Day: September 9, 2022

Yesterday, 8 September 2022, the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) facilitated the first constitutive meeting of a new working group of civil society organizations in relation to their ongoing and future work serving the needs of victim-survivors of the Khmer Rouge regime. The meeting was generously hosted by the Legal Documentation Center related to the ECCC (LDC) at their office on Russian Boulevard in Phnom Penh.

16 representatives of nine civil society organizations took part in yesterday’s meeting, in addition to the presence of Mr. HANG Vannak, chief of the Victims Support Section, Mr. PICH Ang and Ms. Falguni DEBNATH, Lead Co-Lawyers for the Civil Parties, Ms. CHEA Savon, director of the LDC, and additional staff of the ECCC and the LDC.

The May 2022 Victims Workshop demonstrated the need for a civil society working group which will remain actively involved for the duration of the ECCC residual phase related to victim-centered programs. The formation of this working group is necessary to strengthen civil society initiatives, widen the reach of the ECCC residual functions, and publicly highlight the continued need for funding and collaboration with these victim-survivor advocates from international donors and the Royal Government. Yesterday’s meeting continued the spirit of collaboration and mutual support which was demonstrated at the May 2022 workshop.

This first constitutive meeting resulted in tangible outcomes for setting up the new working group, including determining plans for a neutral secretariat led by civil society organizations and the ECCC to coordinate its activities and commitments to regular monthly meetings through the end of the year. Those present yesterday also agreed that the working group shall remain open to additional participants from any other relevant organizations or institutions with representatives in Cambodia. The administrative structure of this working group will be confirmed in detail at the next meeting in October.

This meeting also provided an opportunity for ECCC staff to remind civil society advocates of the impending pronouncement of the final judgment in Case 002/02, which the ECCC Supreme Court Chamber is scheduled to announce on 22 September 2022.

Source: Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia

The relatives of jailed opposition members and protesting casino workers in Cambodia are appealing for help with their cases from Prime Minister Hun Sen’s eldest son – widely seen as next in line to lead the nation – saying they no longer have faith in the current administration.

A group of activists from the banned Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), whose cases rights groups say are politically motivated, sent a letter to Royal Cambodia Army Commander Hun Manet in late August, urging him to ensure their freedom and allow them to participate in a general election slated for 2023.

The wife of jailed CNRP activist Kong Mas, Kol Sat, who along with other relatives has held regular demonstrations calling for the release of their loved ones, told RFA Khmer that she had begun writing directly to Hun Manet to intervene in her husband’s case because she had given up on Hun Sen and hopes that his son will be more reasonable if he becomes prime minister.

“To me when Hun Sen is out, there is only Hun Manet who can help because no one can challenge him. He controls the military and the country,” she said, adding that she believes Hun Manet is influential enough to free her husband and restore democracy to the country.

Kong Mas and the other jailed CNRP activists had been targeted by Hun Sen in the years following the Supreme Court’s dissolution of the party in November 2017. The court also placed a five-year ban precluding 118 CNRP lawmakers from participating in political activities.

Laid off workers from the NagaWorld casino in Phnom Penh who have been striking for the past eight months also recently reached out to Hun Manet for help in getting reinstated to their jobs.

In August, authorities violently clashed with around 100, mostly female, of the workers as they sought to protest in front of their former workplace, injuring several of them. The group’s petitions to the government for assistance have largely gone unanswered.

One of the workers told RFA on condition of anonymity that she sees Hun Manet as a powerful figure within the ruling Cambodian People’s party (CPP) who can help them resolve their labor dispute.

“Hun Manet is a prime minister candidate. I want him to help as a guardian or father,” she said.

“We have already submitted petitions to Prime Minister Hun Sen and the National Assembly but we need additional intervention.”

RFA could not reach Hun Manet for comment and questions sent to him through Facebook messenger went unanswered on Friday.

In July, Cambodia’s National Assembly advanced a proposed change to the country’s constitution eliminating the need for the legislature to approve a prime minister designated by the king. Critics said the change would all but ensure Hun Manet succeeds his father, who has ruled the country since 1985 and is now 69.

Rong Chhun, president of the Cambodian Confederation of Unions, said the casino workers and opposition party activists are desperate for help and shifted their efforts to Hun Manet because they have lost hope in Hun Sen and other government leaders.

He said he also believes that Hun Manet can help resolve the disputes if he intervenes.

“To show the public that the prime ministerial candidate can do the job, [the requests] should be honored,” Rong Chhun said.

However, CPP spokesman Sok Ey San on Friday dismissed calls by activists for Hun Manet’s help, saying he cannot intervene in the disputes because he is not prime minister. He also accused opposition party activists and workers from NagaWorld of breaching the law.

“I welcome their support [of Hun Manet] but if they support him only for illegal benefits, it can’t be done,” he said. “His Excellency can’t resolve illegal requests.”

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