Group Says Cambodia Should Reflect After Failed UN Seat Bid

The Paris-based International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) issued a statement on Friday praising the U.N. General Assembly for not voting in favor of Cambodia during its bid for a non-permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council. U.N. member states cast their votes on Thursday in New York in two rounds of voting when the first failed to give any of the Asia-Pacific candidates- Bhutan  Cambodia and South Korea- the required two-thirds majority to win the seat. In the second round South Korea secured 149 votes, while Cambodia got just 43 for the Asia-Pacific. “U.N. Member States made the right decision not to bestow international legitimacy on Cambodia at a time when its human rights record is at the bottom of the heap in Asia,” FIDH regional representative Shiwei Ye said in the statement. … Council of Ministers spokesman Phay Siphan said he was unperturbed by the result, and wished South Korea the best as it took up its new role on the Security Council. …