Co-sponsored by Amnesty International, the US Congress Human Rights Caucus, and the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies)

Recent development in human rights situation in Cambodia and its impact on the credibility, fairness and freedom of the election process in Cambodia; A Cambodian perspective

The paper argued that the international community should either try to postpone the election for a few months for the explicit purpose of allowing the introduction of significant and real changes in the electoral process such as more balanced access to the media and more time, and scope (to include overseas Cambodians, for instance) and more transparency for voters registration, or to totally disengage itself from the whole election process.

Hun Sen and his CPP will most probably go ahead with the election as planned for July 26 regardless of the international or local opinion. With the controls that the CPP has on all aspects of the electoral process, and as they so often stated that this time they will not loose as they did in 1993. Hun Sen has always maintained until today that the UNTAC-sponsored election 1993 was rigged. That is why for this forthcoming election the CPP does not absolutely want any close involvement in the electoral process by the international community. 

The next step for the international community to consider is to decide whether to continue to deal with Hun Sen and his CPP or to increase the pressure on the current Phnom Penh regime by continuing to deprive it from any  diplomatic, Financial and economic supports.

If there is any lesson that ought to be learned from the recent Indonesian political crisis leading to the overthrow of  President Suharto is the fact that corrupt and economically mismanaged regimes cannot be sustained and will sooner rather than later toppled from power by spontaneous popular revolts. This will inevitably happen in Cambodia if the July 26 election is not free, fair and credible

However, unlike Indonesia there will not be any restraints from Hun Sen and his CPP to use the military and the police forces to savagely suppress the spontaneous popular revolt. Also judging from recent political developments  across the world and especially in Asia, it appears that the era of the state-based stability, which is a remnant of the Cold War, is about to be over, so is the one-man rule system in Asia. Along with the collapse of the one-man rule system is the destroying and debunking of the so-called "Asian Values" of economic management style and organization typified by cronies capitalism and pervasive corruption.

The international community had only two choices. Either to stand by and watch the second massacre of the Cambodian people by the same Khmer Rouge group that did the massacre in 1975, or to prevent this to happen again by standing firm against Hun Sen and his  "former" Khmer Rouge comrades who are now  (without Pol Pot) roaming free in Cambodia under the CPP protection. It is ironical but important  to point out that one of the very most objectives of the Paris Accords which was to prevent the Khmer Rouge form coming back to power is now not only not being fulfilled. But, the Khmer Rouge is now the master of Cambodia's destiny. History has now come full circle.