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Cambodia Cambodia's Commune Elections: Setting The Stage For The 2003 National Elections he Cambodian government should take immediate steps to investigate and prosecute perpetrators of political violence committed during commune-level elections held in February 2002, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. Action to end impunity should be a pre-condition for any aid to prepare for next year's national elections, Human Rights Watch said. The report includes a detailed case study of two politically motivated killings that took place in Kompong Cham province in November 2001, which were followed by a sustained campaign of intimidation against opposition members. The cases, which show the clear impact of political violence on voters and candidates, are scheduled to go to trial in Kompong Cham on May 2. Human Rights Watch called on the Cambodian government to institute mechanisms to promptly respond to reports of political violence in advance of national elections scheduled for July 2003, in order to deter the kind of violence and intimidation that characterized the commune elections in many parts of the country. HRW Index No.: C1404 May 1, 2002 Download PDF Purchase online Cambodia: Child Soldier Global Report 2001 From the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers During the country’s civil war there was widespread use of child soldiers, some as young as eight, by government forces and armed opposition groups. Identification and demobilisation of former child soldiers is underway as part of a broader downsizing of armed forces. June 12, 2001 Cambodia: Landmine Monitor Report 2000 At least 1,012 people were hurt or killed by landmines in 1999, a decrease of 41% from the previous year. There were 417 mine casualties reported in the first five months of 2000. As areas formerly held by the Khmer Rouge became accessible, whole villages of disabled people were being discovered. In 1999, about 11.9 square kilometers of land were cleared. The Land Use Planning Unit was established in May 1999. Nearly 500,000 people received mine awareness education in 1999, the most ever in a single year. A scandal over financial mismanagement resulted in the Cambodian Mine Action Center making some important reforms. August 1, 2000 Cambodia-- Impunity in Cambodia: How Human Rights Offenders Escape Justice A Report by Adhoc, Licadho, and Human Rights Watch In this report, three human rights organizations urged the Royal Cambodian Government to end impunity for perpetrators of human rights violations in Cambodia. They documented the failure of the government at all levels to prosecute civilian and military authorities for killing and torture; and found that a major cause of the problem was a lack of political will by the government to prosecute known human rights abusers. Adding to the problem is the lack of neutrality and independence of the judicial and law enforcement systems, as well as a low level of professionalism in these bodies. The report also identifies as a problem the excessive use of lethal force and misuse of weapons by law enforcement officials. HRW Index No.: D1103 June 1, 1999 Purchase online Toxic Justice: Human Rights, Justice, and Toxic Waste in Cambodia In November 1998, nearly 3,000 tons of Taiwanese toxic waste were dumped in a field in the southern port of Sihanoukville. At the time, there was no law banning such dumping, but Minister of Environment Mok Mareth said publicly and repeatedly that toxic waste imports were prohibited in Cambodia and a national policy to that effect was in force. Local people panicked:thousands fled the city. Others in Sihanoukville exercised their constitutional rights and in December held two days of public demonstrations, blaming government corruption for the presence of the toxic material. The local authorities sought to blame incitement of the riots on two human rights defenders, Kim Sen and Meas Minear, staff members of the Cambodian human rights group Licadho, or Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights. Arrested in December, the two were held for a month and charged with committing robbery and property damage. As this report will illustrate, the Cambodian government appears to bear some responsibility for the dumping and the resulting violations of economic and social rights that followed. HRW Index No.: C1102 May 1, 1999 Purchase online Cambodia -- Fair Elections Not Possible The present political environment in Cambodia, in which opposition parties are not able to operate freely and safely, is in no way conducive to the holding of free, fair, and credible elections. The primary obstacle is neither logistical nor technical, but rather the determination of the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) to control the electoral process and restrict basic freedoms. Human Rights Watch recommends concrete steps that donor nations and the Cambodian government can take to minimize yet further human rights abuses and even greater intimidation of Cambodian citizens in exercising their right to elect a government. HRW Index No.: C1003 June 1, 1998 Purchase online Fair Elections Not Possible The present political environment in Cambodia, in which opposition parties are not able to operate freely and safely, is in no way conducive to the holding of free, fair, and credible elections. The primary obstacle is neither logistical nor technical, but rather the determination of the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) to control the electoral process and restrict basic freedoms. Human Rights Watch recommends postponement of elections until the conditions conducive to a free and fair poll are in place. Human Rights Watch recommends concrete steps that donor nations and the Cambodian government can take to minimize yet further human rights abuses and even greater intimidation of Cambodian citizens in exercising their right to elect a government. HRW Index No.: C1003 June 1, 1998 Purchase online Aftermath of the Coup A month after Second Prime