Mon the 6th Waning Moon of Assayuja B.E.2559, November 2, A.D.2015 Year of the Goat
Courtesy the UN

The regional trade and investment flows in Asia and the Pacific is decelerating as the economies in the region adjust to cyclical and structural changes resulting from the global economic downturn and the expected reduction in China’s growth rate, says a new United Nations report launched today.

Trade in Cambodia’s ports: products from Viet Nam arrive at the Phnom Penh Autonomous port in Kandal province. Photo: World Bank/Chhor Sokunthea

However, the Asia-Pacific Trade and Investment Report 2015, compiled by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific(ESCAP), said that the Asia-Pacific remains the most dynamic region of the global economy and will continue to hold its position as the largest trading region in the world.

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ស្ថានទូតសហរដ្ឋអាមេរិក ថ្កោលទោសការប្រព្រឹត្តិអំពើហឹង្សាទៅលើសមាជិកសភា ២រូប របស់គណបក្សសង្គ្រោះជាតិ
The US Embassy condemns the violence perpetrated upon the two CNRP lawmakers
Tue the 15th Waxing Moon of Assayuja B.E.2559, October 27, A.D.2015 Year of the Goat

U.S. Embassy Statement on Reports of Violence at National Assembly (English below)

ស្ថានទូតសហរដ្ឋអាមេរិកបានដឹងថា អ្នកនយោបាយ ២ រូបមកពីគណបក្សសង្គ្រោះជាតិកម្ពុជា បានរងការវាយដំ នៅក្រៅវិមានរដ្ឋសភា។ ការអនុវត្តសេរីភាពក្នុងការប្រមូលផ្តុំគ្នា និងសេរីភាពក្នុងការនិយាយស្តីមិនមែន
ជាហេតុផលត្រឹមត្រូវសម្រាប់ប្រព្រឹត្តអំពើហឹង្សាទេ ហើយយើងសូមថ្កោលទោសសកម្មភាពទាំងនេះ។ យើងសូមអំពាវនាវឱ្យអាជ្ញាធរធ្វើការស៊ើបអង្កេតឱ្យយបានពេញលេញ និងប្រកបដោយតម្លាភាពទៅលើ
ការវាយដំទាំងនេះ ដើម្បីរក្សារបៀបរៀបរយ នៅរដ្ឋសភាជាតិ និងដើម្បីធានាសុវត្ថិភាពរបស់អ្នកនយោបាយ
ពីគ្រប់គណបក្សទាំងអស់។

The US Embassy is aware of reports that two Cambodian National Rescue Party politicians were assaulted outside of the National Assembly. Exercising the freedoms of assembly and speech do not justify violence and we condemn these actions. We call on the authorities to carry out a thorough and transparent investigation into these attacks, to maintain order at the National Assembly, and to ensure the safety of politicians from all parties.

Tue the 15th Waxing Moon of Assayuja B.E.2559, October 27, A.D.2015 Year of the Goat
Courtesy USCIRF

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 21, 2015

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) welcomed the October 14 release by the U.S. State Department of its International Religious Freedom Report (IRF Report) for 2014. The IRF Report is required by the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (IRFA), the same law that established USCIRF.

“The IRF Report is a comprehensive resource documenting religious freedom violations in almost 200 countries and territories and highlighting some of the thousands of prisoners of conscience who languish unjustly in prisons around the world solely because of their religion or belief,” said USCIRF Chairman Robert P. George. “We commend the State Department, particularly the Office of International Religious Freedom, led by Ambassador-at-Large David Saperstein, for the significant effort that went into compiling this report,” said Chairman George.

IRFA also requires the United States annually to designate as “countries of particular concern,” or CPCs, those governments that “engage in or tolerate” systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom, and to take action to encourage improvements in each CPC country. IRFA provides a range of options for such action, from bilateral agreements to sanctions. “Now that the IRF Report has been released, the next step is for the State Department to promptly designate the worst violators as CPCs and to leverage those designations to press for much-needed reforms in those countries,” said Chairman George.

In July 2014, the State Department designated nine nations as CPCs under IRFA: Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. USCIRF’s 2015 annual report, released in April, recommended that these countries be re-designated as CPCs, and also called for eight additional designations: Central African Republic, Egypt, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Syria, Tajikistan, and Vietnam.

“USCIRF urges the State Department to continue the current nine CPC designations,” said Chairman George. “We also urge the State Department to further expand its CPC list to reflect the severe violations occurring in other countries, such as Pakistan, which USCIRF has called the worst situation in the world for religious freedom for countries not currently designated by the U.S. government as CPCs,” said Chairman George. “The just-released IRF Report leaves no doubt that the egregious nature of the violations in Pakistan warrant a CPC designation,” continued Chairman George.
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ពិធីបុណ្យឈាបនកិច្ចលោក គិម ដេវីដ ជន្មាយុ ៥៥ឆ្នាំ
Funeral Service for the late Mr. David Kim, Age 55, Passed Away on OCT. 14, B.E.2559 A.D.2015
លោក គិម ដេវិដ ហៅគិម សាន ជន្មាយុ ៥៥ឆ្នាំ បានអនិច្ចកម្មនៅថ្ងៃពុធ ២កើត ខែអជ្សុជ ឆ្នាំមមែ សប្ដស័ក ព.ស.២៥៥៩ ត្រូវនឹងថ្ងៃទី១៤ ខែតុលា គ.ស.២០១៥ វេលម៉ោង ៥៣០នាទីល្ងាច ដោយរោគាព្យាធិ រដ្ឋម៉ាសាឈូសិត្ដស៍ សហរដ្ឋអាមេរិក។
Mon the 14th Waxing Moon of Assayuja B.E.2559, October 26, A.D.2015 Year of the Goat

