VZCZCXYZ0012
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHPF #0381/01 1270945
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
P 060945Z MAY 08
FM AMEMBASSY PHNOM PENH
TO SECSTATE WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY 0000

S E C R E T PHNOM PENH 000381 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/MLS AND DRL 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/06/2018 
TAGS: PHUM PREL
SUBJECT: PHNOM PENH RESPONSE TO ACTIVISTS FOR DEMOCRACY AND 
DISSIDENTS OUTREACH REQUEST 
 
REF: A. STATE 44903 
     ¶B. PHNOM PENH 360 
     ¶C. PHNOM PENH 310 
     ¶D. 07 PHNOM PENH 1500 
     ¶E. 07 PHNOM PENH 143 
 
¶1.  (S) Summary:  This is a response to Ref A requesting a 
summary of Post's outreach and activities to support, seek 
out and meet with activists for democracy and those who 
demand human rights.  There are no known major dissidents 
from other countries living in Cambodia, however the Embassy 
has been active in supporting North Korean asylum seekers 
here and raising the situation of activists in Burma and 
North Korea with the Cambodian government.  In addition, the 
list of Embassy activities to support and meet with Cambodian 
democracy and human rights activists is long.  As we have 
stated elsewhere, the Khmer Rouge genocide in Cambodia 
destroyed the country's social and political underpinnings 
such that, while democratic structures and processes have 
advanced markedly, the government is still more autocratic 
than democratic.  In this context, there are no political 
action groups in Cambodia and democracy and human rights 
activists often accomplish their work through NGOs.  End 
summary. 
 
¶2.  (S) The Embassy promotes U.S. policies to support North 
Korean asylum seekers, including the 2004 North Korean Human 
Rights Act.  Embassy officials maintain rigorous contact with 
Cambodian government officials regarding North Korean 
refugees who approached the Embassy, including the first four 
in January 2007 (Refs E and F), to confirm the government's 
assistance in ensuring a low-profile, relatively swift U.S. 
resettlement process for the individuals.  Since then, three 
more North Koreans have approached the Embassy and a total of 
four North Koreans have been resettled in the U.S. from 
Cambodia. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) The Embassy has made multiple representations at 
the highest level pressing for stronger support for the 
democratization of Burma, release of political prisoners 
there, and the transparent adoption of a constitution by the 
Burmese people according to international norms.  The Embassy 
has also facilitated exchanges on Burma between senior U.S. 
Government officials and high-ranking Cambodian officials. 
U.S. Embassy support for democracy activists in Burma helped 
keep the Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC) focused on 
ASEAN's support for international efforts such as the Gambari 
mission and to use the RGC's own influence to effect positive 
change in Burma. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Embassy officials frequently reach out to Khmer 
Kampuchea Krom human rights activists in Cambodia.  Khmer 
Kampuchea Krom are ethnically Khmer, like the majority of 
Cambodians, but they historically have inhabited an area that 
is within Vietnam's borders and Cambodian Khmer Kampuchea 
Krom closely follow the treatment of their ethnic kin in 
Vietnam.  As stated in the 2007 Cambodia Country Report on 
Human Rights Practices (HRR), the Cambodian government has 
disrupted some Khmer Kampuchea Krom demonstrations against 
alleged mistreatment of Khmer Kampuchea Krom persons in 
Vietnam.  Among the many Embassy outreach efforts in regards 
to the Khmer Kampuchea Krom, we called a meeting with several 
Khmer Kampuchea Krom human rights activists to discuss issues 
specific to this minority group.  In addition, in the wake of 
a bombing plot nominally linked to a small, unorganized group 
of Khmer Kampuchea Krom supporters, we have reached out to 
Khmer Kampuchea Krom political activists, including a former 
Cambodian Senator, to ascertain the situation of their civil 
and political rights and to offer the continued assistance of 
the Embassy to ensure their right to conduct legitimate 
political activities. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) We also regularly engage with activists for 
democracy and human rights.  In early April, the Embassy led 
discussions with members of the opposition Sam Rainsy Party 
(SRP) and the Ministry of Interior (MOI) when the MOI and 
other government officials signaled they would deny 
permission for a rally organized by the SRP (Ref C).  In 
advance of Human Rights Day on December 10, the Ambassador 
headed another Embassy intercession with the MOI when 
government officials denied local human rights leaders and 
NGOs permission to march and rally in observance of the day 
(Ref D).  Both peaceful marches and rallies were permitted 
after Embassy involvement in the discussions about granting 
permission. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) The Ambassador met (septel) with four major 
political party leadership groups -- including the opposition 
Human Rights Party and Sam Rainsy Party -- to emphasize the 
USG's support for democratic processes in the run-up to the 
 
July national election and to outline the Embassy's 
commitment to monitoring the election, to promoting more 
equal access to media, and to advocating for a free and fair 
electoral process. 
 
¶7.  (SBU) In addition, the Embassy encourages high-level 
visitors to meet with human rights and democracy activists 
while they are in Cambodia.  For example, during Senator 
Maria Cantwell's (D-WA) November 2007 visit, she participated 
in a coffee hosted by the DCM with NGOs active in the issue 
of trafficking-in-persons, and a November 2007 Congressional 
staff delegation met with human rights leaders during a human 
rights roundtable at the Embassy. 
MUSSOMELI