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PRIME MINISTER LAUNCHES CRACKDOWN ON CRITICS

In what may be the most severe assault on dissent in Cambodia in years, Prime Minister Hun Sen has launched a crackdown on government critics, ordering the arrests of a prominent radio station director and several other civil society leaders, report the Cambodian Association for the Protection of Journalists (CAPJ), the Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA) Human Rights Watch, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and ARTICLE 19.

The crackdown began during Hun Sen's visit to Vietnam on 10-12 October 2005, where he signed a border agreement with Vietnamese authorities.

On 11 October, police officers arrested Mom Sonando, director of Beehive Radio FM 105, on defamation charges. He had aired an interview with a France-based Cambodian dissident who suggested that the border treaty allowed Vietnam to control Cambodian lands.

Sonando, 64, is currently being held at the Preysor Detention Center outside Phnom Penh, report CAPJ and SEAPA. He was questioned for two hours at Phnom Penh Municipality Court on 11 October.

Sonando is the third journalist to face government-initiated lawsuits in recent months, notes SEAPA.

Following his arrest, many of Cambodia's leading human rights advocates, trade union activists and opposition party members have fled the country or gone into hiding.

After his visit to Vietnam, Hun Sen threatened to prosecute anyone who alleges that he or the Cambodian government had "sold land" to Vietnam. He called such statements "acts of treason."

Authorities have since arrested Rong Chhun, a member of the Cambodia Watchdog Council, a non-governmental organisation that has criticised the border agreement, says Human Rights Watch. No arrest warrant was produced, but he was charged with defamation and incitement under articles 60 and 63 of the Cambodian penal code.

Under this law, individuals can be detained for up to six months pending trial, with no opportunity for posting bail. If convicted, Rong Chhun could be jailed for up to five years for incitement and one year for defamation, and be fined up to US$2,500.

Charges have also been laid against other members of the Cambodia Watchdog Council, including Chea Mony, President of the Free Trade Union Workers of the Kingdom of Cambodia, Ea Channa, representative of the Student's Movement for Democracy, and Men Nath, president of the Civil Servants Association.

IFJ says the government crackdown is creating a climate a fear among journalists in the country.

Visit these links:

- SEAPA: http://www.seapabkk.org/newdesign/newsdetail.php?No=402
- Human Rights Watch: http://hrw.org/english/docs/2005/10/18/cambod11892.htm
- IFJ: http://www.ifj-asia.org/page/cambodia051021.html
- Text of Hun Sen's Speech Defending Border Agreement: http://hrw.org/english/docs/2005/10/18/cambod11891.htm
- ARTICLE 19: http://www.article19.org
- Bee Hive Radio: http://www.sbk.com.kh/
- Radio Free Asia: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/politics/cambodia_sonando/
- Freedom House Report on Cambodia:
http://tinyurl.com/ca8wj
- IFEX Alerts on Cambodia: http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/146/