SAFIYA CHARLES
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| Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn spoke at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Saturday. Reuters |
Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn addressed global terrorism, violence and democracy in his speech at the 71st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York on Saturday—but stopped short of delving into the allegations of governmental abuse of power that have prompted some member states and critics to condemn what they call the regime’s crackdown on dissent.
“One word can summarize the tragedy of our world and that word is violence,” said Mr. Sokhonn speaking to a gathering of international delegates.
“Violence from war, violence from terrorism, violence towards civilians...[but also] violence to our planet that is jeopardizing the survival of humankind itself.”
Although an astute observation, critics of his speech advised the minister to take a closer look at the accusations of bias and violence lodged against Cambodia’s current administration.
Many cited a crackdown on the freedom of speech and peaceful assembly which has resulted in the abuse and jailing of land rights activists, opposition party members and human rights activists alike.
Most recently, government opponents have decried the sentences handed down to National Election Committee official Ny Chakrya as well as acting opposition leader Kem Sokha, on what many deem as frivolous charges.
“It is very obvious in the eyes of independent observers that many of the cases against civil society and opposition activists are political.
Making the court more independent would solve some of these criticisms,” said Ou Virak, a political analyst who was brought to court himself in May on charges of defamation brought by the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP).
Mr. Chakrya, the former head of monitoring at human rights group Adhoc, was sentenced to six months in prison last week over defamation charges while Mr. Sokha was found guilty earlier this month for refusing to appear in court as a witness and was sentenced to five months in jail.
While urging the UNGA to find better ways to tackle an “exhausted” system of collective security represented in the UN security council, Mr. Sokhonn went on to lament the position of smaller countries like Cambodia, saying they often felt pressured to “choose one side or another.”
He was likely referring to the country’s close and sometimes controversial ties with China and the precarious position of interest they are often in due to their ties to the West.
He highlighted the responsibility of resource-rich member states in playing a principal role in making the UN’s 17 sustainable development goals a reality, and called on nations like the US – which dropped 2.7 million tons of bombs on Cambodia between 1965 to 1973 – to address issues that “can truly undermine sustainable development such as mines and explosive remnants of war.”
“Our country has lived through a painful period... more than many. We are very aware of the price of peace,” said Mr. Sokhonn.
The foreign minister was hopeful for the country’s steady growth, saying the government was working hard to improve working conditions and the standard of living of Cambodians. He also touted a yearly one-percent decline in poverty since 1994 and an average growth rate exceeding seven percent.
Mr. Sokhonn noted significant progress in education, healthcare as well as in infrastructure, and reminded delegation members that the country had, not too long ago, escaped the grips of “one of the cruelest regimes of the 21st century.”
Mr. Sokhonn mostly shied away from addressing the harsh wave of criticism that has engulfed the government over the past few weeks, only mentioning the opposition in one pointed part of his speech.
“With the Paris agreement, we have been asked to accept a perfect model of democracy and this does not take into account [that] some other countries have a different approach. We often find ourselves in a situation in which our opposition is committing very serious crimes,” he said.
The majority of charges and convictions levied against opposition party members and civil society workers have been related to defamation – a crime punishable by up to six months in prison. But he claimed countries in the West – many of which signed a statement earlier this month condemning the ruling party’s purported crushing of dissent – were distorting the news and making the government seem worse than it truly was.
“In the West some media, NGOs and some governments often describe our weaknesses as crimes of the state,” he said.
Mr. Sokhonn has been in the precarious position of trying to defend the government on the international stage after 39 nations came together to criticize Cambodia on a variety of issues, including the government’s use of the judiciary to silence political opponents.
“We are deeply concerned about the current escalation of political tensions in Cambodia, which threatens legitimate activities by opposition parties and human rights NGOs,” read the statement, which was signed by the US, Canada, Japan, Switzerland, the European Union and a host of other countries.
“There is particular concern about the appearance that legal action is being disproportionately pursued against critics of the government.”
A week earlier, the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights expressed concern over “recent incidents of intimidation,” noting an occasion where the government had raised concerns over public security in order to block peaceful protests and arrest demonstrators. The human rights organization called on authorities to take measures to “ensure the safety of all Cambodians.”
When asked about Mr. Sokhonn’s speech and his comments about the opposition, Cambodia National Rescue Party official Son Chhay called the statement laughable, responding only with a simple phrase: “What a joke.”
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