Saturday, April 2, 2011

Cambodia’s NGO law targets ‘unwanted opposition’

April 1, 2011
Democracy Digest

Democracy and human rights groups are warning that Cambodia’s draft law to regulate non-governmental organizations threatens to undermine freedom of association and expression, confirming the country’s authoritarian drift.

The government made slight amendments to an earlier draft following objections from civil society organisations, but the changes fail to address NGO concerns, said Sok Sam Oeun, executive director of the Cambodian Defenders Project, in a statement released by the Cooperation Committee for Cambodia, NGO Forum and the Cambodian Human Rights Action Committee.

The CHRAC is supported by the National Endowment for Democracy.

The new draft “makes it easier for the government to shut down civil society organizations, or deny registration,” the NGOs complained.

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