Phnom Penh – Pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong entered their fourth month last week, with the weekly protests resulting in a heated standoff between the local government – backed by Beijing – and protesters who continue to push for their demands.
As the protests play out in Hong Kong, Cambodian analysts and observers said there are parallels with the current political situation in Cambodia and similarities to the post-election protests during 2013 and early 2014.
But, there was one major difference, they said. The presence of relatively stronger democratic institutions in Hong Kong – a byproduct of British rule – has bolstered protesters’ prospects, whereas there was little democratic recourse to support such protests in Cambodia.
