Reuters defending Cambodia's ruthless human rights abusers?

Photo:
Dey Krahorm, Phnom Penh
March 2008,
A year before it was
completely destroyed
by developers

An article posted yesterday by Reuters India encourages investors to overlook the Cambodian government's human rights violations and to concentrate on the "stability" of Prime Minister Hun Sen's rule.

"Tens of thousands of people have been driven out of their homes in a slew of land seizures, while critics have blasted Hun Sen for filing lawsuits they say are merely attempts to intimidate journalists, activists and political opponents.


However, Hun Sen gets plenty of plaudits as well, and some analysts say the firm hand of the undisputed strongman is exactly what Cambodia and its economy needs."

There may have been improvements in Cambodia's economy, but wealth is concentrated in the hands of Hun Sen and his cronies.

In March 2008, I was in Phnom Penh investigating the forced evictions that this article so breezily brushes aside. You can read about one working-class neighborhood whose homes were bulldozed so that Hun Sen could give the land to developers. (here)

Human rights activists such as Phnom Penh's LICADHO say that these forced evictions are the single most pressing human rights issue in Cambodia at the moment. Non-governmental organizations have recorded footage of homes homes burning to the ground or being bulldozed while residents are chased away and beaten. The culprits wear government-issued army and police uniforms.

The Reuters article also praises Hun Sen for some populist reforms that supposedly help the poor. But I remember reading in a Phnom Penh newspaper that Cambodia has failed to meet several development criteria set by the United Nations and agreed to by Hun Sen himself. The most striking is the failure to educate and protect children. Though initial enrollment is high, most drop out before finishing elementary school. Education is supposed to be free. However, according to a 2008 BBC report, teachers are severely underpaid and live below the poverty line. Students must supplement their teachers' meagre incomes and contribute to the purchase of uniforms and school supplies. Most Cambodian families, particularly in rural areas, cannot afford these fees.

The Reuters article doesn't quote any of the local activists working to end these human rights violations. The article's two main sources are based in Singapore and both highlight Cambodia's economic growth while undermining concerns about corruption and human rights violations.

Ian Bryson of Control Risks, a consultancy firm whose main goal, according to its website, is to "accelerate opportunities and manage strategic and operational risks" for its clients, tells Reuters that "it's easy to criticise Hun Sen as a single-party ruler, authoritarian and totalitarian, but he's a pragmatist -- he does what he needs to do."

So what does that mean? That if violently and illegally evicting people is what Hun Sen needs to do to boost his GDP, it's justified, and we ought to help him along him with investments and aid money?

The Reuters article also quotes Pou Sothirak, a senior researcher at Singapore's Institute of South East Asian Studies. Sothirak has the last word in the article. He explains that the world-wide economic crisis has meant a bumpy ride for Cambodia, but that the country remains "stable": "for that reason, I expect foreign investors will return when the global economic situation improves."

There are no quotes from Hun Sen's critics, and the Reuters article reads more like a commercial for investment opportunities in Cambodia than a piece of balanced and objective journalism.