CFormer Opposition Leader Warns of ‘Massacre’ Over Leaked Order to ‘Destroy’ CNRP

20 February 2019

• Hul Reaksmey
• Op-Ed: VOA Khmer

Hun Sen and other senior CPP officials have made threats prior to the July 2018 election that the opposition would be “destroyed” or “killed” if sanctions were implemented.PHNOM PENH — 

Cambodia’s former opposition leader, Sam Rainsy, has accused Prime Minister Hun Sen of plotting a “massacre” after a leaked audio recording apparently showed the long-ruling former Khmer Rouge commander saying the opposition would be “destroyed” if the European Union removed the country from a preferential trade scheme.

Hun Sen has also instructed police to arrest Rainsy if he follows through on a pledge to return to Cambodia this year. Rainsy is wanted on treason charges for allegedly conspiring with the United States to overthrow Hun Sen. Sokha lives under house arrest as his trial progresses, but thus far no evidence has been publicized that supports the government’s claim.

International pressure has been mounting on Hun Sen following a widespread crackdown on the opposition, civil society and the media. Last week, the European Union announced it had launched a formal procedure that would see Cambodia withdrawn from its Everything But Arms preferential trade scheme if Hun Sen does not introduce reforms. The United States is also considering similar sanctions.

But Hun Sen and other senior Cambodian People’s Party officials have doubled down on threats made prior to the July 2018 election that the opposition would be “destroyed” or “killed” if sanctions were implemented.

Writing on his Facebook page this week, Rainsy said Hun Sen was not fulfilling his duty to ensure the safety of Cambodians.

If you don’t leave your confort zone, we’ll never realize our full potential.

If you want to make 2019 your best year ever, you’ll need to dive (or at least step) outside of your comfort zone. Here are a few ideas to help get you started:

1. Risk vs. Reward – Fear keeps us safe, but it also limits our potential. Make it a habit to take a risk every day as it will challenge your brain and allow you to move forward in exciting new ways!
   
   
2. Just Do It – Tackle a “to-do” you’ve been putting off by taking small, steady steps. Your newfound confidence will then make it easier for you to achieve other goals.
   
   
3. New You – Take up an activity that excites yet scares you. It can be something thrilling like rock climbing or perhaps enrolling in a new class that pushes you outside of your comfort zone.
   
   
4. Visualize Success – We tend to obsess over potential problems that come along with trying new activities. Instead, focus on the positive aspects and how amazing you’ll feel when things go smoothly!

When you step outside of your comfort zone, exciting changes will start to happen. If you replace negative, fearful thoughts with positive ones, you’ll begin to naturally expand what you feel comfortable with, which will continuously fuel your personal growth!

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“The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek.” – Joseph Campbell

EU plays tough with Cambodia

Op-Ed: Japan Time

Concerned by ongoing human rights abuses, the European Union has threatened to suspend Cambodia’s preferential access to its market. Cambodia responded by lashing out, warning that EU action could prompt the Phnom Penh government to crack down even harder on its enemies. The EU should not be deterred: The Cambodian government should be held to account for its human rights practices and its privileges rescinded if they violate commonly accepted standards. Other countries should support the EU’s message and policies.

Under its “everything but arms” (EBA) arrangement, all imports (except weapons) from developing countries are given duty-free and quota-free access to the EU market. The program has been a boon to Cambodia since joining in 2001. Overall, the EU is Cambodia’s biggest market, taking about 40 percent of its exports. Most of those products are in the garment sector: According to Cambodia’s Ministry of Commerce, textile shipments to the EU topped $1.6 billion in the first six months of 2018. In contrast, exports to the United States were about half as much — $858 million — and together the two markets comprise 72 percent of the country’s exports in that industry.

The Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia estimated that suspension of EBA would increase tariffs by 12 percent in the garment sector and by 8 to 17 percent for footwear. That could mean an additional $676 million in taxes on Cambodian textile exports, which would have a powerful impact on sales. The association warned that suspension of the EBA benefits would hit rural women hardest, as they make up about 85 percent of the country’s 700,000 garment workers.

That is a real risk, but the EU, like other countries that value democracy and human rights, cannot afford to ignore blatant abuses perpetrated by the government of Prime Minister Hun Sen.

The EU action was forced by last year’s general election, a ballot in which Hun Sen’s Cambodian People’s Party won 125 of the 125 seats contested in the National Assembly. That outcome was inevitable after the Cambodian Supreme Court dissolved the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), the leading opposition party, and banned 118 party members — including party leader Kem Sokha — for allegedly plotting with the United States to take power (a charge they and the U.S. government deny). Kem Sokha was unlikely to pose much of a threat as he was in prison on treason charges. He was released after the vote but remains under house arrest. Many other senior party leaders have fled the country.