via CAAI News Media
Monday, 22 March 2010 11:34 DAP-NEWS/ Ek Madra
PHNOM PENH, March 22 - The European delegation and the World Bank official are pleased with the Cambodia passed the anti-corruption law last week and said they will continue support the Kingdom for development. At the same time, UN team in Cambodia viewed it contrast but was rejected by Cambodia.
German Wenmer Langen, Chairman, Committee on Economic & Monetary Affairs told Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sok An in a separate bilateral meeting that EU is satisfied with the country’s progresses especially the country’s adoption of the anti-corruption law.
“There have been lots of progresses in Cambodia and European Union will continue support the democratic process in Cambodia,” Langen said in a bilateral meeting with Sok An.
Langen said among the progresses are in the areas of human right, good governance, freedom of expression and fighting against corruption.
“EU and EU parliament stands ready to offer assistance for Cambodia,” Langen, who led 11 EU officials met with Sok An, said in the meeting.
In a separate meeting late Friday with Sok An and the World Bank officials are also pleased with the Cambodia’s passing the anti-corruption law.
James Adams, World Bank’s Vice President, was very surprised once he was informed by Sok An that the anti-corruption law was passed.
“Very good,” Adams told Sok An in the meeting.
“I very much appreciated with that. I never get skeptical with that,” Adams said of the draft law.
“The government is serious about the issue of fighting against corruption,” he said.
Dr. Sok An said that Cambodia has taken the issue of fighting against corruption seriously and he compared the country’s graft to the iron rust beneath the ship.
“We have to get rid of the iron rust beneath the ship or the ship will be sunk as a result of the iron rust damages the ship deck,” Sok An told the European delegation.
The UN Team in Cambodia (UNTC) clashed with Cambodia over the UN’s criticism about anti-corruption law.
Cambodia threatened at the weekend to expel UN Resident Coordinator, Douglas Broderick, for his team’s comment about the draft law.
Hor Namhong, foreign minister and also deputy prime minister, wrote Broderick that he would be expelled if his UN team is to make any further public statements that can be considered as interference of Cambodian internal affairs.
Hor Namhong wrote to Broderick on March 20 that “any further repetition of such a behavior would compel the Royal Government of Cambodia to resort to a “Persona non grata’decision.”
Foreign Ministry’s spokesman Koy Kong said “this not mean Cambodia is threatening the UN operations in Cambodia, but we want Douglas Broderick to perform his duty within his UN mandate.”
UN Team in Cambodia (UNTC), who said in a released March 10, that the Cambodia’s anti-corruption law should not have been brought for debating and approved quickly by the National Assembly given the draft law was released to the public just days before the legislative body convened.
“The draft Anti-Corruption law should undergo a transparent and participatory consultation process to ensure that it is consistent with international standards as required by the Constitution and contain sufficient safeguards to protect the rights and duties of Cambodian people who will be the ultimate beneficiaries of this law,” said the UNTC release.
Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong stated in his letter on Saturday that Vijay Nambiar, Chief of the Cabinet of the UN Secretary General, told Cambodian permanent representative on Friday at the UN in New York that the world body did not instruct the UNTC to issue any statement about the Cambodian anti-corruption law.
Hor Namhong stated in the letter said: “Therefore, as stated by the spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation on 12 March, 2010, the United Nations Country Team had exceeded the limit of its mandate.”
The anti-corruption law was approved by the Cambodian Senate last Friday just days after the National Assembly approved.
Also, European delegation listened attentively to Dr. Sok An who explained about the Cambodian success in lobbying the international community to inscribe the 900-year-old Khmer Temple of Preah Vihear in July 2008.
“We considered that as our national victory,” Dr. Sok An told the group.
European Union asked Dr. Sok An, what the EU can do as a partial contribution to settle the bilateral dispute between the two Asian nations.
In response, Dr. Sok An said “what the EU can do is to encourage Thailand to respect the rule of law. So EU can explain to Thailand that this is not the era of invasion, but it is an era of globalization.”
Sok An himself, whose successful lobbied the international community in supporting that the Temple be listed the UNESCO as World Heritage Site in 2008, also recalled that the Thai’s claim area of 4.6 square km near the Temple is baseless given the UN court of International Court of Justice (ICJ) in 1962 ruled out that: the Temple of Preah Vihear is situated in territory under the sovereignty of Cambodia.
The court also found that Thailand is under obligation to withdraw any military or police forces, or other guards or keepers, stationed by her at the Temple, or in its vicinity on Cambodian territory.
Thailand is under an obligation to restore to Cambodia any objects of the kind specified in the Cambodia’s fifth submission which may, since the date of the occupation of the Temple by Thailand in 1954, have been removed from the Temple or the Temple area by the Thai authority, according to the ICJ Judgment.
Cambodia has never violated any sovereignty of her neighbors including Thailand, said Sok An.
“But it is Thailand itself that sends its military forces into Cambodia’s territory,” it said referring to Thailand dispatched its forces to violate Cambodia’s border in July 15, 2008 a week later after the Temple was inscribed on the World Heritage List.
At least six soldiers were killed from both sides since the two Asian neighbours' military armed clashed which have been locked in a standoff since July, 2008 along-running disputed area near the Temple of Preah Vihear.
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