Cambodia accused of stifling protests

Land dispute demonstration in Siem Reap (Photo: RFA)

October 21 2009
By Tim Johnston in Bangkok
Financial Times (UK)

“There is no country among Asean nations that has a positive human rights trend at the moment ... There is lip service to free speech but the reality on the ground is very different” - Brad Adams, Asia director for Human Rights Watch

A law passed on Wednesday by Cambodia’s legislature limiting the size of demonstrations is the latest example of rising intolerance in south-east Asia, say advocates of free speech.

Cambodia’s parliament, which is dominated by the Cambodian People’s party of Hun Sen, prime minister, passed the law limiting public demonstrations to 200 people to ensure “public order and national security”.

Public demonstrations are popular in Cambodia. The opposition, outnumbered comprehensively in parliament, uses them but they are also a last resort for farmers and slum-dwellers who say they are victims in land disputes with developers and powerful allies of the government.

Mu Sochua, an opposition MP, said: “It is limiting freedom of assembly and that will severely limit freedom of expression.”

The MP recently lost a libel case against Mr Hun Sen in a contentious court decision.

Human rights advocates have long accused Mr Hun Sen and his administration of using the courts to stifle opposition, a charge that the government denies, saying it is using universally available legal remedies to protect its reputation.

The parliament in Phnom Penh altered the penal code last week to make it easier to bring libel actions.

UN human rights observers were not allowed to attend the debate because of procedural problems in the admission of visitors, according to the ruling party, and a live television feed broke down because of technical hitches.

Brad Adams, the Asia director for Human Rights Watch, said the Cambodian laws were only the latest in a worrying regional trend, something he said is paradoxical given that the 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations is to launch its intergovernmental commission on human rights this week.

“There is no country among Asean nations that has a positive human rights trend at the moment,” he said. “There is lip service to free speech but the reality on the ground is very different.”

Reporters Without Borders has downgraded neighbouring Thailand in its survey on freedom of the press to 130th in the world, from 124th, as the result of renewed use of laws against insulting the royal family, which can carry a 15-year prison sentence.

Vietnam came under fire this month after nine democracy activists were given prison sentences of between two and six years for challenging the regime.