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A human rights test for Hun Sen and ASEAN
While we cannot generalize with certainty specific countries’ situations, the overall picture is grim, and Southeast Asia is certainly not a torch bearer on the human rights front.
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Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen gestures during a press conference at the Peace Palace in Phnom Penh on Sept. 17, 2021, as the country begins vaccinating children aged between six and 12. (AFP/TANG CHHIN Sothy )
I
t is certainly good news that the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) entered into force at the beginning of 2022. The region desperately needs trade and good investment – and, with them, partnership with economic powerhouses like China, Australia, Japan and New Zealand, all nations joining the ASEAN members in this new transformative pact.
A strong economy and strong economic relations are essential to lifting the region out of poverty and truly building forward better, and that’s why the RCEP is an important milestone that should be celebrated.
Yet if we truly want the best for this community of nations, then we need to get out of our comfort zone and talk about less trendy issues, especially topics that are hard to digest for a good number of member states.
I am talking about human rights, an area where, unfortunately, ASEAN is not a trailblazer.
With Cambodia and its leader Hun Sen now chairing the community for 2022, even the most optimistic among us might feel, at best, disillusioned about the future of human rights in the region.
A recent report by Forum Asia on the performances in the region of national human rights institutions (NHRIs), constitutional bodies mandated to protect and uphold human rights, depict a serious and grave scenario where human rights defenders are often attacked and the role of human rights bodies ignored.
While we cannot generalize with certainty specific countries’ situations, the overall picture is grim, and Southeast Asia is certainly not a torch bearer in the human rights front. In such a scenario, what should we expect from Cambodia’s chairmanship?
