Rights groups criticised Cambodian authorities on Wednesday for the arrests of 94 people in a ‘heavy-handed’ crackdown on critics of a regional economic development plan with Laos and Vietnam.
Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International accused Cambodia of ‘unlawfully’ detaining critics concerned about land concessions and who said the ‘CLV Development Triangle Area’ agreement unfairly benefitted foreign interests.
They said in a joint statement the response included imposing ‘arbitrary restrictions freedom of movement, peaceful assembly and freedom of expression’ and that the 94 people arrested since July included several children.
‘Alarmingly, the heavy-handed response by the Cambodian government has seen young people, including some children, unlawfully detained and charged with serious crimes against the State,’ said Kate Schuetze, a deputy regional director for Amnesty International.
‘Cambodia’s partners should publicly and jointly call for this assault on freedom of expression and peaceful assembly to end.’
Cambodian prime minister Hun Manet’s government has rejected allegations that it was prosecuting its critics, saying that ‘legal cases have been take up against only those who committed acts against the law’.
The information ministry did not respond immediately to a request for comment on the latest criticism.Â
Protests began in July after three activists were arrested for voicing concerns about the agreement that was launched in 2004 to boost trade and migration between Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam.
Cambodian authorities tightened security measures and imposed travel restrictions as the criticism grew, the rights groups said.
That included roadblocks on highways entering Phnom Penh and arbitrary searches of vans and taxis entering the capital, they said.
At least 59 of the 94 people arrested have been charged and remain under arrest or in pre-trial detention.
‘The mass arrests are a deliberate, coordinated effort by Cambodian authorities to intimidate critics and prevent them from demonstrating in Phnom Penh or sharing their views on social media,’ Bryony Lau, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said in the statement.
‘These wrongful detentions and charges show prime minister Hun Manet’s disrespect for the rights of Cambodians and the country’s international human rights obligations.’
A Cambodian court sentenced 10 environmentalists to between six and eight years in jail in July in a case condemned by rights campaigners as a ‘crushing blow’.
The activists from Mother Nature, one of Cambodia’s few environmental advocacy groups, denied charges of plotting against the state, which they said were politically motivated.
The UN human rights office said it was ‘gravely concerned by the conviction and harsh sentencing’.