|
|
Delegation Reports
PARLIAMENTARY DELEGATION FROM
CAMBODIA AND VIETNAM:
21 TO 28 OCTOBER 2007
Delegation
Rt Hon Ann Clwyd MP – Leader - Labour
Chris Mullin MP - Labour
Lord Tomlinson - Labour
Ian Liddell-Grainger MP - Conservative
Peter Viggers MP - Conservative
Andrew Robathan MP - Conservative
Baroness Northover
Liberal-Democrat
Kenneth Courtenay
Secretary, British Group of the IPU
The delegation arrived at Phnom Penh International Airport on Sunday,
21 October and was greeted by members of the Cambodia - British Parliamentary
Friendship Group - Mrs Khuon Sudary MP, Mr Yim Sovann MP and Princess
Sisowath Santa MP - and Mr Hou Sry MP, a member of the Commission on Foreign
Affairs, International Co-operation, Information and Media. The British
Ambassador, His Excellency Mr David Reader, was also present.
In the evening, following a briefing by the Ambassador and his team, there
was a welcoming dinner hosted by Mrs Khuon Sudary, Co-ordinator of the
Cambodia - British Parliamentary Friendship Group.
The programme for the next day started with a courtesy call on Samdech
Chea Sim, President of Senate. He told the delegation that Cambodia needed
international support for elections in 2008. Democracy, stability and
the rule of law had to be preserved and extended.
There followed a visit to the Toul Sleng Genocide Museum, formerly the
Khmer Rouge prison S21, a stark reminder of the brutality of the Pol Pot
regime.
The next meeting was a courtesy call on Samdech Heng Samrin, President
of the National Assembly. The National Assembly, in its third term, has
priority goals of capacity building of social structures and combating
corruption. Elections for 2008 have been organised at national and local
levels. The UK was thanked for its help and direct aid. Arrangements for
trials of leading Khmer Rouge individuals responsible for the genocide
have been finalised for end of 2008. A legacy of the Democratic Kampuchea
period has been the confusion on property ownership. The Khmer Rouge regime
had removed all property rights. Laws have been introduced to re-establish
ownership of land. The government is trying to distribute land to those
who don’t have any.
In response to questions, the National Assembly President said that Cambodia
would follow an ASEAN position on Burma. Any solution must be peaceful,
he said.
The delegation then met the Commission on Foreign Affairs, International
Co-operation, Information and Media chaired by Mr Son Chhay, an opposition
MP. Subjects discussed were:
• Land. Government action is needed to curb land-grabbing. The Khmer
Rouge gained its early popularity due to the land issue. Nobody seems
to know how much land is presently owned by the government. A major problem
is a lack of documentation and an ineffective court system.
• Media. There is a structure in place to ensure that equal time
is provided to each party during elections.
• Burma. It was hoped that the Cambodian prime minister would visit
Burma. We were told that China has to be convinced to press for a political
solution and that Japan could play a role. The delegation drew attention
to the recently passed IPU resolution on Burma. It was said that the Cambodian
Prime Minister wanted to engage an ASEAN Troika on Burma.
At a working lunch with Mr Francis Perez, Country Programme Manager of
Oxfam GB, and Ms Mary Scott, Country Director of The Cambodia Trust, the
land issue was raised again. Local government can grant concessions for
up to 1000 hectares without recourse to higher authority. Furthermore,
some senior army officers use their positions to make money from logging.
One third of forests have been destroyed in the last five years and profits
invested in factories in Vietnam. Continuing land grabbing is creating
a potential cause for serious unrest, even revolution.
The next priorities were reform of public administration and tackling
exclusion by gender and disability, and also to address graduate unemployment
which stood at 90 per cent.
The first meeting after lunch was a cross party round table discussion
with members of the Senate and National Assembly. During the wide-ranging
discussion, our hosts expressed a wish for co-operation between the two
countries’ parliaments. Expert visits from Westminster would be
very welcome to the Cambodians. It was agreed that the IPU is a very good
means of sharing ideas. Other subjects covered included how to respond
to human rights issues, poverty in rural areas and the right to be free
from corruption and land grabs, the lack of accountability of ministers
to parliament and the inability to question ministers, the legal basis
for exploitation of oil and gas in Cambodia, and the need to reform the
civil service.
Later, the delegation visited the site of the Extraordinary Criminal Court
in Cambodia (ECCC) and met Mr Sean Visoth, the Director of Administration,
Ms Michelle Lee, the Deputy Director of Administration and Co-Prosecutors
and Co-Investigating Judges.
The ECCC was established following a request to the UN in 1979 for help
to set up a tribunal to try Pol Pot and his henchmen for serious crimes
of genocide. The court is composed of Cambodian and international judges
and officers. It is expected to face a cash crisis at the end of 2008.
