Rights Situation Improving: Senior Adviser

Om Yentieng, senior adviser to Prime Minister Hun Sen, speaking as a guest on 'Hello VOA' Thursday.

By Kong Sothanarith, VOA Khmer
Phnom Penh

Contrary to recent reports, Cambodia’s human rights situation is getting better, a top government official said Thursday.

“Human rights have improved each decade,” said Om Yentieng, who is a senior adviser to Prime Minister Hun Sen and head of Cambodia’s Human Rights Committee. “We not actually equality before the law, press freedom, no more abuse [of prisoners] in detention, and all NGOs can execute their activities.”

The government continually faces criticism of its human rights record, including the condition of its prisons, biased courts, land thefts from powerful officials or the military and other alleged rights violations.

But speaking as a guest on “Hello VOA” Thursday, Om Yentieng said there were now “too many reports related to the human rights situation in Cambodia.”

The reports from different organizations were conflicting and do not give a proper picture of the situation, he said.

While the government continues to struggle with some human rights issues, he said, “each person can evaluate the situation by his or her own view.”