Laurie Ferguson (Werriwa, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

With due respect to the member for Brisbane, I would like to assure her that my activity on this issue very much predates the change of government. I have been in correspondence with the previous foreign minister about the last elections there, and I have had the opportunity to work with people such as Chhayri Marm, a prominent Cambodian in my electorate; and Narand Kay, a Sydney Khmer broadcaster. I had the opportunity to meet Sam Rainsy, the opposition leader, in my electoral office; to attend a number of fundraisers for the Cambodian National Rescue Party; and to attend with my colleague Chris Hayes rallies at the Cambodian Buddhist monastery about the outcome of the elections.

Clearly, issues relating to Cambodia have been advanced for some quite some years. Global Witness, as early as 2008, stated that it had:

They commented about the prominence of the head of the armed forces, ministers' brothers, the Prime Minister's cousins, senators, the commander-in-chief of the armed forces and wealthy connected tycoons in ripping off the country's extractive and mineral wealth. They noted that the Cambodian National Petroleum Authority was directly under Hun Sen and his deputy, Sok An. So they were expressing doubts back in 2008 about the level of corruption in the country.

What we saw in the elections last year was of great concern. In a fashion that the Cambodian government has utilised on many occasions, it utilised illegal processes to deny the possibility of opposition campaigning. The opposition leader, of course, was severely restricted in his ability to contest those elections. We have a situation where there has been allegations that as many as 1.2 to 1.3 million people were denied their voting rights. There have been claims that the so-called indelible ink that was supplied was actually totally inadequate.

We have had a situation in January this year where police and security forces used live bullets against demonstrators. There was a situation where very aged broadcasters, in their 70s and 80s, have been detained and given long sentences. Also, there has been a situation—as was noted by previous speaker—where political opposition rallies were attacked quite some years ago. Of those elections, Transparency International commented in very negative terms about them, saying that essentially they could not be regarded as legitimate.

In more recent times, we have a situation where the current regime is basically flogging off the interests of the nation and its people. In the race for the lowest common denominated in wages and conditions, Chinese, Koreans and Taiwanese companies have established themselves in the country, and the government has been extremely supportive of their ability to limit very much trade union activity. Human Rights Watch has commented that basic rights such as freedom of expression, assembly and association come under regular attack, while corruption is rampant, severely affecting the enjoyment of basic economic and social rights. Journalists were attacked in September last year. A trade union leader, Chea Vichea, was murdered. The regime and its associates attempted to frame a number of individuals—poor characters who were picked up. They were eventually exonerated. The family has refused compensation for his death exactly because they say that there has been an attempt to trump up charges against people who did not actually commit the offence. We also have had a series of forced evictions as the government and its auxiliaries have supported foreign corporations in seizing people's lands on behalf of those interests.

I want to say to the member for Brisbane, I have got a track record on this issue and I resent any kind of allegation that this is in any way manufactured against the current government. However, it does not give a good impression, despite all these alleged nice little comments in backrooms about how concerned they are about human rights in Cambodia, that in the same meetings they say that Cambodia is a suitable settlement place for refugees from this country. Quite frankly, the human rights situation in Cambodia is disgraceful and it is disgraceful that the foreign minister goes there and basically says it adequate for people to be settled there.

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