Minister Hun Sen's coup, Cambodia bears little resemblance to the society envisioned in the Paris accords of 1991 that laid the framework for an end to conflict and a United Nations peacebuilding effort on an unprecedented scale. The tension that permeated the country's political life over the past four years - since United Nations-supervised elections installed a fractious coalition government in Phnom Penh - has erupted into a protracted campaign of intimidation by Hun Sen's forces. The lack of international agreement, let alone coordination of policies, on foreign aid, human rights, refugees, and recognition of the post-coup government, has not only allowed Hun Sen to consolidate his authority, but it has greatly magnified the insecurity of political opposition members and their families. It would be a grave mistake for the international community to see elections in and of themselves as the solution to human rights violations. Elections will have no meaning unless the Cambodian government ends its persecution of the opposition and holds its forces accountable for human rights violations during and since the coup. HRW Index No.: C908 August 1, 1997 Purchase online Deterioration of Human Rights in Cambodia Even as international attention focuses on the split in the Khmer Rouge organization and the hopes for peace that it has engendered, the human rights situation in Cambodia remains precarious and has in many respects steadily worsened over the course of 1996. Disturbing trends include a rise in political violence, the continued repression of the press, and impunity for abuses committed by government officials and other powerful figures. Indeed, an amnesty given to former Khmer Rouge leader Ieng Sary in September marks only the latest incident in a history of impunity for human rights abusers in Cambodia since the United Nations-sponsored peace settlement. HRW Index No.: C811 December 1, 1996 The War Against Free Speech Letter from Human Rights Watch and the New Cambodian Press Law Over the last year, the Royal Cambodian Government has waged a campaign to silence its critics, targeting independent newspapers and political figures for prosecution and harassment. On more than a dozen occasions, it has suspended, shut or confiscated newspapers or brought criminal complaints against journalists. A controversial new press law is unlikely to halt these abuses as it allows confiscations, closures and criminal prosecutions to continue. HRW Index No.: C713 September 1, 1995 Cambodia at War Although the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Cambodia has been hailed as one of the most successful ever, the country was back at war even before the last of the peacekeepers left. The civilian population now faces a wide range of abuses from both the Khmer Rouge and the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces. This report, based on three missions to Cambodia between March 1994 and February 1995, documents cases of murder, rape, hostage-taking, and the use of famine as a weapon by the Khmer Rouge in their new "scorched earth" tactics. Human Rights Watch analyzes the foreign support for both the Khmer Rouge and government forces and calls for an end to the provision of arms and military equipment to the warring parties, as well as for an abolition of the use, acquisition and stockpiling of antipersonnel landmines. It also calls on international donors to insist that the Cambodian government hold its officials, civilian and military, accountable for gross violations of human rights. HRW Index No.: 1-56432-150-9 March 1, 1995 An Exchange on Human Rights and Peace-Keeping in Cambodia The U.N. peace-keeping period in Cambodia was marked by major human rights violations, among them the slaughter of ethnic Vietnamese residents of Cambodia, abuse of prisoners and incidents of politically-motivated murder, assault and intimidation that accelerated in the months leading up to the May 1993 elections. The elections did not halt these abuses and Cambodia is at war with the Khmer Rouge once more. This report consists of a letter from the United Nations Transition Authority in Cambodia and our response, both concerning our May 1993 report, which detailed the on-going human rights abuses and criticized UNTAC efforts. HRW Index No.: C514 September 1, 1993 Human Rights Before and After the Elections Describing serious human rights abuses leading up to the elections in May 1993, this report criticizes the international community and the U.N. Transitional Authority in Cambodia for tolerating the bombing of opposition party offices and for encouraging members of the Khmer Rouge to participate in the elections despite their having slaughtered ethnic Vietnamese. HRW Index No.: C510 May 1, 1993 Political Control, Human Rights & the U.N. Mission in Cambodia The United Nations has embarked on its most ambitious project ever in terms of both expense and scope in Cambodia, and the exercise will undoubtedly exert great influence on how the U.N. is used in the settlement of other conflicts around the world. The centerpiece of the Cambodian peace settlement, “free and fair elections,” is based on the success of a series of steps designed to ensure an atmosphere of political neutrality that will allow Cambodians to choose their own government. This report identifies some of the underlying conditions and institutions each party exploits to perpetuate control, and how foreign interests affect that control. HRW Index No.: 1-56432-085-5 September 1, 1992 Landmines in Cambodia The Coward’s War As prospects for peace improve in Cambodia, the need to clear landmines becomes ever more urgent. Every year landmines kill or maim thousands or Cambodians, most of them civilians. The mines have been laid over a period of two decades by all parties to the conflict. Unless plans for a mine eradication program begin immediately, the repatriation of hundreds of thousands of displaced Cambodians will turn into a disaster. HRW Index No.: 1-56432-001-4 September 1, 1991
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