Delays to the start of its work were blamed on the time taken to establish
its rules. At the time of the visit, two accused persons were in custody.
The first meeting on Tuesday, 23 October was with Mr Hor Namhong, Deputy
Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation.
The minister thanked the UK for the assistance given in Cambodia’s
reconstruction after the Pol Pot era. He pointed out that the country
had started from zero in 1979, after about three million had been killed,
and admitted that human rights are not perfect yet. Questioned on the
situation in Burma, he said that Cambodia wanted the junta to act with
moderation. It will call for a special ASEAN meeting if the situation
gets worse. The delegation stressed that the UK calls for the release
of politicians who have been unjustly imprisoned in Burma. It was put
to the minister that the ongoing land grabbing has the potential to cause
great instability.
Concern was also expressed for trade unionists who have been arrested
for no proper reason. The case was raised of mine-clearing expert Christopher
Howes, who has been killed and nobody arrested. British members stressed
the importance of equal access to media during election campaigns in Cambodia
and the necessity of ministers being accountable to parliament. The meeting
also discussed deforestation in Cambodia, which the minister said had
mainly happened in the early years after and during the Khmer Rouge period,
and some existing contracts had to be honoured.
A courtesy call was made on the Prime Minister Samdech Hun Sen. Subjects
discussed included Burma, on which the Prime Minister said that Cambodia
was looking for a multi-national solution. He had called for the ASEAN
Troika to be involved. He expected to raise the subject at the forthcoming
ASEAN summit meeting. Construction of the new capital in Burma suggested
to him that the junta felt insecure. The situation in Burma had gone beyond
being an internal matter. On the Christopher Howes case, he promised action.
The Prime Minister, responding to questions, said that he could not influence
the ECCC, the special court to try those accused of genocide in the Khmer
Rouge period. The government’s strategy was to persuade the Khmer
Rouge to surrender its leaders for trial. On the subject of land, he said
that shortages are mainly due to a high population growth. Also, returning
refugees did not use the money granted to them to buy land. Senior armed
forces members are involved in land deals. A balance has to be struck
between granting land concessions for economic or social uses. On aid,
he said that too much goes in paying donor officials.
The delegation then had a meeting with Mr Prum Sokha, the Secretary of
State of the Interior, who gave a presentation on local government reform.
Lunch was taken with NGO representatives Ruth Griffiths and Eva Mysliwiec,
at which the National Youth Service, a project to encourage volunteering
especially in education, was discussed.
Following lunch, the delegation attended a meeting with Mr Keo Puth Rasmey,
President of the FUNCINPEC Party, and other members. The main subject
discussed was the Register of Electors for the 2008 elections, which the
party representatives said was acceptable. There were 600,000 more names
compared to the last elections.
A meeting was held with Mr Sam Rainsy, President of Sam Rainsy Party,
and other members of his party. He explained that his party was the first
legal opposition party and chairs the Defence and Foreign Affairs committees.
Several areas of differences with the government were discussed: human
rights, land reform, corruption and unemployment. Seventy civic leaders
had been killed during the course of the present administration and there
was an urgent need to implement already agreed land reforms and judicial
reforms. Widespread corruption had allowed forests to be reduced by 50
per cent in three years.
Before the evening reception at HM Ambassador's Residence with British
expatriates, political figures, business leaders and NGOs, some members
of the delegation took the opportunity to meet two trade union representatives.
One was from the teachers’union, the other represented a federation
of unions, including garment workers. Ninety per cent of trade union members
in Cambodia are women
The third full day of the visit started with a meeting with Mr Im Suosdey,
Chairman of National Election Committee. He said that voter registration
for 2008 was complete, with 99 per cent of those eligible having registered.
No postal or proxy votes will be allowed. Each polling station will cater
for a maximum of 700 people and all ballots can be counted in the same
day. The turnout in the 2003 general elections and the last commune elections
was 83 per cent.
The next meeting was with Mr You Hockry, Secretary General, and other
senior officials of the Norodom Ranariddh Party. The party was formed
in 2006, after a split from the FUNCINPEC party, 45 days before last Commune
elections in which it came 3rd with 10 per cent of the vote. The party
president is in exile, having been charged with offences relating to the
sale of the party’s building. The main issues for the party were
that FUNCINPEC won’t criticise the government, poverty, land grabbing
and Cambodia’s territorial integrity.
There then followed a meeting with Mr Kem Sokha, President of the Human
Rights Party. He was a former Prime Minister in 1979 and a former President
of the Senate Human Rights Committee.
The Party is opposed to the personality cults of the other parties. In
his view, the Sam Rainsey party was run by a small clique and getting
too close to the (government) Cambodian Peoples’ Party. Funding
was difficult; most money comes from the diaspora.
