Cambodian NGO workers will march through Phnom Penh on Monday December 6 to demand an end to nearly two years of arbitrary restrictions by government authorities on marches, demonstrations and other public gatherings.

“Freedom of assembly and freedom of expression, which are the foundation of all human rights and of a democratic society, are in serious peril in Cambodia,” said Kek Galabru, chairperson of the Cambodian Human Rights Action Committee (CHRAC), which is organizing the march. “The government must respect and protect those rights.” The march - timed for the start of a two-day Consultative Group (CG) meeting of international donors, who contribute about half of the whole National budget to Cambodia - aims to draw donors’ attention to the government’s long-standing crackdown against peaceful public demonstrations, and urge the government to change that policy. The Phnom Penh Municipality has allowed CHRAC to hold the march - a rare step for a local authority which has systematically denied civil society groups the right to hold public gatherings in recent years.

“We applaud the municipality’s decision to allow us to march during the international donor meeting, but we are also conscious that we are being allowed to do something which many other groups have not been,” said Thun Saray, president of the human rights group ADHOC, one of the 18 NGOs which comprise CHRAC. “We hope this signals a new attitude by the authorities which recognizes that all sectors of society, not just human rights NGOs, have the right to gather peacefully in public to express their opinions and concerns about important issues affecting their lives.” Since anti-Thai riots in Phnom Penh in January 2003, government authorities have regularly denied permission for public marches and protests, and cracked down, often violently, on those that have been held without authorization. Those who have been refused permission, usually on the grounds that they would pose a threat to public order or national security, include: a group of monks planning a peace march through Phnom Penh; women’s NGOs and domestic violence victims wanting to gather at the National Assembly to meet parliamentarians to discuss a draft law against domestic violence; and anti-corruption NGOs seeking to hold a rally for International Anti-Corruption Day. Police have broken up demonstrations which have occurred without permission, as well as labor strikes by factory workers or others, with dozens of people being beaten or detained. Most recently, unknown persons threw a grenade at villagers protesting a land concession in Pursat province, injuring eight people. The police immediately suggested the protesters had thrown the grenade at themselves; no one has been arrested for the attack.

The controversial 1991 Law on Demonstrations prohibits marches or demonstrations which affect “public tranquility, order or security”. Local authorities must be informed in advance of marches, and can ban them if the event is deemed likely to cause “turmoil”. According to a recent CHRAC report - which documents 35 incidents of marchers, demonstrators or strikers being prevented from gathering or being dispersed by police since January 2003 - supposed security concerns are being “grossly manipulated by the authorities in order to impose a sweeping and routine denial of the right of assembly”.

This march supports the Civil Society Forum on the NGO statement to the Consultative Group (CG) meeting held at Sunway Hotel on 30 November 2004 that provided key recommendations including: enhancing public participation, eradicating corruption, supporting the rule of law and reducing poverty in rural areas. CHRAC urges the government to review both the 1991 demonstration law and its current implementation by local authorities, to ensure Cambodians’ rights under the Constitution and international law to the freedoms of expression and assembly are not arbitrarily restricted. The march will be conducted on December 6, 2004 at 7am from Wat Botum Vatei and proceed to Wat Phnom near the CG meeting venue at the Council for the Development of Cambodia through quay Sisowath. A media conference will be conducted at Wat Phnom at approximately 9:00 AM near CDC.

For more information, please contact:
▪ Dr. Kek Galabru, Chairperson of CHRAC at 012 940 645
▪ Mr. Thun Saray, President of ADHOC at 016 880 509
▪ Dr. Lao Mong Hay, Head of Legal Unit, CSD at 023 364 735
▪ Mr. Yong Kim Eng, President of KYA at 016 828 211

PDF: Download full statement