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SRP-USA/Canada: P.O. Box 2067 * Lowell, MA 01851 * info@srpusa.org * www.srpusa.org
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Tuesday, 28 Oct 2003 Mr. President, I want to take a brief moment to draw the attention of my colleagues to the situation in Cambodia, and in particular to the continued courage and determination of the Alliance of Democrats. The Alliance - which consists of the opposition Sam Rainsy Party and the royalist FUNCINPEC party - has taken a bold stand for freedom in Cambodia in the wake of flawed parliamentary elections last July. Despite intimidation and pressure from the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP), the Alliance is refusing to enter into a coalition government that is led Prime Minister Hun Sen - himself an enemy of democracy and justice. Having met with Alliance leaders in Washington not too long ago - and having personally traveled to Cambodia in 1998 - I can appreciate their refusal to allow Hun Sen to continue to mislead that country. In the past, senior Alliance leaders have been targets of assassination attempts, a bloody coup d'etat staged by the CPP, and imprisonment and political exile. Under Hun Sen's misrule, terrorists, criminal triads and pederasts find a haven in Cambodia. Corruption is the norm in that country, as are politically motivated killings. It might interest my colleagues to know that there have been two high profile shootings in Phnom Penh over the past several weeks - both victims being affiliated with the FUNCINPEC party. Reporter Chour Chetharith was murdered outside the Ta Prohm radio station. According to press reports, the "execution-style killing followed a warning by Prime Minister Hun Sen... that Ta Prohm should stop broadcasting programs critical of his speeches." Pop singer Touch Sunnich was shot a few short days ago - her only crime apparently being a supporter of non-CPP party. My heart goes out to these victims and their families. It is not enough for the diplomatic community to condemn this killing. It is past time that someone is held accountable for all the lawlessness, violence, and corruption that unfortunately has become the norm in Cambodia. I would offer to my colleagues that the Alliance is trying to do just that by holding Hun Sen accountable - and they deserve the full backing and support of the international community. Let me close by expressing my great disappointment with the U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh. Recently, they issued a visa to travel to the United States to a notorious human rights abuser and gangster in Cambodia - Chief of the National Police Hok Lundy. Why the Embassy would issue a visa to someone considered by many of his own compatriots to be a terrorist is beyond me. It is no understatement that Hok Lundy is the Li Peng of Cambodia - and should be held accountable for the violence following the 1998 elections.
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