Cambodia: A banana democracy with a perpetual dictator

Cambodian Ruling Party's Plenum Reaffirms Hun Sen for PM Post in Next Terms

2010-07-22
Xinhua

The Cambodia's ruling party -- the Cambodian People's Party (CPP) on Thursday reaffirmed at it plenum Hun Sen's candidate for prime minister post for the next terms.

"The plenum reaffirms its endorsement of Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen's candidacy for the post of prime minister for the next terms," announced the party's communique released at the ending of the 35th Plenum of the Fifth-Term Central Committee of the CPP.

Almost 900 party members from across the country gathered at its headquarters in Phnom Penh to have a two-day plenum started on Wednesday.

Party President Chea Sim, Vice President Hun Sen attended the 35th central committee meeting. This was the first meeting of CPP' s Central Committe this year and it usually assembles twice annually.

Last month, at the gathering to commemorate CPP's 59th founding anniversary, Chea Sim also reaffirmed party's decision to support for the candidacy of Hun sen for the post of prime minister for the following terms.

Hun Sen, 59, has ruled the country, as the prime minister for more than 20 years.

Cambodia is holding general election every five years. The last election was held in 2008 and the next one will come in 2013.

In last general election, the CPP won 90 seats out of 123-seat parliament, following by opposition Sam Rainsy Party with 26 seats, Human Rights Party with 3 seats, and two each obtained by Norodom Ranariddh Party and FUNCINPEC party.

CPP was found on June 28, 1951 and is, so far, the biggest political party in the country.

The CPP is now headed by Chea Sim who is also president of the Senate and Hun Sen is positioned as deputy chairman of the party while Heng Samrin is honorary chairman and also president of the National Assembly.

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US announces climate change help for Mekong region

Friday, July 23, 2010
AFP

HANOI — The United States on Thursday announced a three-year programme to help countries in the Mekong River basin adapt to the impact of climate change on water resources, food security and livelihoods.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made the pledge at a Hanoi meet with Southeast Asian countries of the lower Mekong region, whose waterway is also under threat from rapid economic development and expanding populations.

"Managing this resource and defending it against threats like climate change and infectious disease is a transnational challenge," she told the foreign ministers of Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.

"Regional cooperation is essential to meeting that challenge, to preserving the ecological diversity and fertility of the Mekong region."

The meeting was the first between the five ministers since they launched the Lower Mekong Initiative (LMI) in Thailand a year ago to develop cooperation on environment, health, education and infrastructure issues in the Mekong region.

The initiative was seen as an attempt by Washington to improve its profile in the region and counter the influence of China, which is home to the upper reaches of the Mekong.

The United States has said it will spend more than 187 million dollars this year under the initiative, the majority of which is directed at health issues.

Low-lying areas around the Mekong, which have been beset by drought this year, are considered some of the world's most vulnerable to climate change.

More than 60 million people rely in some way on the river, which is the world's largest inland fishery.

The intergovernmental Mekong River Commission has warned that the basin's health and the river's eco-systems could be threatened by proposed dams and expanding populations.

China has eight planned or existing dams on the Mekong River, but rejects activists' claims that these have contributed to low water levels downstream.

Japan also held a meeting with the Mekong countries in Hanoi on Wednesday to discuss a joint "Green Mekong" initiative for the next decade, which aims to tackle challenges such as natural disasters and deforestation.

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U.S. pledges assistance for Mekong environment programmes

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, left, poses for a photo with Vietnam's Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung before their meeting at the Government office in Hanoi on Thursday. Photo: AP

Hanoi, July 22, 2010
DPA

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton pledged continued assistance on Thursday for US—led environment programmes in the Mekong Delta.

Ms. Clinton spoke in Hanoi at the ASEAN Regional Forum, a gathering of delegates from the ten—member Association of South—East Asian Nations (ASEAN).

The programmes are part of the Lower Mekong Initiative, a joint effort of the United States and the four lower Mekong countries — Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam — focused on health, education, infrastructure and the environment.

“Managing this resource and protecting it against threats is a transnational challenge,” Ms. Clinton said on Thursday of the Mekong River Basin. “Regional cooperation is essential to realizing that challenge.” The US will provide more than 220 million dollars in funding to Lower Mekong countries in fiscal year 2010, two—thirds of which goes to environment, health and education.

Addressing ASEAN delegates, Ms. Clinton announced a “sister river” partnership between the Mekong River Commission and the U.S.—based Mississippi River Commission. She also announced a new three—year programme designed to promote adaptive responses to climate change.

