Opinion

The Cambodia Daily

Monday, December 24, 2007

Beating a Monk Also Does Harm To Oneself

The beating of monks who took part in a recent protest was not only a serious violation of human rights, but it’s also one of the most serious sins that could be committed by Buddhists.

        Those who beat the monks will be inflicted by double karmas this life and the next. To hurt a monk is to hurt one’s own happiness.

        After these people were born, their parents probably invited monks to give blessings so that they could have a long and happy life. Continue reading →

Press Release

 Cambodia: Leading Rights Groups Support UN Envoy

        ( Washington , DC , December 18, 2007) – Five leading international human rights organizations today called upon the Cambodian government to respect its international human rights commitments as well as United Nations officials mandated to monitor them.

        The five organizations – Human Rights Watch , the Asian Human Rights Commission, the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), the Intern ational Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), and the World Organisation against Torture (OMCT) – expressed deep concern about the Cambodian government’s ongoing unwillingness to engage with the UN secretary-general’s special representative on human rights in Cambodia , Professor Yash Ghai.

         Following critical remarks by the special representative at the end of a 10-day fact-finding mission to Cambodia , Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on December 12 called Ghai – a distinguished professor of constitutional law in Kenya who has been special representative since 2005 – a “human rights tourist” and vowed to never meet him. Continue reading →