The European Commission backs up EU’s demands

Editorial by School of Vice: 

Cambodia's current woes and acute tragedy can be said to be rooted in centuries of foreign interference and intrigue, leading to national divisions and loss of sovereignty. Yet, much of the outside world's knowledge of this small nation does not extend far beyond the cold-war rivalry between the great powers wherein the country had either unwittingly or reluctantly been steered into a position of being a pawn on the chessboard of this proxy conflict. Likewise, barring a few dedicated researchers and observers, it is also true that the world's common knowledge of the country begins with this narrow time-space spectrum which has Pol Pot as the monster who butchered millions of his own compatriots, and ends with the Vietnamese marching in to end the madness and save what remained of the entire seven million pre-war population from his purges.

But look closely at the aforementioned roots of this human crisis, and it's not difficult to see that the world's inertia and the conflicting stance it has taken towards Cambodia in socio-political terms and relations bear characteristics and patterns witnessed also in its similair posture adopted towards the country in the 1970s. In other words, a posture of appeasement and 'business as usual', even if this is not an official policy or openly acknowledged which, given the luxury of time, the conferred international legitimacy and tacit approval upon the regime, has as a matter of course, and contrary to any sanguine hopes or ulterior motives held for Cambodia and her long suffering people, given their deadly oppressors and executioners the upper hand in following through their tyrannical blue print.        

Economic and diplomatic sanctions can be a most effective and far less costly - in human terms - weapon by which to deliver real and urgently needed salvation to the Khmer people provided there is political will and foresightedness are to be adopted by 'the international community' as this experience has already been borne out by such measures applied on other countries, such as Myanmar, and presently, even North Korea - a nuclear state with powerful regional allies - and indeed, by Cambodia's own Paris Peace Accords that has ironically and sadly since been pronounced "dead and buried" by the Hun Sen regime, thanks largely to this muddled approach and or to lack of cohesiveness and political will on the part of the "civilised world".   

&&&

Mech Dara and Vong Sokheng | Publication date 05 July 2018 | 09:42 ICT

p

Federica Mogherini, the top EU official for foreign affairs, speaks to the media in February. The European Commission has backed the EU’s demands for Kem Sokha to be released from prison. European Union

The European Commission (EC) has reiterated the European Union’s (EU) demand for the immediate release of opposition leader Kem Sokha and called on Cambodia to take the necessary measures to ensure that the court-dissolution of the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) be swiftly reversed.

Federica Mogherini, the high representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy said this on behalf of the European Commission in response to a question posed to her by the European Parliament and seen by The Post on Wednesday.

At the conclusion of the February 26 meeting of the EU’s Foreign Affairs Council (FAC), it released a statement warning the Cambodian government that it would consider “specific targeted measures” if the political situation in the Kingdom did not improve.

“The timetable for the possible adoption of any targeted measures will depend on the outcome of the discussions in the Council,” the text of her response to the European Parliament reads.

Kem Sokha was arrested in September on charges of treason based on a speech he gave in Australia several years ago, where he told supporters he had received US assistance in planning his political career.

The government claimed the video as evidence that the CNRP was a front for a foreign-backed revolution.

Mogherini told the European Parliament that there have been a number of court hearings in relation to Kem Sokha’s bail applications, and members of the EU delegation and other diplomatic representatives have not been allowed to enter the court to witness the trial.

“The continued detention of Kem Sokha has been raised repeatedly by the EU High Representative, the European External Action Service and the EU delegate in Phnom Penh,” she said.

The EU is Cambodia’s biggest export market, and the FAC notes that Cambodia has been granted preferential access to the EU market under the “Everything But Arms” scheme.

However, a requirement for being granted such access is a country’s respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. The EU considers this requirement the underpinning of the bloc’s trade policy.

Ministry of Justice spokesman Chin Malin said on Wednesday that the government implements its laws in a manner to ensure peace, political stability and public order in the Kingdom.

“We work based on the principle of law enforcement. There may be a political agenda behind these demands [to release Sokha]. As for the government, we will continue to work with the EU and explain why we took legal measures against the opposition, which was not a violation of human rights,” he said.

Malin also said the EU’s demands to meet Sokha went against the Kingdom’s legal procedures, which only made such allowances for lawyers and family members.

Council of Ministers spokesman Phay Siphan said in a Facebook post that the demands to release Sokha and reinstate the CNRP were part of a foreign campaign to install a puppet government.

Speaking to The Post, Siphan said: “Cambodia is an independent and sovereign nation. We will not follow the orders of others and we cannot cut our head to fix a hat [for a foreigner].”

CPP spokesman Sok Eysan said reversing the Supreme Court’s decision to ban the CNRP was impossible.

“Legal procedures have already been instituted in order to ensure democracy and a state of law and order,” Eysan said.

Political analyst Meas Ny said the international community has measures it can take if the government is seen as violating human rights. But he doubted it would be enough for the government to change course.

“I think the government has no choice but to refuse to release Kem Sokha and will not reverse the ban on the opposition party, even if there was [international] pressure to do so.”