Prime Minister Hun Sen lashed out against visiting UN envoys during a speech Thursday accusing them of only meeting NGOs and human rights groups that are critical of the government and not the many NGOs who are in favor of the authorities.
The premier’s comments came as the new UN human rights envoy, Surya Subedi, wraps up a two week visit during which he met with both government officials and NGOs and local community representatives. Mr Hun Sen did not mention Mr Subedi in his speech.
“In Cambodia there are more than 2,000 NGOs, but the [UN] representatives in Phnom Penh only arrange to meet the same four or five NGOs…. Less than one percent of NGOs are bad [but] they meet only with NGOs that are against and shout at the government,” Mr Hun Sen said.
During his two-week visit in Cambodia, Mr Subedi has met with several high-ranking government officials including, the prime minister, Foreign Minister Hor Namhong, Minister of Interior Sar Kheng and Minister of Land Management Im Chhun Lim, according to a statement released by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Cambodia.
Several rights groups contacted Thursday confirmed that they had attended group meetings with Mr Subedi and that the discussion had concentrated on four main topics: the administration of justice, fundamental freedoms and human rights defenders, urban land issues and rural land issues.
The discussion in one of the meetings focused on freedom of expression, how to engage the government in human rights issues and how to work in the current environment, but the meetings were very honest, informative and not always critical of the government, said Ou Virak, president of Cambodian Center for Human Rights.
“We don’t eat, sleep and breathe every day to criticize the government. But we do point out when there are shortcomings,” Mr Virak said.
“On the one hand we try to be constructive in our criticism but on the other hand there are so many violations that are happening systematically that is making it difficult,” he said.