“We expect to continue similar levels of funding for the next two years,” Ms. Clinton said.

The U.S. is also funding programmes to combat HIV/AIDS and pandemic influenza in the region, she said.

The Lower Mekong Initiative was created after a July 2009 meeting between Ms. Clinton and the foreign ministers of Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam.

More than 60 million people live in the Lower Mekong Basin, an area comprising about 606,000 square kilometers in South—East Asia. Climate change will likely increase flooding and threaten food security in the region, the Mekong River Commission reports.

ASEAN comprises Brunei, Myanmar, Indonesia, Laos, Cambodia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

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New Zealander in Cambodia for Khmer Rouge verdict

Friday, July 23, 2010
By JERRY HARMER
AP

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — The brother of one of a handful of Westerners killed by the Khmer Rouge returned to Cambodia for a landmark verdict in a war crimes tribunal, saying there can never be adequate justice for his family.

It was not clear how Rob Hamill's brother, Kerry, fell into the hands of the brutal communist regime. The 28-year-old's yacht was captured in Cambodian waters in 1978 and he and shipmate Briton John Dewhirst were taken to S-21 prison, tortured and executed.

A third member of the crew, Canadian Stuart Glass, was apparently shot dead when the boat was seized.

When the news reached Hamill's hometown of Hamilton, New Zealand more than one year later, it tore apart what had been a close-knit family. One brother committed suicide months later; Rob Hamill became a teenage drunk. His parents never recovered.

"There'll never be justice for our family," said Hamill, 46, noting his mother died seven years ago and did not get to witness the trial or hear its verdict. "I can't quite reconcile how justice can ever be served with the nature and the way these people's lives were taken."

A U.N.-backed war crimes tribunal will issue its first verdict Monday against a senior member of the Khmer Rouge, the ultra-communist regime blamed for the deaths of 1.7 million Cambodians during their 1975-79 rule.

About a dozen Westerners were among the estimated 16,000 people held at S-21 before being killed.

As commander of S-21, Kaing Guek Eav, better known as Duch, faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if found guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Those who passed through the gates of his secret prison were deemed the worst enemies of the paranoid Pol Pot regime: spies, saboteurs, traitors — and foreigners. Many were tortured. Interrogators pulled out toenails, drained blood and electrocuted prisoners to extract confessions.

In 1979 after Vietnamese invaders overthrew the Khmer Rouge, Kerry Hamill's so-called confession of espionage was among the meticulous records discovered at S-21.

Last year Rob Hamill spoke at Duch's trial, the only Westerner to do so as a victim, and tried to convey his family's suffering.

He says confronting Duch in court has helped him deal with the grief that has haunted his life, but forgiveness for his brother's killer still eludes him.

"I wanted to forgive Duch so that it would allow me to move on — until I went to S-21 and I got to see what this guy created," he said. "Any compassion I had for him at that time went out the window.

"Since then, time has a funny way of warping things," he said. "I've got an internal battle going on and maybe this sentencing will somehow further that process."

On his first visit, Hamill says he was an emotional wreck. This time he said he feels more in control, more at peace and believes his brother Kerry would approve of the way the family is finally moving on.

"I think he'd be very proud of what we're trying to do as a family to represent him after 30 years of our own family suppressing it and not talking about what happened and the effect it had on us all as a family," he said.

"I think this is a very special time and I'd like to think he's looking down and saying 'Well, it's about bloody time.'"

Rob Hamill, a rower who represented New Zealand at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, has requested a face-to-face meeting with Duch after the verdict to try to find out more about Kerry's fate. So far he's had no answer.

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Cambodian Anxiety Peaks Ahead of Khmer Rouge Verdict

In this Nov. 20, 2007 file photo, Kaing Guek Eav, alias Duch, center, the former Khmer Rouge prison chief at Tuol Sleng prison, sits in a dock during a hearing in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. (Photo: AP)

Luke Hunt, VOA
Phnom Penh 22 July 2010

In Cambodia, the trial of a leading Khmer Rouge figure, blamed for the deaths of about 16,000 people, is heading for a conclusion.

The trial of Kang Guek Eav, also known as Duch, has gripped this nation for almost a year and a half. Millions of people are expected to watch on television as the verdict is announced, Monday, by a United Nations-backed court.

