非政府组织呼吁对柬埔寨政府采取行动

 

A group of 55 non-governmental organizations published a letter Monday calling for a new Paris Peace Conference because of a “severe deterioration¹ in the state of human rights and democracy” in Cambodia.

The letter was released on the 26th anniversary of the Paris Peace agreements that ended conflict in the Southeast Asian country.

The NGOs called on United Nations General Secretary Antonio Guterres, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, and French President Emmanuel Macron to take “decisive action.”

The agreements ended war between Cambodia and Vietnam in 1991. They permitted the United Nations to control Cambodia’s government as the country created a system of democratic elections.

The letter noted² that countries that signed the accord are required to consult with members of the Paris Conference if the agreements are not being upheld.

The NGOs wrote, “We respectfully submit that your obligation to take concrete action under the Paris Peace Agreements has now been triggered as a result of the severe deterioration in the state of human rights and democracy in Cambodia in recent weeks and months.”

Last month, Cambodian police arrested opposition³ Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) chief Kem Sokha. They charged him with treason. They said he was working with the United States to overthrow⁴ the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP).

Critics say the arrest shows Prime Minister Hun Sen strengthening his attacks on political opponents as the country prepares for a national election next July.

Since Kem Sokha’s arrest, about 20 CNRP lawmakers, along with deputy presidents Mu Sochua and Eng Chhay Eang and party activists⁵, have fled Cambodia.

Hun Sen has threatened to shut down the opposition and give its seats in parliament and its commune councilor positions to parties that support the government.

Since August, the government has expelled the U.S.-funded NGO the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and suspended the operations of 20 radio stations that broadcast reports and programs by U.S. broadcasters Radio Free Asia and Voice of America. It also told the English-language Cambodia Daily newspaper that it must pay a large tax. The newspaper was forced to close.

In the letter, the 55 NGOs said that unless things change, the vote next year “has no chance of legitimacy⁶.”

They called for the Paris Conference to meet again “for an emergency summit to discuss the state of Cambodian democracy” and ways to convince Cambodia’s government to change its policies.

Phil Robertson is the deputy Asia director of Human Rights Watch. He released a statement that was added to the letter. He noted that the United States, the United Nations and international groups have spent billions of dollars to support Cambodia’s democratic development. He said it is concerning that the international community has remained largely silent about the actions of Hun Sen.

He urged the nations that signed the Paris agreements to “stop Hun Sen from making his destruction of democracy and disregard for human rights the new normal for Cambodia.”

Prison letter

CNRP chief Kem Sokha wrote a letter from prison that was published Monday on his Facebook page. He said he supported the calls for signatories of the Peace Accords to gather for an urgent meeting about Cambodia. He said his country’s government “has been marching against the spirit of the Paris Peace Accords.”

The CNRP leader added that “issuing statements alone is not enough,” and urged members of the international community to “take actual measures” to prevent the government from “victimizing” the Cambodian people.

Hun Sen reacts

Hun Sen has dismissed suggestions that his government had violated the Peace Accords. The prime minister said that calling for the signatories of the agreement to meet again was “outdated and cannot be realized” because four Cambodian political parties that were present at the time “would have to be recreated.”

He said, “now there is only a single Cambodian [political] party and that is my legitimate⁷ government here.”

I’m Kaveh Razaei.

And I'm Dorothy Gundy.

Words in This Story

deterioration – n. the action or process of breaking down; becoming worse

consult – v. to advise

submit – v. to propose; to put forward

concrete – adj. identifying something real or a group of things

trigger – v. to release or cause

legitimacy – n. the quality of being lawful⁸ or rightful

summit – n. a meeting or conference

convince – v. to persuade

signatory – n. a nation, organization or person that has signed an official document

1 deterioration   

n.退化；恶化；变坏

参考例句：

• Mental and physical deterioration both occur naturally with age. 随着年龄的增长，心智和体力自然衰退。
• The car's bodywork was already showing signs of deterioration. 这辆车的车身已经显示出了劣化迹象。

2 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

3 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

4 overthrow   

v.推翻，打倒，颠覆；n.推翻，瓦解，颠覆

参考例句：

• After the overthrow of the government,the country was in chaos.政府被推翻后，这个国家处于混乱中。
• The overthrow of his plans left him much discouraged.他的计划的失败使得他很气馁。

5 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 legitimacy   

n.合法，正当

参考例句：

• The newspaper was directly challenging the government's legitimacy.报纸直接质疑政府的合法性。
• Managing from the top down,we operate with full legitimacy.我们进行由上而下的管理有充分的合法性。

7 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。

8 lawful   

adj.法律许可的，守法的，合法的

参考例句：

• It is not lawful to park in front of a hydrant.在消火栓前停车是不合法的。
• We don't recognised him to be the lawful heir.我们不承认他为合法继承人。