CALD Internship Report

Name of Intern: So Serey Yuth

Country: Cambodia (Sam Rainsy Party)

Internship period: 27 August 2003 - 29 October 2003

Overview

It was very great opportunity that ELDR, FNF and CALD makes it possible for me as a democratic party activist to find an internship in a relevant field of study and explore life in European with the kind of freedom we can only dream about in Cambodia.  The internship in ELDR permits me to work for up to two months in selected areas.  It also helps me to broaden my experience and obtain highly useful documents for the conduct of foreign affairs and  for human rights protection policies.

For the first 3 days at the end of the August, I spent my time working in the European Parliament, where I worked with Mr. Jacques Lecarte, ELDR Group Administrator for the Foreign Affairs Committee.  During the first week of September, I worked in the EU Parliament in Strasbourg.

August and September were exciting months in Brussels - attending the debate meeting led by Mr. Gram Watsom, MP on the legislation on the quality of bathing water in each country of Europe with putting signals or marks of flags blue or yellow.   The EU passed a resolution on the war between Israel and Palestine.

In the Parliament, I followed the Committees on Foreign Affairs and on Development and Cooperation.  I also attended ELDR Group meetings, staff meetings, the European Convention, the plenary session in Strasbourg, and a variety of hearings. 

I also had opportunities to meet with Mr. Samuel Wong, Hong Kong, International President of ACCA, at the European Institute for Asian Studies.  He raised the important topic of the loss of credibility suffered by the business world and the accounting profession as a result of the recent financial scandals and also recent developments in corporate governance in Europe and the USA.  Finally. I had numerous opportunities to meet with the resources persons Miss Susanne Hartig, FNF Project Officer, Ms. Alessandra Pala, IFLRY ´s Executive Director, Mr.  Francesco Greco, ELDR `s Political Advisor, Ms.  Désirée Oen, Public Relations Officer and others and the interns from all across Europe.

I gained a better understanding, in particular, of European issues and Politics.  European  viewpoints are not always clear in Cambodia, at least for ordinary Cambodians, because the government is still heavily influenced by Vietnam.  The present ruling party, the Cambodian People's Party is the successor to the communist regime installed by Vietnam after they defeated the Khmer Rouge in 1979.

I am a new person to the EU.  My upbringing and education has been in Cambodia.  I found it very valuable  to see the European environment of Political and Civil Society with such factors as dignity, equality, and respect for the lives of individuals and governments in the whole of Europe.  They are working hard and closely to serve the people.  These are real fundamental rights and freedom, people express their rights in accordance with the constitution provided, street demonstrations are allowed for example against the abuses of the labour law, corruption in government, tax increases, the policies of the US in Iraq, etc.   This is far in difference from my country where such demonstrations are even now not accepted by the authorities.  I do not agree with the excuse that these cannot occur in Cambodia after so many decades of war.  We have had more than a decade of relative peace, thanks to the Paris Peace Accords of 1991.   If our leaders intended to truly serve the interests of the nation, they would work to build capacity and knowledge by improving the human resources, technical training, not indulge in corruption, and share experience for development of the country.  International donor countries have provided more than US$300 million per year to Cambodia and this represents almost half our revenue.  Where has the money  gone?  The Cambodia government is still in debt, some analysts believe it exceeds US$4,000 million dollars , or $360 per head of population, in a country where 90% live in abject poverty.

I was very proud to be a Cambodian person from a developing country to be invited by the European Liberal Democrats and Reform Party and partners to practise my internship here in European Parliament.  It has encouraged me to try to put this good experience into practice, supporting the  EU to press for full the freedom, human rights and democracy and challenging authoritarian rule when necessary.  My party' s president HE Sam Rainsy addressed ELDR group meeting on topic of  the Cambodian.   He emphasized that the ruling party led by Mr. Hun Sen, has been continuously in power for more than 20 years (despite losing the first election in 1993!) yet the country is destroyed by corruption and subject to poor governance in all aspects of public service. The people suffer in poverty and in fear.  40% are illiterate.  Less than 50% of children complete primary school and less than 10% of girls complete secondary schooling.  Poverty and lack of opportunity to improve livelihoods spawns prostitution and exploitation in all kinds employment.  I agree with Sam Rainsy's appeal to the EU to support the constitutional rights of all duly elected National Assembly members in the recent July elections to have a say in the formation of the new government.  I also agree that our two parties are entitled to form an alliance of democrats do place more pressure to form a government without Hun Sen, not to legitimise a continuation of the present government or support a caretaker government.  I wish to assure our European friends, please do not underestimate the determination of the alliance and the desires of the Cambodian people for change.  While the CPP has emerged as the largest party, it has only done so after years of intimidation and control down to village level by its village chiefs.  In a truly free and fair environment, we can safely assume, many people would not vote for the CPP.  Many people without intimate knowledge of Cambodian politics would underestimate the capacity of the Cambodian People Party to accept new leadership.  Although he enjoys his reputation as the "strongman", there are many people within his own party who are more committed to democracy and who are more capable.  We ask you to continue your support to deter Hun Sen' s closest supporters from using violence and to provide protection to key Cambodian democrats and to our emerging civil society organisations; NGOs, free media, and trade unions.

Finally, one vital challenge in the next few years is the "Khmer Rouge" trial.  I appeal to the EU to give every support possible for international standards to apply.  This will not only ensure justice is done but will also set a precedent for rule of law generally that is needed if the climate of impunity is to be removed.

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