Duch ran the S21 torture and extermination center, where thousands of men, women and children were processed before being sent to dig their own graves in the killing fields on the outskirts of the capital.

Initially, Duch pleaded no contest. Throughout the tribunal he has provided an abundance of chilling evidence into the inner workings of Pol Pot and his ultra-Maoists.

They ruled Cambodia between 1975 and 1979 and are being held responsible for the deaths of perhaps two million people, who died of murder, starvation and illness.

But, in a final legal twist, Duch changed his plea to not guilty and asked the judges to release him. He has sacked the head of his international defense team, French Lawyer Francois Roux, and asked for a Chinese lawyer to replace him.

Theary Seng survived the killing fields as a child. She was rescued from the refugee camps and raised in the United States, where she became an author and lawyer. She is the founder of the Center for Justice and Reconciliation.

"There's a lot of confusion at the moment because recently we were told Duch fired his U.N. lawyer at the 11th hour, on the advent of the verdict, which is very perplexing," Seng says. "And, it has raised suspicions again of political interference. It has raised cynicism. It has confirmed the fears of many Cambodians in thinking that Duch is not believable, in the first place - that his confession, his asking for forgiveness - aren't genuine and hopeful the fears won't turn into paranoia."

The Cambodian government has directed all domestic television networks to broadcast the verdict.

At the court, about 300 journalists and hundreds more officials, diplomats, legal observers and Khmer Rouge victims have overwhelmed authorities in seeking seats for the announcement.

Regardless of Duch's last-minute legal maneuvers, Theary Seng, along with many others, believe his admissions to overseeing crimes of torture that included water boarding and medical operations on patients without an anesthetic and the eventual murders of thousands of people will lead to a conviction and life in prison.

His evidence would also prove compelling in cases to follow. Another four surviving Khmer Rouge leaders - Khieu Samphan, Nuon Chea, Ieng Sary and his wife, Ieng Thirith - are to on trial next year.

"It's a catalyst that has broken the silence of the last 30 years of this regime, which has truly taken the lives of one-fourth to one-third of the Cambodian population. Every Cambodian alive right now is directly affected by the crimes of the past," Seng said.

After the Khmer Rouge were ousted by invading Vietnamese troops in early 1979, civil war continued for another two decades. Only then was Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen in a position to ask the United Nations to help broker an international tribunal to focus on the atrocities allegedly carried out by Pol Pot and his henchmen.

Further delays followed, amid bickering with the United Nations about the final make-up of the tribunal and funding issues. However, the long awaited trial eventually got underway and is expected to remain a fixture on this country's legal and political landscape for a few years to come.

READ MORE - Cambodian Anxiety Peaks Ahead of Khmer Rouge Verdict

Khmer Rouge victims, perpetrators live side-by-side

READ MORE - Khmer Rouge victims, perpetrators live side-by-side

Cambodia to Propose Preah Vihear Temple Management Plan at Annual WHC Meeting

22 July 2010
Thai-ASEAN News Network

Thepmontri Limpaphayom, a Thai historian, plans to submit a letter to UNESCO, demanding that the United Nations agency issue an apology to all Thai people regarding the Preah Vihear Temple dispute and to remove the temple from the list of the World Heritage sites

The Cambodian deputy prime minister along with other Cambodian officials have arrived in Brazil where they will attend the UNESCO World Heritage Conference. They are planning to propose a management plan of the area surrounding the disputed Preah Vihear Temple.

Deputy Prime Minister of Cambodia, Sok An along with a number of Cambodian officials arrived in Brazil yesterday to attend the UNESCO World Heritage Conference, which will be held from July 25 through August 3.

The Cambodian representatives are planning to propose a plan for the conservation of the Preah Vihear Temple and management of the surrounding land, where Thailand and Cambodia claim sovereignty.

Previously, the Natural Resources and Environment Minister of Thailand, Suwit Khunkitti pointed out that he has not yet seen the plan that will be proposed by the Cambodian representatives at the conference. However, the Thai government will not endorse such a plan until all border disputes have been resolved.

Meanwhile, Thepmontri Limpaphayom, a Thai historian, plans to submit a letter to UNESCO, demanding that the United Nations agency issue an apology to all Thai people regarding the Preah Vihear Temple dispute and to remove the temple from the list of the World Heritage sites.

