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[Associated Press]
MATTHEW PENNINGTON
Published: Yesterday
WASHINGTON (AP) - The United States is urging Cambodia to allow diverse participation in next year's general elections and release women imprisoned last month for protesting a property development.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton met Tuesday with Cambodia Foreign Minister Hor Namhong in Washington.
This year, Cambodia is the rotating chairman of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, a regional grouping that Washington wants to engage with more vigor as it steps up its diplomatic and security presence in the Asia-Pacific.
State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said Wednesday that Clinton discussed with Hor Namhong the importance of "appropriate participation across the political spectrum" in the 2013 elections.
But Nuland said it was "an issue for the Cambodians" whether opposition leader Sam Rainsy be allowed to take part in the vote. Rainsy is living in exile in France following 2010 convictions in Cambodia he claims were politically motivated.
Prime Minister Hun Sen has dominated the Southeast Asian nation for nearly three decades. Rights groups accuse him of squelching dissent and intimidating political opponents.
Last month, 13 women including one aged 72, were sentenced by a Phnom Penh court to two-and-a-half years in prison for protesting their eviction from the land where their homes once stood - a case viewed as emblematic of a broader problem of forcible evictions of poor Cambodians to make way for property development in its fast-growing economy.
Their houses were demolished in 2010 to make way for a Chinese company's development of a hotel, office buildings and luxury houses in Phnom Penh's Boueng Kak lake area. They were found guilty of aggravated rebellion and illegal occupation after attempting to reconstruct their homes. Four have reportedly begun a hunger strike in prison.
Nuland said Clinton urged Cambodia grant the detainees due process, and noted their release "would be a sign of support for freedom of expression."
© 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
[Associated Press]
MATTHEW PENNINGTON
Published: Yesterday
WASHINGTON (AP) - The United States is urging Cambodia to allow diverse participation in next year's general elections and release women imprisoned last month for protesting a property development.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton met Tuesday with Cambodia Foreign Minister Hor Namhong in Washington.
This year, Cambodia is the rotating chairman of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, a regional grouping that Washington wants to engage with more vigor as it steps up its diplomatic and security presence in the Asia-Pacific.
State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said Wednesday that Clinton discussed with Hor Namhong the importance of "appropriate participation across the political spectrum" in the 2013 elections.
But Nuland said it was "an issue for the Cambodians" whether opposition leader Sam Rainsy be allowed to take part in the vote. Rainsy is living in exile in France following 2010 convictions in Cambodia he claims were politically motivated.
Prime Minister Hun Sen has dominated the Southeast Asian nation for nearly three decades. Rights groups accuse him of squelching dissent and intimidating political opponents.
Last month, 13 women including one aged 72, were sentenced by a Phnom Penh court to two-and-a-half years in prison for protesting their eviction from the land where their homes once stood - a case viewed as emblematic of a broader problem of forcible evictions of poor Cambodians to make way for property development in its fast-growing economy.
Their houses were demolished in 2010 to make way for a Chinese company's development of a hotel, office buildings and luxury houses in Phnom Penh's Boueng Kak lake area. They were found guilty of aggravated rebellion and illegal occupation after attempting to reconstruct their homes. Four have reportedly begun a hunger strike in prison.
Nuland said Clinton urged Cambodia grant the detainees due process, and noted their release "would be a sign of support for freedom of expression."
© 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
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