Government Pushes Ahead With NGO Law
After nearly two years of silence on its draft NGO Law, the Ministry of Interior on Sunday said it was aiming to have the highly contentious piece of legislation ready for the Council of Ministers early next year and voted on by July. Meas Sarim, deputy director-general of the Interior Ministry’s local administration department, said they also hope to consult once again with NGOs about the bill before it reaches the Council of Ministers. ... Asked when the bill would reach the Council, Mr. Sarim replied, “Probably 2014, in the first quarter of the year, and in the first half of the year we will pass the law.” The Law on Associations and Non-Governmental Organizations would require NGOs to register with the government in order to have legal standing, set minimum conditions for who can form such groups and require them to file reports on their activities and finances each year. ... On Sunday, Mr. Sarim of the Interior Ministry said the government still needed the law to ensure that NGOs followed relevant rules and regulations and to keep track of the thousands of nongovernmental groups at work in the country. “Previously some NGOs did not follow the Interior Ministry’s regulations,” he said. “Some NGOs were operating but did not inform the ministry of their activities. If the ministry doesn’t know of their activity, the ministry cannot manage them.” ...
Phorn Bopha and Zsombor Peter
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/government-pushes-ahead-with-ngo-law-48245/