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Khmer Rouge trials

Jul 22nd, 2010
Shankari Sundararaman
The Asian Age (India)

On July 26, 2010, the first verdict of the Khmer Rouge trials is awaited. This will decide the fate of Kaing Guek Eav alias “Duch”, the jailer at the dreaded Tuol Sleng prison, or the S-21 interrogation centre, in Phnom Penh. He is the first perpetrator against whom the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) will deliver its verdict for crimes against humanity and genocide. Even as the decision is awaited amidst speculation and debates, the July 26 verdict will also be critical for the United Nations which is primarily responsible for the implementation of the trials. The UN’s role in the Cambodian conflict will come a full circle with this verdict.

From April 1975 to December 1978, Cambodia went through a period of genocide under the rule of the Khmer Rouge. This period was a reversion to what was called the “Year Zero” when the Khmer Rouge sought to bring to a standstill the entire history of the country and begin its rule from scratch. During this period nearly two million people lost their lives due to starvation, disease and torture. The Khmer Rouge period was ended by Vietnamese intervention and occupation which lasted for over 12 years, until the Cambodian peace settlement of 1991.

Reports of the genocide within Cambodia first emerged because of refugee accounts. The stories contained tales of forced labour in agricultural lands, an agrarian style model that was brutally enforced, and mass execution of people suspected to be loyal to the former government that assisted the United States’ war efforts in Vietnam.

What is significant today is the role played by the UN in pushing forward the genocidal tribunal for crimes against humanity and bringing to trial the surviving leaders of the Khmer Rouge. Five members, including Duch, of the immediate group that controlled Cambodia during this period are facing trial, all of them in their seventies. There’s Ieng Sary, Ieng Thirith, Khieu Samphan and Nuon Chea — these four were closest to Pol Pot and were significant players in pushing the agendas and vision of the Khmer Rouge. Pol Pot, who should have been brought to book, escaped by a quirk of fate and died as a result of malaria.

While today the UN is responsible to a great extent to push forward the Khmer Rouge trials, at the height of the Cambodian conflict the UN had in some sense kept the conflict alive. The intransigence of the Cold War is nowhere more visible than in the context of Cambodia where the UN was stymied by its inability to assist in finding a resolution in the initial years of the conflict.

During the Khmer Rouge period, the UN was unable to take steps to prevent the genocide because of a clause within their charter. The clause, that pertains to domestic jurisdiction, in effect said that even in cases where there have been gross human rights violations, the UN may not be able to act since the issue may fall within the limits of internal affairs of member states.

In the aftermath of the Vietnamese intervention, the debate in the UN raged over the issue of representation of the UN seat — the seat was occupied by the Khmer Rouge government which was officially known as the Democratic Kampuchea (DK) regime. The government which replaced the Khmer Rouge was that of Heng Samrin and was officially called the People’s Republic of Kampuchea (PRK). However, because this government was backed by the Vietnamese forces, it was not accepted as the legal government within the UN. And as a result, the seat in the UN remained with the Khmer Rouge for most of the conflict.

In 1982, three years after the conflict had begun, three political factions combined together to form the Coalition Government of Democratic Kampuchea (CGDK). This was a grouping of three political factions that were against the Vietnamese-backed Heng Samrin government. It comprised the royalists under Sinhanouk, the republicans under Son Sann and the Khmer Rouge. In fact, the formation of this coalition lent greater credibility to the Khmer Rouge which handled the foreign affairs of the CGDK and continued to retain the UN seat.

While this dichotomy in the UN’s stand was a critical issue, in the run-up to the Cambodian peace settlement the UN emerged as the main arbiter. It was under the auspices of the UN that a transitional authority oversaw the elections in Cambodia in 1993. This resulted in the victory of both the royalists under Norodom Ranariddh and the Cambodian People’s Party under Hun Sen. For the first five years, from 1993 to 1998, power was shared between two conflicting groups. The 1998 election onwards Hun Sen has emerged victorious and there has been little political change within Cambodia since.

With the first verdict awaited in the Khmer Rouge trials on July 26, the debate rages over the extent to which punishment should be given. In fact, this first trial sets the stage for the other four high-ranking members of the Khmer Rouge who are to be tried. The trials of these four will be far more significant than the first one against Duch. Duch in his statements has claimed that he was merely an instrument of state policy. He even argued that he was carrying out orders given by the higher authorities within the Khmer Rouge and as a result should be acquitted rather than be found guilty.

