Mixed message to UN
A call for the Cambodian government to lift its controversial ban on public assembly is among 34 such recommendations it has chosen to defer in the wake of last week’s second Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of its human rights situation.
The UN on Saturday released a list of the 206 recommendations made by UN member states at a three-plus-hour meeting in Geneva.
Unlike in 2009, when Cambodia accepted all 91 human rights recommendations, the government accepted only 172 this year, choosing to defer its position on a number of hot-button issues, and sending a seemingly mixed message on the tack the country plans to take on human rights over the next four years. …
The government also notably deferred recommendations to reform media ownership, a topic that has come to the fore recently with independent radio broadcaster Mam Sonando’s thwarted efforts to obtain a licence for a TV station.
Cambodia likewise deferred a recommendation to investigate the killing of protesters on January 3, prompting concerns and speculation that the government may be paying closer attention to the commitments it makes on the world stage. …
Stuart White
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/mixed-message-un
