Violent evictions in Cambodia worrying: UN

The report late Wednesday said Surya Subedi, a law professor at the University of Leeds, made the remarks after his 11th fact-finding mission to Cambodia.

“I am deeply concerned by the numerous reports of violent evictions conducted in 2014, including physical assaults and the burning and bulldozing of homes,” he said.

“The sense of injustice may be passed on to new generations … unless urgently remedied, not only in new cases but also for those who suffered forced evictions long ago,” Subedi added while calling for the establishment of a “truly independent” national human rights body.

Overall, Subedi noted progress in key areas relating to human rights in Cambodia but expressed concern at seeing “the democratic space in the country shrink”.

The special rapporteur praised the government’s response to the recent flood of Cambodian migrant workers returning from Thailand. He urged Thailand to “investigate the reported deaths of others as well as to ascertain the reasons behind the sudden return of such large numbers of Cambodians”.

Subedi welcomed the release of 25 people detained in protests in November and January. He added, however, that he was dismayed that Freedom Park in Phnom Penh had been barricaded. 

“I was sorry to see it surrounded by barbed wire, preventing people from going there and exercising their freedom of speech and assembly,” he said. “It gives the impression that there has been an attempt to put democracy in a cage in Cambodia. I hope this situation will be remedied, and that the constitutional right to peaceful assembly will be promptly and fully reinstated for all Cambodians.”

Subedi also called for stakeholder consultations on important pieces of legislation and “speedy parliamentary reform” but made no mention of the prolonged opposition boycott of the National Assembly. He said he sensed a “deep-rooted frustration” among Cambodians, especially young people.