There have been debates over verdicts such as life imprisonment, death penalty and other punishments. Interestingly, the political leadership within Cambodia has been less than willing to let the process take a conclusive course. Prime Minister Hun Sen has even hinted that the trials could lead his country to another civil war. While there is an opinion that the degree of punishment needs to be muted, given the age of the perpetrators and the time that has elapsed, it still needs to be weighed very seriously. Bringing justice to the victims of genocidal crimes is a crucial part of putting to rest a phase of history that is best forgotten. However, to forget that history without due justice to the victims would be to undermine the sufferings of thousands of people. The United Nations’ efforts to bring the issue to a completion must not be based on principle alone, it needs to be tangible in terms of its outcomes as well.

Dr Shankari Sundararaman is an associate professor of Southeast Asian Studies at the School of International Studies, JNU

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City refuses to allow union forum to take place

22 July 2010
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

The Phnom Penh city hall decided not to allow unions to organize a public forum at the public park located in front of Wat Botum Pagoda planned for Sunday 25 July 2010. The reason for the refusal was explained by the city that the location is too close to Hun Xen’s house and the location is where protesters usually meet to protest against land disputes etc… Furthermore, the refusal was made to avoid affecting the security, safety and public order in the city of Phnom Penh. However, the city indicated that the unions can hold its forum at their headquarters or at a private location. The unions still insist on holding its forum at this public park as it has planned. Under this condition, the city hall will ask the ministry of Interior to make the final decision.

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Labor Conference at the Sunway Hotel 22-23 July 2010: Agenda and Concept

Labor Conference Agenda

July 22 to 23 2010
Sunway Hotel

July 22 – Thursday

7:30 am – 8am: Registration

National Anthem

8:10 am to 8:25 am: Overview of the Cambodia Trade Union History – Noun Vesna, Consultant and Labor Academician

8:30am to 9:00 am: Opening Speakers

• Mr. Ath Thorn – President of Cambodian Labour Confederation (CLC)
• Mr. Vong Sovann – President of Cambodian Confederation of Trade Union (CCTU)
• Mrs. Morn Nhim – President of Cambodian National Confederation (CNC)
• Mr. Apolinar “Dong”Tolentino – Regional Representative of Building Woodworkers International (BWI), Asia Pacific Region
• Mr. Floro Francisco – Regional Consultant for LO-Norway

9:00 am to 9:30 am: Labor Conference Concept Presentation: Mr. Alonzo Suson, Country Program Director of Solidarity Center, AFL-CIO

9:45 to 10:00 am: Break

10:00am to 10:45am: Panel: Trade Unions Formed During the Socialist Era: Past/Present:

• Mrs. Tep Kimvanary, President of Cambodian Federation Independent Trade Union (CFITU)
• Mr. Choun Mom Thol, President of Cambodian Union Federation (CUF)
• Mr. Noun Vesna, Consultant and Labor Academician

10:45 to 12pm – Small group discussion

12:00pm to 1:00pm: Lunch

1:00pm to 1:45pm: Panel Discussion: Trade Unions Formed During the Post-Socialist Era: The “Oppositionist” and the “Third Current”

• Mr. Rong Chhun, President of Cambodian Independent Teachers Association (CITA)
• Mrs. Morm Nhim, President of National Independent Federation of Trade Union Congress (NIFTUC)
• Mr. An Nan, former staff of the Cambodia Labour Organization (CLO)
• Mr. Noun Rithy, former National Project Coordinator, ILO-WEP

2:00 pm to 3:00pm: Small group discussion

3:00pm to 3:15pm: Break

3:15 to 4pm: Panel Discussion –Trade Union Solidarity Support Organizations and their role

• Mr. Kao Poeun, Project Officer for LO-FTF (Danish Unions)
• Mr. Kenya Popaine, Coordinator for TWARO
• Mrs. Meas Morokot, President, CWMO
• Mr. Lim Soksan, Program Coordinator, APHEDA

4pm to 5pm: Small group discussion

July 23, Friday

7:30am to 8am: Registration

8am to 9 am: Panel: Struggle-Unity-Struggle: Trade Union Experiences From Other Countries

• Dr. Kun Wardana Abyoto, Director, UNI Asia Pacific Regional Organization
• Mr. Apolinar “Dong” Tolentino – Regional Representative of Building Woodworkers International (BWI), Asia Pacific Region
• Mr. Don Driscoll, Coordinator, Service Employees International Union
• Mr. Floro Francisco, Consultant, LO-Norway (Norwegian Unions)
• Mr. Rey Rasing, Coordinator, Global Network/International Federation of Workers Education Association

