Hun Sen takes swipe at regional parliamentarians, calling them 'gangsters'

Manekseka Sangkum: We must redefine our understanding of "gangsters"

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Ben Sokhean and Andrew Nachemson | Publication date 30 April 2018 | 16:04 ICT

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Prime Minister Hun Sen describes the Asean Parliamentarians for Human Rights as a "gangster group" during a commencement speech at the National Institute of Education on Monday. Facebook

In a speech marking the anniversary of Cambodia's accession to Asean on Monday, Prime Minister Hun Sen lashed out at the often critical Asean Parliamentarians for Human Rights, describing them as a “gangster group”.

The regional lawmakers vocally opposed recent measures in the government's ongoing political crackdown, criticising the decision to forcibly dissolve the only viable opposition party, the Cambodia National Rescue Party. Before the dissolution, Chairperson Charles Santiago said the move would result in “one-party rule in Cambodia”.

Asean Parliamentarians for Human Rights "is not part of Asean government. They are the opposition body. Where are they from?” Hun Sen asked in Monday's speech at a graduation ceremony on Monday. Cambodia joined the regional body on April 30, 1999.

“They just use the name to colour [others in a bad light]. Asean this, Asean that. That group, they are a so-called gangster group," he said. "Asean members would not do any statement related to another member’s internal affairs.”

The parliamentarians' board, which includes former Cambodian opposition figure Mu Sochua, is mainly made up of opposition politicians. However, some, like Charles Chong of Singapore and Eva Kusuma Sundari of Indonesia, represent their respective country’s ruling parties.

“APHR is made up of duly elected representatives of the citizens of ASEAN member states, from both ruling and opposition parties around the ASEAN region,” the board said in an email on Monday.

They said the group is dedicated to the principles of the Asean charter, which include obligations to democracy and human rights.

“APHR was formed, in part, because of ASEAN’s unwillingness to tackle difficult issues and its reliance on claims of ‘non-interference’ as a smokescreen for inaction,” the statement continued.

Hun Sen went on to say there were four “major” reasons that Cambodia joined Asean back in April of 1999. The first, he said, was the “principle of internal non-interference”.

“It is very important. There is no small or big country, there is no rich or poor country," he said."We have the same rights.”

Issues of universal consensus, economic integration and diplomacy were the other key factors.