VZCZCXRO0878
PP RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHNH
DE RUEHPF #0922/01 3190852
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 140852Z NOV 08
FM AMEMBASSY PHNOM PENH
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0109
INFO RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 PHNOM PENH 000922 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR INR 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PINR ECON PGOV PHUM PREL SOCI CB
SUBJECT: INFORMATION ON CIVIL SOCIETY IN CAMBODIA 
(C-AL8-01684) 
 
REF: STATE 92765 
 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED. NOT FOR INTERNET DISSEMINATION. 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Post's response to questions posed in reftel are as 
follows: 
 
¶A. NGOs 
 
1) (U) WHAT IS THE REGISTRATION PROCESS FOR LOCAL NGOS OR 
ASSOCIATIONS, INCLUDING THE LENGTH OF TIME, THE GOVERNMENT 
MINISTRIES RESPONSIBLE, AND ANY DIFFERENCE IN REGISTRATION 
FOR PARTY ORGANIZATIONS? 
 
Prospective NGOs must apply for registration with the 
Ministry of Interior.  The registration process involves the 
submission of an application form, permission letters from 
the Ministry and background data on the NGO, including CVs of 
the management.  Compared to the process for registering as a 
business or party organization, registering as an NGO is 
relatively simple. 
 
2) (U) HOW MANY NGOS OR ASSOCIATIONS ARE REGISTERED AND WHAT 
IS THE LEVEL OF MEMBERSHIP WITHIN THESE ORGANIZATIONS? 
 
There are 2,608 NGOs or associations registered, of which 80 
percent are locally operated. 
 
3) (U) WHAT KIND OF ACTIVITIES ARE NGOS INVOLVED IN AND HOW 
WIDESPREAD IS THEIR INVOLVEMENT IN THESE ACTIVITIES?  WHAT 
TYPE OF LIAISON DO THEY HAVE WITH THE CENTRAL AND LOCAL 
GOVERNMENT? 
 
NGOs in Cambodia are involved in all manner of development 
activities, including in the areas of health, education, 
governance, human rights, and democracy building.  Most work 
closely with relevant government ministries and local 
governments. 
 
4) (U) WHAT PARTNERSHIPS DO NGOS HAVE WITH INTERNATIONAL 
NGOS, INCLUDING TYPES OF JOINT PROJECTS AND GOVERNMENT 
OVERSIGHT FOR THESE RELATIONSHIPS? 
 
Most local NGOs in Cambodia are sub-grantees or 
sub-contractors of larger, international NGOs.  In addition 
to providing funding, the international NGOs sometimes also 
provide administrative support. 
 
It should be noted that the Revival of Islamic Heritage 
Society (RIHS), a Kuwaiti-based NGO designated under 
Executive Order 13224 by the U.S. Treasury Department for 
providing financial and material support to al Qaida and al 
Qaida affiliates, including Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), 
established a branch in Cambodia. One RIHS branch office in 
Cambodia was subsequently closed following revelations that 
an RIHS employee provided logistical support to JI's fugitive 
leader Nurjaman Riduan Isamuddin (a.k.a. "Hambali") prior to 
his capture in 2003. 
 
5) (SBU) WHAT IS THE STATUS OF LEGISLATION ON ASSOCIATIONS? 
WHICH GOVERNMENT MINISTRIES OR INDIVIDUALS SUPPORT OR OPPOSE 
THE LEGISLATION AND WHAT ARE SOME OF THE ROADBLOCKS TO THE 
LEGISLATION? 
 
A draft NGO law, dating from 2005, was recently sent to the 
Council of Ministers for review, a necessary step prior to 
tabling the draft law in the National Assembly.  The draft 
originated from the Ministry of the Interior, and has been 
called the draft "NGO Control Law."  Human rights NGOs and 
opposition parties are critical of the proposed draft, 
claiming that such a law could be used to curb NGO activity. 
Prime Minister Hun Sen remarked on the draft law September 
26, reportedly criticizing NGOs for "getting out of hand." 
 
