Cambodia urges action on rights abuses in border conflict
Photo [ Cambodia’s Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, Ambassador In Dara speaks at an event. Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of Cambodia to the UN Office at Geneva]
Synopsis: Cambodia’s Permanent UN Representative in Geneva reaffirms Cambodia’s commitment to cooperating with UN human rights mechanisms but urges greater fairness, balance, and impartiality.
Cambodia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva, Ambassador In Dara, has urged the UN Special Rapporteur to go beyond reporting and demonstrate moral courage in addressing serious human rights and humanitarian violations committed by the Thai military against Cambodian civilians and captured soldiers. Describing acts such as displacement, forced evictions, and village encirclements as “living wounds,” Ambassador Dara warned that silence in the face of such abuses undermines the credibility and integrity of the mandate.
He reaffirmed the Kingdom’s enduring commitment to cooperation with the United Nations human rights mechanisms, while calling for greater fairness, balance, and impartiality in the work of the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Cambodia.
Speaking at the 60th Session of the Human Rights Council during the adoption of the resolution on Advisory Services and Technical Assistance for Cambodia on Wednesday, Ambassador Dara, said, “Acts of displacement, the encirclement of villages, property seizure and forced eviction are not abstractions but living wounds upon human dignity and the conscience of this Council,” he said. “To remain silent is not neutrality but abdication—a silence that corrodes the impartiality, independence and integrity of the mandate-holder.”
He expressed deep appreciation to Japan for its “tireless efforts, constructive engagement, and exemplary leadership” as the penholder of the resolution.
“Japan’s patience, fairness and pursuit of consensus once again embody the essence of multilateralism and cooperative diplomacy that sustains this Council’s integrity and make today’s consensual outcome possible,” he said.
The ambassador highlighted that for more than three decades, Cambodia has maintained open and sustained engagement with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and seven successive Special Rapporteurs, noting that few countries have demonstrated such continuity and transparency.
“The renewal of the Rapporteur’s mandate, to which Cambodia has given its consent, reflects our conviction that cooperation with the UN mechanisms is not a concession but a commitment to strengthen institutions, promote justice and advance the full enjoyment of human rights for all our people,” he stated.
Ambassador Dara emphasised that Cambodia values the role of the Special Rapporteur when it is exercised with impartiality, professionalism, and adherence to the Code of Conduct.
“The mandate should assist, not accuse; engage, not antagonise; and guide, not judge,” he said, stressing that the credibility of the rapporteur’s work “depends not on the frequency of criticism but on fairness, accuracy, and respect for context.”
However, he voiced concern that recent reports presented to the Council have been “marred by selectivity and imbalance,” focusing predominantly on civic and political issues while overlooking Cambodia’s socio-economic progress.
“To highlight the incomplete while disregarding the accomplished is to fragment the truth and erode the very trust upon which this mandate should stand,” he added.
While noting that some operative paragraphs in the draft resolution remained “politicised,” Ambassador Dara reaffirmed that Cambodia supports the renewal of the mandate in good faith, driven by a belief that “cooperation—not contention—best serves the cause of human rights.”
He expressed hope that the resolution, through its consensual adoption, would “renew our collective commitment to dialogue, balance, and mutual respect in our shared endeavour to advance human rights for all peoples.”
-Khmer Times-
