Foreign minister's ‘bullying’ of UN office decried

Observers yesterday characterised a threat by Foreign Minister Prak Sokhon to close the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) field office in Cambodia as a dangerous act of brinkmanship, with many calling for donors to take a stand.

OHCHR’s memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the government expired last December. Since then, the government has been demanding a controversial rewording of the memorandum placing an emphasis on what it views as an established diplomatic doctrine of non-interference.

Earlier this month, in response to remarks by OHCHR country representative Wan-Hea Lee reported in the media, Sokhon issued a letter saying the human rights office’s activities were “not legitimate” while the MoU was expired.

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