6) (U) WHAT TYPES OF ADVOCACY AND FOR WHICH ISSUES ARE NGOS 
OR MASS ORGANIZATIONS INVOLVED?  HOW ARE LEADERS SELECTED? 
WHAT ROLE DOES THE GOVERNMENT PLAY, IF ANY, IN THE INTERNAL 
WORKINGS OF MASS ORGANIZATIONS? 
 
Advocacy platforms run the gamut, including gender-based, 
labor-based, environment-based, etc.  Leaders are most often 
Cambodians or overseas Cambodians who have returned to the 
country.  They are selected by the NGOs, boards of directors 
and elected by staff members.  Other than the registration 
process (see question 1) the government is not involved in 
the internal workings of NGOs. 
 
7) (U) HOW DOES LOCAL GOVERNMENT DEFINE CIVIL SOCIETY? 
BESIDES NGO, WHAT OTHER ENTITIES/ORGANIZATIONS DOES THE 
 
PHNOM PENH 00000922  002 OF 003 
 
 
GOVERNMENT INCLUDE IN THEIR DEFINITION OF CIVIL SOCIETY?  HOW 
MUCH FREEDOM OF ACTION DO THESE ENTITIES HAVE? 
 
Civil society includes NGOs and other non-governmental and 
non-profit institutions such as unions and professional 
associations.  Cambodian law protects civil society 
institutions from interference from the government, but in 
practice this is not always the case.  For instance, workers 
are free to establish labor unions, but in practice their 
ability to strike, demonstrate, and assemble is often 
hindered by the government. 
 
8) (U) WHERE DO NGOS/MASS ORGANIZATIONS GET THEIR FUNDING? 
 
NGOs get their funding from bilateral donors like USAID, the 
EU, JICA, AusAID, DANIDA, SIDA, CIDA and DFID, and also from 
multilateral donors like the World Bank and UN. 
 
¶B. MEDIA: 
 
1) (U) WHAT CONTROLS DOES THE GOVERNMENT PLACE ON THE MEDIA, 
AND ON WHAT ISSUES DOES THE MEDIA HAVE MORE OR LESS 
FREEDOM TO REPORT? 
 
The constitution provides for freedom of speech and of the 
press; however, these rights are not always respected in 
practice.  The constitution implicitly limits free speech by 
requiring that it not adversely affect public security. The 
constitution also declares that the king is "inviolable."  In 
December, 2007 the Ministry of Information issued a directive 
that reiterates these limits and prohibits publishers and 
editors from running stories that insult or defame government 
leaders and institutions. 
 
The 1995 press law prohibits prepublication censorship or 
imprisonment for expressing opinions.  However, the 
government continued to use the older UNTAC law to prosecute 
journalists and others on defamation and disinformation 
charges. In 2006 the National Assembly amended the UNTAC law, 
eliminating imprisonment for defamation but not for spreading 
disinformation, which carries prison sentences of up to three 
years. In both types of cases, judges can order fines, which 
may lead to jail time if not paid. 
 
The government and influential individuals use the weak and 
often politically biased judiciary to file defamation and 
disinformation suits, both civil and criminal, in an effort 
to silence critics.  In theory all journalists and newspapers 
are free to publish stories on virtually any topic, but self 
censorship is a common occurrence, due mainly to the use of 
defamation suits as mentioned above, and also to the fact 
that most if not all publications are directly controlled by 
political parties.  The vast majority of print, radio and 
television outlets are directly controlled by the ruling 
party.  The opposition therefore only has limited access to 
the public, with the exception of the 30 day campaign period 
when state TV provides "equal access" presentations to all 
parties ad news regarding major political parties. Prior to 
the campaign period, lack of media access was a notable 
problem during the run up to the general elections in July of 
this year. 
 
2) (U) TO WHAT EXTENT DOES THE PUBLIC RELY ON LOCAL RADIO AND 
TELEVISION, AS WELL AS THE INTERNET, AS SOURCES OF 
INFORMATION, AND WHAT GOVERNMENT CONTROLS ARE IN PLACE FOR 
THEM? 
 
