Activists Say Human Rights Delegate Lied to United Nations

Mak Sambath, deputy chairman of the government’s Human Rights Committee, came under fire Monday from activists who accused him of lying to the U.N. in Geneva regarding land issues and the displacement of affected people. The criticism of Mr. Sambath’s report to the U.N.’s Human Rights Council last week came at a cursing ceremony held in Boeng Kak and attended by about 50 activists from the Borei Keila and Boeng Kak communities. Mr. Sambath—who led the Cambodian delegation for last week’s periodic review of Cambodia’s human rights situation—told the Council that in cases when the government was unable to solve disputes, the villagers were to blame for inflating their numbers in order to be granted more land. … “We regret that Mok Sambath accused us and twisted things to the international community,” said leading Boeng Kak activist Tep Vanny, who was also in Geneva last week to highlight Cambodian land issues in tandem with the hearing. … Reached by telephone, Mr. Sambath stuck by his statements to the U.N. “I have already spoken to the U.N.—we have shown it clearly there,” he said. “We reported about the human rights our government has achieved.” …

 Mech Dara
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