Paris Peace Agreement

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Posted by: | Posted on: April 29, 2017

Prisoners of conscience of human rights defenders got human rights awards

Op-Ed: www.martinalennalsaward.org & www.freethe5khmer.net

BIOGRAPHY

Mr Ny Sokha, Mr Yi Soksan, Mr Nay Vanda, Ms Lim Mony and Mr Ny Chakrya – also known as the “Khmer 5” – are five Cambodian human rights defenders who have been arbitrarily detained since 28 April 2016 as a result of their legitimate human rights work. The five human rights defenders have all been working in the field of human rights their entire lives, and together they have a long history of assisting victims of rights violations. They have taken leading advocacy roles, calling for the promotion and protection of human rights in Cambodia, and worked to empower thousands of Cambodians to actively defend their rights.

FreeThe5KhNy Sokha, Yi Soksan, Vanda and Lim Mony are all senior staff members of the Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association (“ADHOC”), a Cambodian human rights NGO. Ny Chakrya is a former ADHOC staff member, and is now the Deputy Secretary-General of Cambodia’s National Election Committee (“NEC”). He is the only independent and non-partisan member of the body, responsible for election monitoring and internal audits into allegations of election fraud. ADHOC was founded by a group of former political prisoners in 1991 and is one of the leading civil society organisations protecting and promoting human rights, rule of law and democracy in Cambodia. It has played a vital role in protecting destitute victims of egregious human rights abuses, among others by providing them with advice, legal and material support.

  • Ny Chakrya, before becoming the Deputy Secretary-General of the NEC, was the Head of ADHOC’s Human Rights and Monitoring section, where he focused on helping victims of rights abuses.
  • Yi Soksan, a Senior Investigator is a specialist in investigating violations of land and natural resources rights, one of the most challenging and widespread human rights violations in Cambodia. He has devoted his life to promotion and protection of human rights for more than 20 years and started volunteering at ADHOC in 1991, the year it was founded.
  • Lim Mony has been working to protect women’s and children’s rights in Cambodia since she started working at ADHOC in 1994. Before her arbitrary detention, she was a Senior Investigator, assisting women and girls that fell victim to gender-based violence, in particular rape and domestic violence, or that became a victim of human trafficking. She was responsible for investigating violations of women’s and children’s rights throughout Cambodia.
  • Nay Vanda joined ADHOC in 2008 after leaving a career in politics to devote his life to civil society and protecting human rights in his home country. He maintained ADHOC’s local network with other civil society stakeholders, represented Cambodian civil society on a regional level and advocated for Cambodian human rights issues in ASEAN-related forums.
  • Ny Sokha has been with ADHOC since 1992. At the time of Cambodia’s first United Nations-backed democratic election in 1993 he worked with ADHOC in all parts of Cambodia, managed ADHOC’s alternative dispute resolution programme, and was the Head of the Human Rights Section before his detention. Their years of service demonstrate integrity and commitment in the defence of the human rights enshrined in international human rights law and Cambodia’s Constitution and are an impressive example of the valuable work of human rights defenders all over Cambodia.

The detention of the five human rights defenders comes in the context of an increasingly severe crackdown on civil society and the political opposition in Cambodia, with many individuals facing arrest and prosecution as a result of their work. The five had collectively worked on the case of Ms Khom Chandaraty, a woman alleged to have had an extra-marital relationship with Kem Sokha, then the acting leader of Cambodia’s largest opposition party. Since April 2016 Kem Sokha has been under investigation by Cambodia’s Anti-Corruption Unit (“ACU“) for involvement in prostitution, after leaked telephone conversations appeared to reveal a relationship with Khom Chandaraty. The ACU’s zealous pursuit of the case against Kem Sokha has met with significant criticism, including, for example, from four UN Special Rapporteurs, who noted that elements of the case “suggest that this entire episode is nothing more than a politically‐motivated persecution of civil society.“ In their roles at ADHOC, the five provided legitimate and routine legal and material assistance to Chandaraty, who had approached ADHOC for support upon being subject to investigation by the Antiterrorism Unit of the Ministry of Interior and later the Prosecutor of the Phnom Penh Municipal Court as a result of the alleged affair and the leaked audio recording on her Facebook profile page. After changing her narrative from denying the alleged affair to admitting she had indeed engaged in an extra-marital relationship with Kem Sokha, on 22 April 2016, Khom Chandaraty alleged in an open letter that the five had convinced her to lie in the course of investigations.