A majority of Cambodians receive their information via 
television with radios coming in a close second, especially 
in the provinces where there is no reliable source of 
electricity.  Internet penetration is still extraordinarily 
low.  According to an industry survey published by the 
English-language newspaper &The Phnom Penh Post8, 13,000 
Cambodians, or less than one-thousandth of the total 
population, have  that Internet subscriptions.  Most are in 
the capital Phnom Penh and in the heavily visited province of 
Siem Reap. However, cheap access to the internet through 
internet cafes is widespread in Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, 
Sihanoukville, and Battambang and a number of internet cafes 
may be found in provincial capital cities. The Ministry of 
Information controls the issuance of licenses and frequencies 
for television and radio stations, and in the past has shown 
favor to those applicants that belong to the ruling party. 
While all parties have open access to a handful of radio 
stations, and at least two parties other than the ruling 
party control their own radio networks, post is aware of at 
least two cases where popular opposition radio stations have 
been consistently denied frequencies in certain areas. 
 
3) (U) WHAT IS THE LEVEL OF PUBLIC INTEREST IN CURRENT 
 
PHNOM PENH 00000922  003 OF 003 
 
 
EVENTS? 
 
In general Cambodians have a low level of interest in current 
events, but readers love to follow dramatized personal 
conflicts among politicians, who can be parodied and 
lampooned at will. Most of the Khmer language publications 
are tabloid style, both in format and content, and tend to 
print sensationalist pieces and police-blotter entries on 
their front pages.  That being said, stories that have 
national implications such as a proposed Anti-Corruption Law, 
the national budget, and the border dispute with Thailand 
over the Preah Vihear temple are followed religiously and 
discussed at every opportunity. 
 
¶C. OPPOSITION GROUPS: 
 
1)  (U) HOW ORGANIZED ARE OPPOSITION OR DISSIDENT GROUPS AND 
HOW MANY MEMBERS DO THEY HAVE? 
 
The Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) is the primary opposition party, 
established in 1998.   Another opposition party, the Human 
Rights Party (HRP), just emerged for the 2008 election.  The 
two opposition parties did not join forces prior to the 
election, but have since indicated their intention to work as 
an opposition coalition in the National Assembly. The SRP has 
a membership numbering in the tens of thousands, and the HRP 
in the thousands. 
 
2)  (U) WHAT SUPPORT BASE DO OPPOSITION/DISSIDENT GROUPS HAVE 
LOCALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY? 
 
The opposition parties, support base is primarily 
concentrated in urban areas.  While the opposition parties 
made inroads into rural areas in the July election, the 
ruling party continues to dominate the countryside.  There is 
also support for the SRP and the HRP from Cambodians living 
abroad in France, Australia, and the U.S. 
 
3)  (U) WHAT ARE SOME OPPOSITION GRIEVANCES? 
 
Opposition party grievances include corruption, 
weak/ineffective law enforcement, weak governance, a lack of 
separation powers within the government, and a lack of an 
impartial and neutral administration and judiciary. 
 
4)  (U) WHERE DO OPPOSITION GROUPS GET THEIR FUNDING? 
Opposition groups are funded from contributions paid by local 
and overseas members.  Active members of HRP have to pay 
regular contributions to the party, with the amount varying 
depending on one,s rank within the party.  Overseas 
Cambodians, namely in the United States, Canada, Australia, 
and Europe, also financially support opposition parties. 
Article 29 of the Political Party Law (PPL) prohibits all 
political parties from receiving contributions in any form 
from any governmental institutions, associations, non- 
governmental organizations, public enterprises, public 
establishment, public institute or foreign corporation, 
except as stipulated in the law. 
 
5)  (U) WHAT LEGISLATION, IF ANY, GOVERNS THEIR ACTIVITIES? 
 
The Political Party Law (PPL) governs political party 
activities.  The PPL requires all parties register with the 
Ministry of Interior prior to engaging in political 
activities.  Article 8 of the PPL requires registration of a 
political party and Article 19, which is related to an 
application of a registration, requires a minimum of 4,000 
party members to form a political party. 
RODLEY