Mu Sochua
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SENATOR MARKEY, SENATOR WARREN, AND REP. TRAHAN DEMAND CAMBODIAN GOVERNMENT RESPECT HUMAN RIGHTS AND RULE OF LAW
JANUARY 13, 2021, Op-Ed: Senator Edward J. Markey
សមាជិកព្រឹទ្ធសភា Markey សមាជិកព្រឹទ្ធសភា Warren និង Rep Trahan មានប្រសាសន៍ថា“ យុទ្ធនាការរបស់លោកនាយករដ្ឋមន្រ្តីហ៊ុនសែនដើម្បីបំបិទសំឡេងគូប្រជែងនយោបាយរបស់គាត់ដោយបដិសេធពួកគេនូវសិទ្ធិការពារខ្លួននៅក្នុងតុលាការ បង្ហាញពីការស្អប់ខ្ពើមចំពោះនីតិរដ្ឋ” ។ “ ការធ្វើសាវនាការតុលាការកង់គូរូដើម្បីដាក់ទោសអ្នករិះគន់ចំពោះការប្រឆាំងជំទាស់របស់ពួកគេរួមជាមួយការវាយប្រហារជាបន្តបន្ទាប់របស់គាត់លើសារព័ត៌មាននិងសង្គមស៊ីវិលគឺជាការឆ្លុះបញ្ចាំងពីភាពទន់ខ្សោយដែលកំពុងកើនឡើងរបស់លោកហ៊ុនសែន នោះមិនមែនជាកម្លាំងទេ។ យើងសូមអំពាវនាវដល់រដ្ឋាភិបាលកម្ពុជាអនុញ្ញាតឱ្យបុគ្គលណាដែលប្រឈមនឹងការចោទប្រកាន់របស់តុលាការ ត្រឡប់មកប្រទេសកម្ពុជាដោយសុវត្ថិភាពដើម្បីចូលរួមក្នុងការតវ៉ាផ្ទាល់ខ្លួន ទោះយ៉ាងណាក៏ដោយវាច្បាស់ណាស់ថាការកាត់ក្តីទាំងនេះគឺមានហេតុផលនយោបាយ ហើយកំពុងដំណើរការនៅក្រៅប្រព័ន្ធច្បាប់។ ច្បាប់លទ្ធិប្រជាធិបតេយ្យនៅកម្ពុជាផ្ញើសារយ៉ាងច្បាស់ថាសភាសហរដ្ឋអាមេរិកមានបំណងជួយប្រជាពលរដ្ឋកម្ពុជាអោយទទួលបានតាមការសន្យានៃកិច្ចព្រមព្រៀងសន្តិភាពទីក្រុងប៉ារីសកាលពីជំនាន់មុន ដូច្នេះពួកគេអាចចូលរួមដោយសេរីនៅក្នុងរដ្ឋាភិបាលរបស់ពួកគេ។ យើងគួរតែអនុម័តច្បាប់នោះអោយខាងតែបាន។
Massachusetts lawmakers condemn Hun Sen’s crackdown and political charges against Members of Cambodia’s leading opposition political party
Washington (January 13, 2021) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), lead Democrat on the East Asia Subcommittee of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Congresswoman Lori Trahan (MA-03) released a statement in response to the scheduled January 14, 2021 trial of prominent political opposition leaders in Cambodia. The Government of Cambodia, led by Prime Minister Hun Sen, announced last year their intention to try dozens of activists belonging to the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), the country’s main opposition party which was outlawed in 2017, sending many of its leaders into exile. Trials against some of the activists are scheduled to begin this week, while many are prevented from entering Cambodia to participate in their own defense.
“Prime Minister Hun Sen’s campaign to silence his political opponents by denying them the right to defend themselves in court reveals disdain for the rule of law,” said Senator Markey, Senator Warren, and Rep. Trahan. “Convening a kangaroo court to punish his critics for their opposition, along with his continued attacks on the press and civil-society, is a reflection of Hun Sen’s growing weakness, not strength. We call upon the Government of Cambodia to allow any individuals facing charges to return safely to Cambodia to participate in their own trials. However, it is clear that these trials are politically motivated and are operating outside the rule of law. The Cambodia Democracy Act sends the clear message that the U.S. Congress intends to help the Cambodian people deliver on the promise of the Paris Peace Agreements of a generation ago so they can participate freely in their government. We should pass that legislation.”