9am to 10am: Questions and Answers

10am to 10:15am: Break

10:15 to 11am: Panel: Present Challenges: Minimum Wage, Decent Trade Union Law, Occupational Health and Safety (Awka Nyum – Opportunism and SamakiPheap-Solidarity)

• Mr. Chhiev Veyara, National Project Coordinator, ILO-Dispute Resolution Project
• Mr. Ath Thorn – President of Cambodian Labour Confederation (CLC)
• Mr. Van Thol – Vice President of Building Woodworker Trade Union Confederation (BWTUC)

11am to 12pm: Small group discussion

12pm to 1pm: Lunch

1pm to 2pm: Plenary Session: Issues that the Cambodian Labor Movement Need to Work Together in the Interest of Workers and Cambodian Society. Principles for Working Together Despite Our Differences: Presentations and Facilitations by:

• Mr. Tola Moeun- Head of Labor Project, Community Legal Education Center (CLEC)
• Mr. Yim Serey Vathanak- National Project Coordinator, ILO-Workers Education Project (ILO-WEP)

2p to 3pm: Small group discussion

3pm to 3:15pm: Break

3:15pm to 3:45pm: Report back of small group discussion

3:45pm to 4:00pm: Affirmation: Where we agree and where we disagree.

4:00pm to 5pm: Closing Speakers:

• Mr. Vong Sovann, President, Cambodian Confederation of Trade Union
• Dr. Kun Wardana Abyoto, Director, UNI Asia Pacific Regional Organization
• Mr. Reynaldo Rasing, Coordinator, Global Network/IFWEA
• Mr. Yeng Virak, Director, Community Education Labor Center (CLEC)

Conference Concept:

The year 2010 marks a decade of growth for the modern Cambodian Labor Movement. By year 2000, five union federations were established and formed. Now forty-nine labor federations and associations were formed and the majority of those unions are in the garment industry.

Similarly, the trade union support organizations in Cambodia and Global Unions partnership with Cambodian unions has increased in their activities, and put in place programs that will further assist the growth and maturity of the Cambodian Trade Unions and Cambodian Labor Movement as a whole.

Politically, a Trade Union Law drafted by the Ministry of Labour with technical assistance from the ILO is currently being circulated, discussed and debated with the goal of Trade Union Law being ratified with the National Assembly by Mid-2011.

The Cambodian Garment Industry has been hit hard by the global economic crisis as orders from the US and European country has declined. Garment workers saw some of the factories closed down, suspended work or maintain limited working time while the cost of living continues to increase. The trade unions last negotiated a minimum wage increased in 2006. The majority of unions came together with the assistance of TWARO and ILO-WEP and attempted to negotiate a minimum wage with garment industry representative. Unilateral decision by the government to recommend a minimum wage, the coalition of unions fell apart without a discussion and without negotiation with the industry. The trust level amongst the unions is at an all time low.

Workers (union member and non-union members), local and federation leaders, and trade union support group activists’ states that the current union leadership consciously or not, acts more in their self interest than the interest of the workers they represent. In a social and political context this acts of self-interest is known as opportunism(1). In short, opportunism whether from the right or left perspective is a disease within the Cambodian Labor Movement that need to be challenge, spotlighted and critique to be replace by the acts of labor solidarity needed to mature the movement.

The conference will highlight what is opportunism within the Cambodian Labor Movement; review the union formation in Cambodia, review the trade union support programs in Cambodia. What is labor solidarity and in particular how should trade unions shown solidarity in the context of the minimum wage negotiation (lessons learned) and the debate on the trade union law, and the future challenges for the Cambodian Labor Movement in developing solidarity.

With the coming decade, it is opportune time to have discussion amongst Cambodian and foreign trade unionists and activists in the trade union support group to assess the development of the Cambodian Labor Movement. Acknowledge our differences in terms orientation and politics, and by challenging each other about the future by raising the question of what is a mature Cambodian Labor Movement. The conference does not and will not answer all the questions. But hopefully a framework on how the Cambodian Labor Movement debate, argue, critique, build coalition and separate can be done in a principled way be achieved.

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(1) Opportunism is the “conscious “policy and practice of taking selfish advantage of circumstance, with little regard for principles. The opportunist seeks to gain personal advantage at every opportunity, putting self-interest ahead of the greater good

READ MORE - Labor Conference at the Sunway Hotel 22-23 July 2010: Agenda and Concept