Ties, But Less Censure, as Ambassador Exits
Rights workers say US support of local groups has waned in the wake of increased cooperation with the government. (25 August 2008)
Exiting USAmbassador Jospeph Mussomeli said Monday the relationship between Cambodian andthe UShad improved in recent years, but human rights officials say the warmer tieshave come at a cost. Rights officials said in recent interviews US support ofhuman rights groups has decreased in recent years, eroding freedoms ofexpression and assembly. "The relationship between the two countries hasmarkedly improved over the last two years," Mussomeli told reporters atthe embassy Monday, on his final day in the country. "I'm hesitant to saythat, because I think it still has a long way to go. As many of you have heardme say before, a few years of good relations can't really compensate fordecades of misunderstandings and distrust." The USwas sharply criticized in 2007 for closer ties with the national police, afterthe FBI opened a liaison office in Phnom Penh. Humanrights workers said at the time the increased cooperation would make rightswork in the country more difficult. Mussomeli left Cambodia late Monday. He will bereplaced by a former political officer at the Cambodia mission, Carol Rodley,later this year. Rights workers said his tenure saw the end ofanti-government positions from the United States. "USgovernment policy has shown clearly that it used to oppose the government; now itshows clearly that they are pro-government," said Thun Saray, president ofthe rights group Adhoc. "They seem to have more cooperation with thegovernment than before. That's why they have less criticism of thegovernment." Democracy had not decreased under the changed position, butlocal groups were still hard pressed to champion democracy and rights, said KemSokha, president of the Human Rights Party. "I can see progress of democracy in Cambodia,"he said. "The UnitedStates should not reduce aid to local NGOs,and they should not undertake more cooperation with the government. They shouldstrengthen more democracy and human rights in Cambodia. They should not give moreaid to the government, but should strengthen more [aid] to local NGOs, so thelocal NGOs can strengthen human rights and democracy in this country." Mussomeli also said Monday Cambodia's potential productionof oil would not have a significant impact on relations between the two countries.He warned, however, that revenue from oil must be used properly in order for Cambodiato benefit. "The oil could be a very good thing for Cambodia,"he said, "because Cambodia is such a poor country and the economy is atsuch a low level that the oil, if it's used properly, if it is used for thebenefit of the Cambodian people, if it's used to build roads and develop theeducational system and the health system and things like that… it is anopportunity for Cambodia to really jump-start its country and jump-start theeconomy." Thun Saray said the oil represented a small market, and the US government was not much interested in the oilin Cambodia.