On January 14, 2021, Cambodia’s Phnom Penh Municipal Court will reportedly try 47 CNRP activists and officials, including Acting CNRP President Sam Rainsy, who lives in exile abroad, and others linked to politically-motivated charges of trying to organize protests against and overthrow the government of Hun Sen. The government has also failed to offer credible evidence to support charges of treason against Kem Sokha, CNRP President, for allegedly attempting to overthrow the Cambodian People’s Party. The Government of Cambodia has failed to issue passports and visas for opposition leaders and activists charged, making it unlikely they will be to answer their court summons in person. In 2020, Senator Markey introduced the Cambodia Democracy Act, in response to the deteriorating human rights and democracy situation in Cambodia.###
Mu Sochua: A Cambodian Aung San Suu Kyi
Reading this latest article by Elizabeth Becker, a well-known journalist and author on Cambodia, Mu Sochua is considered the most outspoken woman for Cambodian women. With her decades of social activism and politician professional, Madame Sochua has sharply faced off with patriarchal society of Cambodia under dictatorship leadership so-called “strongman Hun Sen”. The plight of Cambodia has been known to the outside world by the Angkor the Great and the Pol Pot the Genocidal, while the in-between this two dichotomy is the flip-flip, deceitful, tactical, corrupt, dictatorial, and irrational leadership of Hun Sen.
Madame Sochua is among those survivals from the killing field of Pol Pot who have been embedded by the strongest mindset and determination to bring about hopes and smiles to Cambodians and their children through the pathway of democracy and human rights. She is determined to follow struggling model of Burmeses civic rights Aung San Suu Kyi. Once, she was proposed for Nobel Peace Prize nomination. Cambodian people and many journalists had keenly named her “Cambodian Aung San Suu Kyi”.
Aung San Suu Kyi accepted to stay in house arrest by rejecting Burmese junta suppressed her to living in self-exile. Her optimism and pragmatism have resulted in power sharing with the Junta through a model the Western world called “gradual but pragmatic democratization of Myanmar”. First, she was a Nobel Peace Prize candidate, but it has been discarded later when she is blamed for joining hand with the Junta to discriminate against Rohingya muslim minority; and she has been named “from peace icon to pariah”. Thus, her recent victory over the Junta under her leadership of National League for Democracy (NLD) party, is a testimony of her “optimism and pragmatism” yielding through her decades of judicial struggle against the Junta. During her time under house arrest, Aung San Suu Kyi devoted herself to Buddhist meditation practices and to studying Buddhist thought. This deeper interest in Buddhism is reflected in her writings as more emphasis is put on love and compassion.
According to Elizabeth Becker “Sochua is a reminder of the unbearable personal sacrifices required to protect and promote democracy in this age of brutal tyrants, especially for women” and her devotion to return back to Cambodia in November 9, 2019 of Cambodia Independence Day, was a reality. She has never given up to return back to Cambodia. Her age is rolling up with her strength in determination, devotion, and dedication. Her bogus charges by the Deputy Persecutor Seng Heang of “inciting to commit a felony and plotting” was set to trial this November 26, 2020 but adjourned to January and March, 2021, among those 150 people as en mass trial by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court. Mu Sochua has determined to go back on time but due to entering ban by Hun Sen government, she missed this first trial while a lawyer worked on her behalf. But the next hearing, she is certainly present at the Court.
She is loyal to Sam Rainsy and all CNRP leaders who have fresh and collective mindset to “make Cambodia better” through pathway of genuine democracy, the rule of laws, social justice, and human rights. She and her colleagues shall be in Cambodia this January the latest the world must keep eyes on!
Questions over Rainsy’s Cambodia return after deputy turned back
“That Thai wall obstructing his return could enhance further Sam Rainsy’s stature and popularity just as Iranian political and cleric Ayatollah Khomeini gained while in exile in France before returning triumphantly in 1979,” Mong Hay said, adding that Rainsy remained a “phenomenon” and a “force to reckon with” for Hun Sen.