A working lunch was taken at the British Ambassador’s residence
with NGOs working on electoral issues (Mr Aamir Arain of UNDP, Mr Ok Serei
Sopheak of CDRI, Mr Koul Panha of COMFREL, Mr Hang Puthea of NICFEC, Mr
Jerome Cheung of NDI and John Willis of IRI) together with HM Ambassador
and senior embassy and DfID staff. The conclusion of the meeting was that
the Cambodian electoral process was not ideal but that it was the best
that could be achieved now. However, observers will be needed for 2008.
Later, the delegation visited the National Museum and Royal Palace.
There then followed a meeting with land mine organisations (CMAA, CMAC,
Halo Trust and MAG) chaired by Mr Sam Sotha, Secretary General of CMAA.
Each organisation made its own presentation. The average casualty rate
from mines has dropped from 800 a year in 2005 to 450. Since 2003, UK
funding support for de-mining has been concentrated on NGOs. Most mines
are along the Thai border, with cluster bombs concentrated along the Vietnamese
border. Mechanical ground clearance of vegetation is essential. In the
opinion of the HALO representative, funding is needed for the next 10
to 15 years. There are some border related issues, particularly with Thailand,
on access to ground for clearance.
In the evening, the delegation was honoured at a dinner hosted by Mr Cheam
Yeap, Chairman of the Commission on Economy, Finance, Banking and Audit
and Member of Cambodia IPU Group.
Thursday morning was taken up by visits to DfID funded HIV/AIDS projects
at the provincial hospital in Takhmao town, Kandal province, followed
by visits to neighbourhoods and homes principally affected by AIDS. Members
of the delegation were able to meet people who were supported by the projects.
After lunch, the delegation left for Hanoi where they were met by the
British Ambassador, His Excellency Robert Gordon CMG OBE.
The first engagement on Friday was a visit to the Convention Hall of the
National Assembly to see the assembly in session and where the delegation
was greeted with applause by the members. Afterwards, there was a meeting
with Mr Ngo Anh Dung, vice-chairman of Foreign Affairs Committee, vice-president
of the Vietnam IPU Group and member of National Assembly.
Mr Ngo described the history and set up of the National Assembly, 26 per
cent of its members are women. It meets twice per year for six weeks.
A Standing Committee functions in its place in closed periods. Question
time is a new feature for the National Assembly, and there is interest
in how question time in the House of Commons is organised.
Mr Ngo said that a UK/VN friendship group had been established in the
national Assembly, and he had hopes for an increase in parliamentary exchanges.
Next there followed a meeting with Mr Nguyen Sy Dung, Deputy Chairman
of the NA office on the role of civil servants.
Some members of the delegation went on to meet Mrs Nguyen Thi Thu Hong,
Vice- President of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour.
The delegation then met Mr Pham Binh Minh, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs.
In reference to Vietnam’s accession to the UNSC, he thanked the
UK for its support. On Burma, he said that Vietnam’s position is
changing due to the debate within ASEAN. Burma should follow a road map
to democracy and work with the UN.
He also said that Vietnam wants more investment from the EU.
Responding to concerns on Vietnam’s human rights record, the minister
said that a series of reforms are happening in stages. There has been
a recent start to legal reforms
UK is the country of choice for study abroad for higher education. There
are about 5000 students in the UK. A major problem is the lack of funds
for the UK’s high tuition fees. Furthermore, Vietnam needs external
universities to help with setting quality standards.
The delegation then went to the British Council and was met by senior
staff and given a presentation in the impressive building. A surprising
fact put to our delegation was that no foreign language provision is made
in schools, but 70 per cent of students are taking extra-curricular lessons
in English.
Later, there was a formal meeting with Mr Nguyen Duc Kien, Vice-President
of the National Assembly. He said that this year was the 35th anniversary
of the restoration of diplomatic relations with the UK. Relations between
the two countries were the most fruitful of all that the country had with
the EU. He thanked the UK for the aid and support it had given and said
that trade could be expanded.
There followed a brief discussion on the strength of the National Assembly,
its position on human rights and the lack of questioning of ministers.
Britain’s Ambassador His Excellency Robert Gordon CMG OBE gave a
reception at his residence for the delegation and British businessmen,
EU ambassadors, NGO representatives, Chevening scholars, Vietnamese academics
and members of the UK-Vietnam Friendship Association.
On Saturday, 27 October, the delegation visited Haiphong to see a Save
the Children UK sponsored Information Education Communication activity
at a school, which seeks to educate children in personal relationships
to counter sexual promiscuity. They visited two families who had children
affected by HIV/AIDS.
On Sunday, there was a visit to Hoa Lu, Ninh Binh, the site of the 10th
century capital of Vietnam.
In the evening, after a very welcome refreshment break at the residence
of the Deputy Head of Mission at Britain’s embassy, the delegation
returned to London via Bangkok, arriving early on Monday.
|
|
