units which have received U.S assistance and training of being the worst violators of human rights in Cambodia. They expressed concerns about U.S's assistance to the military units implicated in the worst human rights abuses in Cambodia, including the killings of 19 protesters in the grenade attacks on 30th March 1997 and the summary executions of officers loyal to Prince Ranaridhh during the July 1997 coup. "Human Rights Watch remains particularly concerned about US training and military assistance to Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) units or individuals that have been implicated in serious human rights violations. This includes counter-terror training to personnel from Prime Minister Hun Sen's elite Bodyguard Unit and Brigade 70", they said.
The letter also expressed concerns about military assistance the the Airborne Unit 911 commanded by Maj. Gen. Chap Pheakdey, who was accused of having ordered the executions of Funcinpec officers after the 1997 coup and committed gross human rights violations post-election in 1998. The letter also expressed concerns about U.S's delivery of military trucks to Unit 31 commanded by Brig. Gen. Srun Saroeun, who has also been accused of involving in the human rights abuses in the 1997 coup and 1998 elections.
Mr. Adams and Mr. Frelick have called for the U.S to ban visits by Cambodian officials, such as the visit of Defence Minister Tea Banh, to the United States and the cancellation of a military assistance and joint military exercises between the U.S Military and the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces.
The letter has put forward several recommendations for the U.S government to consider in its dealing with the Cambodian government, and these include the relocation the 2010 Global Peace Operations Initiatives (GPOI) operation, which will take place in June, from Cambodia to another country, ensure that US government vetting of Cambodian military, police, counter-terror, and gendarme units is thorough and effective and does not allow human rights abusers to receive support, end all high-level contacts between US and Cambodian military officials, such as last year's meeting between Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Cambodian Defense Minister Tea Banh and reinstate bans on US government funding to the Cambodian government for International Military Education and Training and Foreign Military Financing and prohibit the participation of Cambodian military, police, and gendarmes in US-sponsored training programs.
2 comments:
If you want to impose sanction to Cambodia -who will suffer?
Well, if the sanctions were imposed indiscriminately, the ordinary poor Cambodians will suffer, not Hun Sen and his cronies. But in this case, Mr. Adams was proposing the imposition of selective sanctions such as military sanctions and government to government sanctions- it means no military aid, no joint military training and exercises and ban Cambodian officials from visiting America.
Post a Comment