LIBRARY

19 June 2006

Today, a historic moment will take place as the newly created United Nations Human Rights Council convenes its first-ever session in Geneva, Switzerland, from 19- 30 June. On this occasion, the Cambodian Human Rights and Development (ADHOC), the Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights (LICADHO), and the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) submitted the written statement to the Council to appeal for urgent actions on deteriorating human rights situation in Cambodia.

14 June 2006

At the early hour of 4 am on June 6, 2006 around 700 police and military police in full riot gear circled Sambok Chap village and erected roadblocks - as far as 1km away - to prevent access to the village. In a show of determined force rarely seen in the capital, the police build up would be the final push by the authorities to forcefully evict the remaining residents of Sambok Chap village on the banks of the Tonle Bassac River.

The eviction of Sambok Chap village by the Sour Srun Company began on May 3, 2006, and was authorized by the Phnom Penh municipality. Within a month, more than 1300 families would be moved from this central location to 2 relocation sites, some 20km out of central Phnom Penh.

7 June 2006

The Cambodian Human Rights Action Committee (CHRAC), the Housing Rights Task Force (HRTF) and the Resettlement Action Network (RAN) are deeply troubled by the actions of the Phnom Penh municipality for using excessive force to evict and dismantle houses of the residents of Sambok Chab village, and in their arrest of nine persons including residents, journalists and NGO staff.

On 6 June 2006, approximately one thousand police and military police forces gathered in Sambok Chab village heavily armed with rifles, electric batons, tear gas and riot gear. They threatened human rights monitors and local and international journalists, and then confiscated their cameras and prevented them from recording police actions. The Phnom Penh Municipality chose to use violent means against the poor people rather than using a non-violent, transparent approach.

1 June 2006

The situation for human rights defenders in Cambodia deteriorated markedly in 2005. Human rights advocates, community activists and trade union leaders have been among those targeted for their work defending basic human rights. The intimidation they faced included physical and verbal assaults, malicious lawsuits and criminal charges, arrests and detentions. These were symptomatic of a year marked by attacks on civil society and increasing intolerance towards criticism of the Government.

While physical violence towards human rights defenders has decreased over recent years, there has been a shift towards other forms of coercion and intimidation with a veneer of legality.

1 June 2006

Beneath the veneer of political stability and economic development, the people of Cambodia continue to suffer.

Cambodians are increasingly subject to a wide range of human rights abuses - often committed by State personnel such as police and military - with little recourse to justice in Cambodia's notoriously corrupt and politicized courts. Land conflicts arising from private claims or large economic land concessions are evicting thousands of families from their homes every year, depriving them of education, health services and other essentials while fuelling poverty and discontent.

Cambodia's police and judiciary, universally deemed as rife with corruption and impunity, fail on a daily basis to provide any semblance of justice for victims of human rights abuses.

1 June 2006

A day- by-day chronology in photographs of the Sambok Chap village eviction.

31 May 2006

The Cambodian Human Rights Action Committee (CHRAC) and Housing Rights Task Forces (HRTF) are gravely concerned with the ongoing human rights abuses leveled against the residents in Sambok Chab village (Village 14), Khan Chamcarmon, Phnom Penh.

Violence erupted this morning when village guards began destroying a home at the site. The demolition of homes led to the injury of two community members-a young girl and a pregnant woman. The young child required hospitalization due to the injury. These incidents, coupled with the deteriorating conditions in Sambok Chab, led to a violent reaction by the community. Villagers armed with sticks and rocks destroyed village offices and a fence surrounding the site in an expression of their anger and frustration with the eviction process.

29 May 2006

On June 1, 2006, LICADHO will commemorate this day through activities promoting children's rights and distributing essential material and food to children and pregnant women in prison.

The activities will highlight the situation of child trafficking, child sexual exploitation and child labour. In 2005, 304 cases of child rights abuse and exploitation were reported to LICADHO alone, a substantial increase of 20.2% from the previous year. Of these cases, rape represented the highest incident of abuse, at almost 70% of total reported cases.

25 May 2006

The Cambodian Human Rights Action Committee (CHRAC), a coalition of 21 local NGOS, is pleased with the reported resolution of the long-standing land dispute in Kbal Spean Village, Poi Pet Commune, Banteay Meanchey province. But CHRAC remains concerned by the lack of justice provided over the killings of five people during the 2005 eviction of Kbal Spean community.

Provincial authorities, reportedly acting on the instructions of the Prime Minister, last week negotiated a settlement between 218 families living on the land and their village chief, who had laid claim to all their land. The settlement permits the families, who had previously each had 10-meter-by-20 meter plots of land, to retain 8-meter-by-20 meter plots of land. The remaining land goes to the village chief.

12 May 2006

On 5 May 2006 more than 50 representatives of Cambodian and international Human Rights NGOs gathered to launch a report prepared by the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) with the active participation of the Cambodian Association for Human Rights and Development (ADHOC) on the implementation of the Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), ratified by Cambodia on 11 April 2002.

NGOs endorsed the recommendations contained in the Report on "ICC - Adaptation of Cambodian Law to the Rome Statute".

The ICC is the first permanent international criminal court with jurisdiction over genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes committed by nationals or on the territory of State Parties after 1 July 2002. Cambodia is one of the only Asian States to be a party to this historic institution.

4 May 2006

The Cambodian Human Rights Action Committee (CHRAC), a coalition of 21 NGOs, is concerned with the measures taken by the Khan Daun Penh authority and the Phnom Penh municipality to relocate people who live in village 14 (Sambok Chab village) Khan Chamcarmon, Phnom Penh to a new location situated in Trapeang Anh Chanh village, Sangkat Trapeang Kra Sang, Khan Dangkor, Phnom Penh.

