Cambodian authorities have told Australian ambassador Pablo Kang a spate of recent arrests including political, human rights and environmental activists were made within the law after protesters threatened the peace and stability of the country.
“Gathering in the streets to protest the release of an individual is putting pressure on the courts and law enforcement, which is not the legal way and deviates from the principle of the rule of law,” Justice Minister Koeut Rith said.
He was responding to online comments by Kang expressing concern over the arrests, which have gathered pace since unionist Rong Chhun was detained almost a month ago for alleging border infringements by the Vietnamese along Cambodia’s eastern frontier.
