US ambassador chastises Cambodian government on Human Rights
US Ambassador Joseph Mussomeli slated the Cambodian government
in a reader's letter to The Cambodia Daily, published last
Thursday, for eroding Human Rights. " The international
community and the Cambodian government have a special interest
in ensuring that human rights and democracy are protected in
this country, where the population has suffered so grievously
from the abuse of fundamental freedoms," the ambassador
commented. With these comments, the Joseph Mussomeli backed the
criticism of US congressman Jim Leach who blasted the Cambodian
government of "backsliding on human rights"
The ambassador was not referring to the bombing of rural
Cambodia in 1970-1972 in which hundreds of thousands of
Cambodian farmers were massacred, nor of the American culture of
impunity which allowed and still allows the criminals
responsible for this slaughter to go unpunished.
Neither was he referring to the US support for the Khmer Rouge
in the eighties and early nineties. None of these he mentioned
as human rights violations, as one would have concluded from his
remark that "the tragedy of Cambodia is ultimately a tragedy of
human rights."
Instead, he commented on the arrest and prosecution of Cheam
Channy for trying to raise an illegal militia to overthrow the
government and on the arrest of Mam Sonando for defaming
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.
US funded human rights groups condemned the judicial procedure
against Cheam Channy as unfair and not in line with
international standards of justice because of the absence of
cross-examination in Cambodian court proceedings and the fact
that Cambodia follows the example of its former colonial rulers
in that it is a professional judge who examines the guilt of the
convict, based merely on documents, rather than a jury based on
a spectacular performance. Cheam Channy's defence was that his
efforts to raise a militia were in line with the fact that he
was defence minister in a "shadow cabinet".
Ambassador Mussomeli did not comment on the formation of the
militia, he seemed unaware of the accusations. He however
appealed to the government to release Mam Sonando and Rong Chun,
who were arrested for defaming the Prime Minister when they
accused him of "selling Cambodian territory to Vietnam", even
before the nature of the border agreements between Cambodia and
Vietnam were made public.
"We strongly believe that the use of criminal defamation charges
against people who speak out on important public policy issues
does not support the rule of law," the ambassador wrote.
While criticising the Cambodian government for human rights
violations, he did not comment on the secret overseas CIA prison
network, referred to as "black sites" in classified White House,
CIA, Justice department and congressional documents, reported in
the Washington Post. Very likely, he does not regard holding
captives in secret prisons without access to justice as a human
rights violation. When Vice President Dick Chainy and CIA
director asked congress to exempt CIA employees from legislation
that would bar cruel and degrading treatment of any prisoner in
US custody, there was probably no human rights issue involved
neither.
Maybe, Prime Minister Hun Sen should take some lessons from the
US administration in the proper way to uphold respect for human
rights. It is all so very easy, once you understand how to make
people legally disappear.
About the author:
The author lives and works in Cambodia since more than 10 years.
Currently he lectures Cultural studies un the CUP university in
Phnom Penh. Besides his academic job, he maintains the website of Taxi Vantha, a
Phnom Penh taxi company, in which he publishes information about
Cambodia and comments on current news issues.
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