ពិធីបុណ្យឈាបនកិច្ច បានប្រព្រឹត្ដទៅដូចនៅខាងក្រោម៖
ថ្ងៃសុក្រ ១១កើត ខែអជ្សុជ ឆ្នាំមមែ សប្ដស័ក ព.ស.២៥៥៩ ត្រូវនឹងថ្ងៃទី២៣ ខែតុលា គ.ស.២០១៥
ថ្ងៃសៅរ៍ ១២កើត ខែអជ្សុជ ឆ្នាំមមែ សប្ដស័ក ព.ស.២៥៥៩ ត្រូវនឹងថ្ងៃទី២៤ ខែតុលា គ.ស.២០១៥
ថ្ងៃចន្ទ ១4កើត ខែអជ្សុជ ឆ្នាំមមែ សប្ដស័ក ព.ស.២៥៥៩ ត្រូវនឹងថ្ងៃទី២៦ ខែតុលា គ.ស.២០១៥
លោក គិម ដេវីដ មានស្រុកកំណើតនៅភូមិសម្ដេច ឃុំសម្បួរ ស្រុកនិគមរួមខេត្ដ ខេត្ដព្រះត្រពាំង កម្ពុជាក្រោម។

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ចលនាជាសកល ដើម្បីសិទិ្ធមនុស្ស  Worldwide Movement for Human Rights  Mouvement mondial des droits humains
Mon the 14th Waxing Moon of Assayuja B.E.2559, October 26, A.D.2015 Year of the Goat

Open letter to French President François Hollande ahead of Prime Minister Hun Sen’s visit
23/10/2015

Open Letter

François Hollande
Élysée Palace
Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré
75008 Paris
France

Paris, 23 October 2015

Mr. President,

On the occasion of the upcoming visit to France by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, FIDH and its member organizations in Cambodia and France, the Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association (ADHOC), the Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights (LICADHO), and the French League for Human Rights (LDH), wish to convey their utmost concern over recent human rights violations in Cambodia.

Since July, authorities have arbitrarily detained and imprisoned four environmental rights defenders, 14 members and supporters of the opposition Cambodian National Rescue Party (CNRP), one senator from the opposition Sam Rainsy Party, two Buddhist monks, and one student. They have all been deprived of their liberty for merely exercising the rights guaranteed by international human rights instruments.

After a blatantly unfair trial, 11 of the 14 CNRP members and supporters were sentenced to prison terms ranging from seven to 20 years on charges relating to insurrection for participating in a demonstration calling for the respect of the right to freedom of peaceful assembly in Phnom Penh a year earlier. Senator Hong Sok Hour, who holds dual French-Cambodian citizenship, remains detained on various trumped-up and politically motivated charges after posting a video on Facebook that unbeknown to him contained images of an inaccurate reproduction of a historical document pertaining to the Vietnam-Cambodia border.

We urge you to call on Prime Minister Hun Sen to order the immediate and unconditional release of all 21 individuals incarcerated since July.

The drafting and the adoption of legislation that imposes significant limitations on the right to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and association are also of grave concern. The Law on Associations and Non-Governmental Organizations (LANGO), enacted in September after a secretive drafting process, has been widely condemned by Cambodian civil society for its unnecessary and arbitrarily enforceable restrictions on the activities of associations and NGOs. The government is currently drafting other equally restrictive laws, such as the Trade Union Law, the Cybercrime Law, and the Telecommunications Law. As in the case of the LANGO, this legislation is likely to be approved without adequate consultation from interested and affected stakeholders.

We call on you to demand the Cambodian government scrap these draft laws and encourage a more open, participatory, and inclusive legislative drafting process.

Today marks the anniversary of the Paris Peace Agreements, which France and Cambodia, along with 17 other states, signed in 1991. The Peace Agreements, which closed a tragic page of Cambodia’s recent history, declared that all persons in the country “shall enjoy the rights and freedoms embodied in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other relevant international human rights instruments.” Twenty-four years on, the human rights commitments spelled out in the Peace Agreements have all but evaporated.

France must be ready to publicly condemn the serious human rights violations occurring in Cambodia and show its support for the country’s dynamic and resilient civil society.

We encourage you to raise the above-mentioned issues in your dialogue with Prime Minister Hun Sen and demand that his administration respect, promote, and fulfill human rights principles in accordance with its international obligations and the numerous recommendations made by various human rights bodies of the United Nations.

We thank you for your attention on this important matter.

Sincerely,
Karim Lahidji. FIDH President
Thun Saray, ADHOC President
Naly Pilorge, LICADHO Director
Françoise Dumont, LDH President

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