Questions over Rainsy’s Cambodia return after deputy turned back
Thailand denied entry to Mu Sochua, raising doubts about plan for opposition leaders to take land route back home.by Andrew Nachemson19 hours ag
Phnom Penh, Cambodia – The deputy leader of Cambodia’s opposition party has been denied entry to Thailand, casting doubt on party leader Sam Rainsy’s pledge to return from exile in Paris in early November.
Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) Vice-President Mu Sochua was denied entry in Bangkok on October 20 and sent back to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. From there, she headed to the United States, where she is also a citizen.
“I made it all the way to the biometrics, the fingerprint. The guy looked at the screen, then looked at me and pushed a button. And I knew that was it,” Sochua said in an interview with Al Jazeera.
Sochua said the immigration officials who detained her were “extremely polite”.
Thai immigration authorities did not respond to requests for comment, but a document viewed by Al Jazeera showed that Sochua was rejected for “having behaviour which (was) possibly harmful” to Thai society.
CNRP President Kem Sokha was arrested for treason in September 2017, and Sochua fled the country the following month. By November the party was dissolved entirely, allowing long-time Prime Minister Hun Sen to claim all 125 parliament seats in last year’s election.
| Cambodia’s exiled former opposition leader calls for uprising |
Sochua and CNRP co-founder Sam Rainsy – who has remained abroad since 2015 to avoid charges – pledged to return to Cambodia by land on November 9. They said they would rally thousands of supportive Cambodian migrant workers to come from Thailand with them.
It is the third time this year Rainsy has set a deadline for his return, and the government has responded by arresting dozens of supporters across the country, accusing them of plotting a coup. Hun Sen has also threatened to deploy the armed forces.
‘Thai wall’
A spokesman for Cambodia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs told pro-government media Sochua was “blacklisted” from Thailand after the Cambodian government claimed it would issue arrest warrants to all ASEAN countries.
Veteran political analyst Lao Mong Hay said that with Sochua denied entry, Rainsy risked arrest and extradition if he tried to enter Thailand.
Mong Hay said Rainsy’s pledge to involve Thai-based migrant workers may have forced the Thai government’s hand.
“Hun Sen would be satisfied by that much cooperation from Thailand while it can ensure no disruption to Cambodian labour employed in its economy,” Mong Hay said.
However, Mong Hay said Rainsy’s inability to enter the country could actually help him.
“That Thai wall obstructing his return could enhance further Sam Rainsy’s stature and popularity just as Iranian political and cleric Ayatollah Khomeini gained while in exile in France before returning triumphantly in 1979,” Mong Hay said, adding that Rainsy remained a “phenomenon” and a “force to reckon with” for Hun Sen.
Ear Sophal, a Cambodian-American associate professor of diplomacy and world affairs at Occidental College, agreed that any reputational damage to Rainsy would be minimised if he genuinely tried to return.
“He’s got to get close and he gets an A for effort at least,” Sophal said via email.
Read More …RCAF role is to protect the Cambodian people
RCAF role is to protect the Cambodian people
In all democratic nations, military expenditures, which include current and capital expenditures for the armed forces, derive from the national budget for the central government.
Such budget is approved by parliament for the national institution in charge of defending the nation’s territory and sovereignty – the Ministry of Defence.
In all democratic nations, the national armed forces serve the people.
The full allegiance of the armed forces goes to the nation, not to a group, a political, party nor a person.
The men and women who serve the armed forces of a democratic nation are well equipped, fit, paid and trained for military operations.
Their well being and the well being of their family members during the time of service and their pensions for retirement or disability and medical care should be the responsibility of the government in honour of their service to the nation.
That honour is also bestowed upon the service men and women by the people.
The Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) is the only army to defend the Kingdom of Cambodia with His Majesty the King as its Supreme Commander according to Article 23 of the Constitution.
For these reasons, it is not acceptable for the Minister of Defence of the Kingdom of Cambodia to solicit private donations from companies to support the armed forces’ increased salaries, food and military supplies.
It is truly alarming to hear the Minister of Defence announce at a workshop recently held at the Council of Ministers that past private donations were spent on purchases of arms.
It should also be noted that at the same meeting, the deputy commander of RCAF, four-star General Chea Dara claimed that “ the army belongs to the Cambodian People’s Party”.