CHRAC has carried out a thorough investigation of this case and has found that it is unclear how the new land will be distributed in fairness, since the statistics put together by the people in six communities and the statistic of local authority are different. This has led people to feel unsure of whether they will be relocated or not. Furthermore, the authority has not yet built basic and adequate infrastructures and services such as health center, school, market, sewers, and electricity system at the new location.

2 May 2006

The members of the Cambodian Human Rights Action Committee (CHRAC), a coalition of 21 NGOs, welcome the news that the Supreme Council of the Magistracy will this week select the judges and prosecutors for the Extraordinary Chambers in the Court of Cambodia (ECCC).

This is a very important decision and will have important implications for the future of Cambodia and Cambodians. The efficient conduct of the trials in accordance with the principles of international law will further enhance Cambodia's international reputation. Trials, open to the public, will also help Cambodians to move on from the long period of civil conflict which included the Khmer Rouge period. By participating in the Tribunal judges, prosecutors and lawyers will gain valuable experience and skills, which will help them to participate in the implementation of the Government's legal and judicial reform program.

1 May 2006

Around two thousand factory workers gathered at the Independence Monument and later in front of the National Assembly to celebrate May Day, despite the efforts by hundreds of police to stop workers entering Phnom Penh. Organisers of the rally were officially refused permission to hold the event, with the Ministry of Interior claiming the site was already being used by the pro-Government Cambodian Confederation of Trade Unions (CCTU). Yet, media reported that the CCTU held an event - attended by Prime Minister Hun Sen and aired on Apsara television station - on the night of Sunday April 30. Workers present at the rally reported that the CCTU's planned rally failed to happen.

On the basis of this disingenuous excuse, police undertook a coordinated effort to prevent workers entering Phnom Penh. LICADHO strongly condemns this restriction to people's freedom of movement.

1 May 2006

Recollection of Cambodian Workers' rally on International Labour Day 2006.

4 April 2006

LICADHO dispatched a team from its Medical Office to provide emergency assistance to the small village of Phluk Thnung, in Kampong Speu province, after Radio Free Asia reported the village was suffering from a sudden increase in health and nutrition problems. They were joined by both national and international organizations and provided health care services, medicine, dry food and vegetables to villagers in need.

The medical team first visited Phluk Thnung on March 5, 2006. Carrying with them basic medicine and vitamins, the field visit revealed a village plagued by poverty and insufficient basic infrastructure. Several villagers were found to be gravely ill or disabled, and lacked the resources to seek treatment.

16 March 2006

In celebration of International Women's Day on 8 March 2006, representatives from the Prison Project Office of LICADHO together with representatives from the Embassy of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM) visited CC2, PJ and Takmao prisons to distribute material assistance to female prisoners and female guards.

1 March 2006

The Cambodian Human Rights Action Committee (CHRAC), a coalition of 18 NGO members, welcomes this week's first meeting for 2006 of the Government-Donor Coordination Committee as a key opportunity to reflect upon the progress made in 2005 to achieve the benchmarks set by the Royal Government of Cambodia and Consultative Group and also to set out the indicators to measure progress for 2006.

CHRAC notes that the Royal Government of Cambodia has made some efforts in 2005 to progress its Strategy for Legal and Judicial Reform with the further development and launch mid-year of its Action Plan. However, we observe that the eight fundamental laws, identified in the CG benchmarks for December 2004 as essential to strengthening the rule of law, have not been passed.

28 February 2006

On February 27, 2006, factory workers gathered in Stung Meanchey district for a peaceful demonstration that would, by day's end, be intimidated by riot police in order to 'clean up the streets' during the Indonesian president's visit.

The demonstration was organized by the coalition of Cambodia Apparel of Worker Democratic Union (CCAWDU) and the Free Trade Union of Workers of the Kingdom of Cambodia (FTUWKC). The workers demanded that a decision by the Arbitration Council on the duration of contracts be respected and that seven employees who were fired after advocating for better working conditions be reinstated.

26 February 2006

During 2005, the Cambodian Government did not demonstrate satisfactory progress toward legal and judicial reform, and hence failed in its stated aim of strengthening the rule of law in Cambodia. The concept of 'rule of law' prevails where (i) the government itself is bound by the law, (ii) every person is treated equally under the law, (iii) the human dignity of each individual is recognized and protected by the law and (iv) justice is accessible to all. This widely accepted legal principle is intended to safeguard against arbitrary rulings and misuse of power, and is vital to the healthy functioning of a viable democratic Government and State.

The Government has had the entire year of 2005 to take action on agreements made during the December 2004 Consultative Group (CG) meeting. Yet the initiatives taken by the Government were disappointing. The minimal efforts made towards creating a healthy legal system that promotes liberal democracy and human rights were heavily outweighed by the retrograde steps that saw freedom of expression curtailed and government critics imprisoned

17 February 2006

The Cambodian Human Rights Action Committee (CHRAC), a coalition of 18 local NGOs, welcomes and supports the announcement to review decriminalization defamation in the draft Penal Code by the head of the Royal Government in Kandal province on 14 February 2006 further to public appeals made by civil society including CHRAC members.

CHRAC acknowledges that the proposed plan to change defamation from a criminal offense to a civil offense shows the Government's willingness to urge and motivate citizens and civil society organizations to fully express their views in a democratic way as guaranteed by the Constitution of the Kingdom of Cambodia. However, this announcement is only the first step.