PHNOM PENH OFFICE OF UN HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR

UNCLAS PHNOM PENH 001268

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM PREL CB
SUBJECT: PHNOM PENH OFFICE OF UN HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR
HUMAN RIGHTS IS EFFECTIVE

REF: STATE 73151


1. (SBU) The Phnom Penh office of the UN Office of the High
Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has done a good job of
monitoring and publicizing human rights abuses in Cambodia.
Its staff has for the most part been responsible and
professional. In a sea of NGO and inter-governmental
organization offices in Cambodia, the OHCHR is one we often
turn to when we need to compare notes on a specific human
rights cases. For example, embassy officers met recently
with OHCHR representatives to discuss the backgrounds of the
various candidates for the Khmer Rouge Tribunal's judges and
prosecutors. The OHCHR has also been active in technical
cooperation focused on legal reform in Cambodia.


2. (SBU) OHCHR's relations with the government have not
been smooth. The office has been singled out for criticism
by the government on a number of occasions. Most recently,
Prime Minister Hun Sen lashed out at the UN's Special
Representative for Human Rights in Cambodia, Yash Ghai,
accusing him of injecting himself into Cambodia without any
background. The Prime Minister dismissed him as a long-term
tourist, refused to meet him, and called on UN Secretary
General Kofi Annan to withdraw him.
MUSSOMELI