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Posted by: | Posted on: November 7, 2016

The CEROC commemorated 25 years of Paris Peace Agreement and appealed the rights to vote

Op-Ed: The CEROC

Political Paradigm of Pragmatism from the Khmer Youth part 83

២៥ ឆ្នាំកន្លងមកនេះដែលប្រជាពលរដ្ឋខ្មែរនៅក្រៅប្រទេសត្រូវបានគេដកហូតសិទ្ធិចូលរួមបោះឆ្នោតទាំងស្រុង។ អ៑ុនតាក់បានរៀបចំអោយពលរដ្ឋខ្មែរនៅក្រៅមានសិទ្ធិបោះឆ្នោត ប៉ុន្តែរាប់ចាប់តាំងពីឆ្នាំ១៩៩៨រៀងមក គជបដែលគេមើលឃើញថាមិនមានសមត្ថភាពនិងពោរពេញដោយភាពលំអៀង មិនសំរួលអោយខ្មែរនៅក្រៅប្រទេសបានបោះឆ្នោតទេ។ ក្នុងរដូវកាលនៃការចុះឈ្មោះបោះឆ្នោតសព្វថ្ងៃ ក៏មិនបានសំរួលអោយខ្មែរនៅក្រៅប្រទេសបានចូលរួមផងដែរ។

តើនេះជាការរំលោភសិទ្ធិពលរដ្ឋខ្មែរនៅក្រៅប្រទេសឬទេ? តើពលរដ្ឋខ្មែរដែលនៅក្រៅប្រទេសជាម្ចាស់ឆ្នោតនោះ គួរធ្វើយ៉ាងណា?

cropped-Janet-and-LP-1.jpg25 years has been passed that Cambodians overseas have been deprived full rights to vote in Cambodia elections. UNTAC allowed Cambodians overseas to vote, but after 1998, the new established NEC who were full of incompetency and bias didn’t allow Cambodians overseas to vote. During this season of voters registration, NEC has not facilitated for accessibility of Cambodians overseas to register vote-name.

Is this a grave violation over rights of Cambodians overseas? And Cambodians overseas who are the owner of this right should do what next?

Posted by: | Posted on: October 21, 2016

You are cordially invited to join the Paris Peace Agreement commemoration

This slide pictograph is clear enough for the failure to comply by as well as to implement the Paris Peace Agreement. Courtesy of Dr. Lao Mong Hay

This slide pictograph is clear enough for the failure to comply with as well as to implement the Paris Peace Agreement. Courtesy of Dr. Lao Mong Hay

PPAReading view of French Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault urged Cambodia to pursue governance that respects the rule of law, multiparty democracy and human rights as well as paper produced by Lok Sivhuoch and Joakim, and Phnom Penh Post, Paris Peace Agreement has been used to advance rule by law or rule by man, not rule of law, at all.

Through my personal observation, PPA has been impregnably manipulated by both UNTAC and Cambodia government.
  1. Government-led party CPP has not framed PPA as its core policy to produce great legacy for its effort in nation-state building at all. Sometime, the party valued it, but sometime not, and sometime take it half by leaving other half to limbo. Today, MOFAIC has taken great initiative to commemorate the day of this 25 years anniversary while the implementation especially from PM’s Cabinet is widely in contrast.
  2. Minister Prak Sokhon stressed that PPA has already been inscribed within the Constitution. With this argument, I believe, government is testing the ingenuity of the agreement rather than opening heart to expand the spirit of PPA. This matter, I am wondering why the party is regressing PPA?
  3. PPA’s goal is to bring about sustainable development, in which it is in contrast to PM’s view as well as view of head of government’s HRC, to maintain Cambodia in a pace of peace so that this country can build human rights. I think this argument is absolutely regressing PPA’s spirit and politicians are lying to themselves in front of well-informed citizens.
  4. Not to mention many loopholes to uphold PPA, the National Election Body which is a key factor to guarantee democracy and will of the people, the NEC that was created since 1998 and afterward, has been absolutely viewed as unprofessional, exclusive and controlled by the government-led party. Thus, I am concerned on CPP’s policy to exclude diaspora Cambodians by banning them from joining the elections. This effort is contradictory to the 1993 election monitored by UNTAC which allowed voters registration and voting participation of diasporic Cambodians.

This link is very extensive articulation on Paris Peace Agreement that readers should learn something new.

25-years-anniversary-of-ppa 25-th-1991-2016-ppa-sophoans-poster

Posted by: | Posted on: October 27, 2014

Extensive Paris Peace Agreement Analysis by CMN Radio

PPAWhat is the Paris Peace Agreement, its remarkable history, and where is it about?

Mrs. Moeung Tum of CMN Radio discussed in details with the analysis by Sophoan Seng, Dr. Duch Rasy, Dr. Dy Kareth, and Dr. Kuch Chanly. The live broadcasting is from part 1 to part 5 broadcasted on 23-24-25-26-27 October, 2014.

Beside of the 18 signatory countries who were party of the Accord, the present Cambodian government, Republic of Vietnam and Kingdom of Thailand who were party of this agreement have continued to violate this agreement, how are full meaning and stipulations of the Paris Peace Agreement mandated?

Although Paris Peace Agreement is the modern hope for Cambodian people, but the government has not complied by this agreement. Is PPA still valid or invalid? What are gross violations on the Paris Peace Agreement?

These 23 years of the Paris Peace Agreement has remained important for Cambodia at the present and the future especially in term of democratization, sustainable development, rule of laws and sovereignty independence etc.


Last chapter details on what Cambodia can move on, on what principles?