Global pressure on CPP builds

Fri, 10 June 2016
Shaun Turton

International pressure continues to mount on Cambodia’s government, with the European Parliament yesterday calling the EU’s funding for the country into question over a recent raft of “politically motivated” charges against opposition members and civil society figures.

The motion – endorsed by members of Europe’s legislature – came after the United Nations released details of a phone conversation between Foreign Minister Prak Sokhon and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who voiced his concerns about the “widespread intimidation and harassment” to the Kingdom’s top diplomat.

It also followed a joint statement issued by 41 international NGOs who called on the government to uphold its obligations under international human rights law.

Currently, the two highest-ranking members of the opposition – president Sam Rainsy and his deputy, Kem Sokha – are facing criminal charges, as are two other opposition lawmakers.

Meanwhile, four rights workers and one election official are in detention on allegations of bribery stemming from a purported sex scandal involving Sokha. The rights group Licadho recently classified a total of 29 people as “political prisoners”.

The EU motion, the fourth condemning the Cambodian government in the last two years, called for an immediate end to the “judicial harassment” of opposition party members and human rights defenders. In light of the situation, the motion says the amount of EU financial assistance to Cambodia should be dependent on improvements of the country’s human rights situation.

http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/g ... cpp-builds

A closer look at seeming divisions within the CPP:

CPP Bigger Than HE, Dissent Reminds

by Alex Willemyns | June 6, 2016 | អានជាភាសាខ្មែរ

Speculating on the internal dynamics of the CPP has long been the bread and butter of Cambodian political observers, with theories about divisions in the party proving only less popular among senior leaders than criticism about rights abuses.

Such tea-leaf reading has led to a type of Kremlinology that holds Prime Minister HE and his authoritarian cult of personality against seemingly more moderate groups close to Interior Minister Sar Kheng and Senate President Say Chhum, both vice presidents of the party...

https://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/cpp- ... ds-113505/

Doesn't seem like he's too bothered about this "global pressure". Extract from KT article:http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/26080/ ... d-cut--pm/

Last week the European Parliament released a statement saying the European External Action Service (EEAS) should make the “amount of EU [European Union] financial assistance dependent on improvements in the human rights situation in the country.”

The EU is Cambodia’s largest development assistance partner, with a new allocation of about $461 million for 2014-2020, the statement added. In
yesterday’s speech, Mr.

HE claimed that NGOs would be hit the hardest by sanctions because many of their employees’ salaries are provided by foreign aid.

“I would like to deliver a clear message that NGOs, which get their salaries from foreigners, they die first. You do not threaten me,” the premier said.
He added that sanctions against his government will affect the foreign funding of non-governmental organizations.

“They [some countries] do not give the government aid, but they give it to NGOs, so the NGOs will die first,” he said. “Do not threaten Cambodia.”

The EU Parliamentary statement said all acts of violence, politically motivated judicial decisions, arbitrary detentions, questionings, sentences and convictions imposed on opposition politicians and human rights activists in Cambodia are condemned by the EU.

It added that all politically motivated charges should be dropped and followed by the immediate release of all imprisoned politicians, activists and human rights defenders, saying they should be allowed to work freely and without fear of arrest or persecution...

More of the same attitude here:

CNRP Supporters Get Seven Years

http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/26075/ ... ven-years/

And here:

Bail Denied for Adhoc, NEC Officials

The Appeal Court yesterday upheld the denial of a bail request by one member of the National Election Committee (NEC) and four Adhoc officials accused of bribing the alleged mistress of acting opposition leader Kem Sokha.

The scandal surrounding Mr. Sokha and Khom Chandaraty, a former hairdresser, escalated last month when the four Adhoc officials were arrested and charged along with the NEC’s CNRP-appointed deputy secretary-general Ny Chakrya as well as UN official Sally Soen, despite his diplomatic immunity.

Appeal Court judge Khun Leang Meng denied the bail request pending further investigation and said doing so was also vital to avoid social insecurity, echoing statements previously made by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court...

http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/26077/ ... officials/

who needs europe and usa on their high horses?

Mentions here that a lot of EU aid goes straight to the government and I think it's quite a good amount of dosh. Also pretty sure that there are also preferred country trade agreements in place with the EU which could harm Cambodia's exports, if the EU decided on sanctions, but not sure they would do that. *

Speaking at a graduation ceremony in Phnom Penh on Monday, Mr. HE dared the E.U. to cut aid to Cambodia, arguing that the first victims would be local NGOs.

“I have previously replied that they can do it,” he said. “If they do, who will be the first to die? I have a clear message: The first to die will be the nongovernment organizations that are paid for by foreigners.”

The ruling CPP is fond of painting some of the country’s human rights groups as the subversive tools of their paymasters in capitals across the West. Unlike some countries that funnel their aid strictly through nongovernment groups, however, the E.U. gives a substantial portion of its aid directly to the government.

https://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/pm-c ... id-114068/

In any case, the message here is directed at young Cambodians, and I guess that, if necessary, someone can always back-pedal later and tell the EU that the message was misunderstood. And it would not be the first time that an agreement was subsequently not respected; just because you release some people, it doesn't mean you won't lock them up again later.

* Present trade agreement with the EU:

EU and Cambodia

As a Least Developed Country (LDC) Cambodia benefits from the most favourable regime available under the EU's Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP), namely the Everything But Arms (EBA) scheme. The Everything But Arms Scheme gives the 49 Least Developed Countries – including Cambodia – duty free access to the EU for exports of all products, except arms and ammunition.

http://ec.europa.eu/trade/policy/countr ... /cambodia/

Aid as part of the Joint European Strategy for Cambodia is €1.4 billion or $US 1.8 billion over 5 years, 2014-18.
Full doc here if anyone's interested : http://eeas.europa.eu/delegations/cambo ... egy_en.pdf
And how much of that aid has already been donated ?

I was just trying to get some idea of whether an aid cut by the EU would be a big deal or not, but I don't know enough about it. Seems like a lot of money to me, but then you would have to know how much Cambodia is getting from China and elsewhere for this to make any sense.

US cuts aid to Cambodia with aim to ‘urge government to reconsider its current course’

The White House is cutting aid to several assistance programs in Cambodia due to “recent setbacks to democracy”, it announced late Tuesday.

Some programs supporting Cambodia’s Tax Department, military and local government will be cut or reduced “to ensure that American taxpayer funds are not being used to support anti-democratic behavior”, according to a statement from White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

The programs on the chopping block fall under the US Treasury, USAID and the US military, according to the White House. Projects “in support of the Cambodian people” – including those in health, agriculture and mine clearance – will not be affected.

The State Department spokesperson said the US is focusing on targeting actors who played an active role in the recent crackdown, such as the Cambodian Tax Department, which opened “politically motivated tax investigations against independent media outlets”, an apparent reference to the closure of the Cambodia Daily.
http://phnompenhpost.com/national/us-cu ... ent-course

Cutting sanctions is useless hell just make it up my getting money from China, Russia, Vietnam and others. HE isn't going anywhere.