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Cambodia Still Ranking Low on Corruption Index

26 October 2010. Transparency International's annual Corruption Perception Index placed Cambodia 154 out of 178, slightly higher than last year's ranking of 158 out of 180. Amongst other countries in the region Cambodia ranked equal with Laos but far below its other neighbors, Thailand (78), Malaysia (56), Vietnam (116) and Indonesia (110). Only Myanmar ranked lower, as the second most corrupt country in the world along with Afghanistan.

After 10 years in limbo the country's first Law on Anti- Corruption was finally passed in March this year with an Anti-Corruption Unit opening its doors in September 2010. The swift passing of the law within little input from civil society and lacking in international standards drew widespread criticism from local and international observers. Most recently from Global Witness who described Cambodia's new anti-corruption strategy as seriously flawed.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon Visits Cambodia

28 October 2010. United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon visited Cambodia from 26 October to 28 October. During his stay Ban met with King Norodom Sihamoni, Prime Minister Hun Sen and also visited the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia and the Khmer Soviet Friendship Hospital. While visiting the hospital, a mixed group of armed anti-riot police violently cracked down on Boeung Kak Lake residents who were protesting outside the hospital. The residents who are facing imminent eviction were attempting to highlight their plight to Ban. Police beat and shocked protestors with electric batons and one activist, Suong Sophorn, was severely beaten and dragged away by police as he fell unconscious.

During Ban's visit, Prime Minister Hun Sen and senior government officials called on the UN to remove Christophe Peschoux, long time head of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Cambodia (UNOHCHR) and to close the office entirely. The rationale being that other countries in the world do not have human rights offices and that Cambodia doesn't need one.

Civil society and the international community were quick to condemn the demands, Human Right Watch in particular calling them baseless and a direct assault on the UN's human rights mandate. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton who was in Cambodia on 30 October 2010 for an official visit, commented that the UNOHCHR is a valuable resource, providing technical assistance to the Cambodian government and that the U.S. would like to see the office continue in Cambodia.

The comments made by the Prime Minister also followed the one year extension of the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Cambodia, Mr Surya Subedi on 28 September 2010 by the UN Human Rights Council.