United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon speaks
during a side event entitled: "Mayor’s Focus Session: Cities’ Response
to Migration" at the the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul, Tuesday,
May 24, 2016.
UN Leader Calls for Talks to End Cambodia Tensions
VOA | 10 June 2016
“The Secretary-General conveyed his hope that the Government of
Cambodia would ensure full respect for human rights, including the
freedoms of expression, association, and assembly,” read the statement.
PHNOM PENH —
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday issued a statement
calling for dialogue and negotiations between the opposition Cambodia
National Rescue Party and the ruling Cambodian People’s Party.
The statement follows similar calls from the United States and the European Union.
Security forces have attempted to arrest the CNRP’s acting president, Kem Sokha, in recent days amid ongoing attempts by the municipal court to bring him in for questioning over allegations of solicitation and ignoring previous court subpoenas.
The call from Mr. Ban came on the heels of a period of political tension between Prime Minister Hun Sen's ruling party and opposition.
In recent months, at least 20 members of local civil society
organizations, human rights defenders, and members and supporters of the
CNRP were imprisoned on charges ranging from incitement to bribery.
Ban made the comments during a phone conversation with Foreign Minister Prak Sokhon, a summary of which was later posted to a U.N. website on Wednesday.
The summary said that Ban had “expressed concern” about the breakdown in relations between the two parties and the jailing of dissenters.
“The Secretary-General conveyed his hope that the Government of Cambodia would ensure full respect for human rights, including the freedoms of expression, association, and assembly,” read the statement. “He called for the resumption of the culture of dialogue between the Cambodian People’s Party and the Cambodia National Rescue Party.”
Both the CPP and CNRP on Thursday welcomed the statement.
“His call is good for Cambodia, to be in peace and harmony,” Sok Eysan, spokesman for the ruling party, told VOA Khmer. “However, his evaluation and concerns about human rights and other issues in Cambodia is not reflective of the reality in Cambodian society. All the problems occur because members of the Cambodia National Rescue Party themselves violated the law.”
Eysan added that the CPP and CNRP’s working groups, which were established in 2015, are already in discussions over when a meeting between the parties should be held and the agenda of the talks.
“Therefore, I think, it will happen very soon, our parties’ working groups will meet to strengthen the culture of dialogue. And it is complying with the request made by His Excellency Ban Ki-moon,” Mr. Eysan said.
Yim Sovann, a CNRP lawmaker and spokesman, said the next meeting of the CNRP and CPP should focus on “the violation of lawmakers’ immunity, jailing of opposition party activists and civil society members and [an election official].”
“These issues should be discussed,” he said.
However, the ruling party has previously said a pre-condition of new talks would be that those topics were off the table.
Koul Panha, executive director of Comfrel, an election monitoring group, said a breakdown in communication and the self-exile of CNRP president Sam Rainsy had created a deadlocked situation.
“It is obvious that the lower level of dialogue – the third level, the working group – will find it hard to make any majority decision to resolve political issues, including the violations of political rights, usage of court to jail lawmakers, and violence against opposition lawmakers,” he said.
The ruling party should seek a “political compromise”, he added, which should include a pardon for Rainsy, who is wanted to serve a two-year prison term for defamation.
The statement follows similar calls from the United States and the European Union.
Security forces have attempted to arrest the CNRP’s acting president, Kem Sokha, in recent days amid ongoing attempts by the municipal court to bring him in for questioning over allegations of solicitation and ignoring previous court subpoenas.
The call from Mr. Ban came on the heels of a period of political tension between Prime Minister Hun Sen's ruling party and opposition.
"His evaluation and concerns about human rights and other issues in Cambodia is not reflective of the reality in Cambodian society."
Ban made the comments during a phone conversation with Foreign Minister Prak Sokhon, a summary of which was later posted to a U.N. website on Wednesday.
The summary said that Ban had “expressed concern” about the breakdown in relations between the two parties and the jailing of dissenters.
“The Secretary-General conveyed his hope that the Government of Cambodia would ensure full respect for human rights, including the freedoms of expression, association, and assembly,” read the statement. “He called for the resumption of the culture of dialogue between the Cambodian People’s Party and the Cambodia National Rescue Party.”
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, second from right,
shakes hands with the main opposition party leader Sam Rainsy, left, of
Cambodia National Rescue Party, as Deputy Prime Minister Sar Kheng,
second from left, looks on after a meeting in Senate headquarters.
Both the CPP and CNRP on Thursday welcomed the statement.
“His call is good for Cambodia, to be in peace and harmony,” Sok Eysan, spokesman for the ruling party, told VOA Khmer. “However, his evaluation and concerns about human rights and other issues in Cambodia is not reflective of the reality in Cambodian society. All the problems occur because members of the Cambodia National Rescue Party themselves violated the law.”
Eysan added that the CPP and CNRP’s working groups, which were established in 2015, are already in discussions over when a meeting between the parties should be held and the agenda of the talks.
“Therefore, I think, it will happen very soon, our parties’ working groups will meet to strengthen the culture of dialogue. And it is complying with the request made by His Excellency Ban Ki-moon,” Mr. Eysan said.
Yim Sovann, a CNRP lawmaker and spokesman, said the next meeting of the CNRP and CPP should focus on “the violation of lawmakers’ immunity, jailing of opposition party activists and civil society members and [an election official].”
“These issues should be discussed,” he said.
However, the ruling party has previously said a pre-condition of new talks would be that those topics were off the table.
Koul Panha, executive director of Comfrel, an election monitoring group, said a breakdown in communication and the self-exile of CNRP president Sam Rainsy had created a deadlocked situation.
“It is obvious that the lower level of dialogue – the third level, the working group – will find it hard to make any majority decision to resolve political issues, including the violations of political rights, usage of court to jail lawmakers, and violence against opposition lawmakers,” he said.
The ruling party should seek a “political compromise”, he added, which should include a pardon for Rainsy, who is wanted to serve a two-year prison term for defamation.
If the UN has the power to grant humanity human rights will the UN have the power to take away that right also? Indeed!
ReplyDeleteThe goal of the UN leaders (those in charge of the UN) is to gain control of all the sovereign nations powers and put those powers down. Those in charge of the UN will reign supreme over all humanity, one government, one currency, one religion. Does this sound like freedom to you?
The UN is the sole destabilization of nations. They had to if they need to offer their true solution to the conflicts they instigated like Vietnam, Korea, middle east...I mean they create dictators for the sole purpose of offering their solution to those who live under dictatorship leaderships. If you understand the true intent of the UN and how they created policy of destruction like Cambodia so now Cambodia is being used as the testing ground for UN agenda.
This sight is nothing more than promotion of UN rules. It has nothing to do with true democracy. Democracy doesn't exist its only an illusion that the majority been made to believe. UN is a sham, democracy is a sham. Ever since the birth of the UN the nations seen more wars and destruction and destabilization of cultures. All executed by the UN for the gain of big corporations that are in league with the UN to gain global control of all powers.
Look at the logo of the UN [pyramid with 70 stars] now look at your dollar bill a pyramid with one eye at top. If you believe the pyramid is good that is why they use pyramid as their logo and on the dollar bill---will, if you like to be the slaves that built the pyramids for the Pharaohs exactly how the UN elite will make you do while they sit and smoke their fine cigars when all your rights will be taken away, you are nothing but slaves. But there is a good chance that their council could fail due to God's intervention.
A world without God is a death sentence. UN is nothing but an act of rebellion to rule over the whole with injustice if they get their way.