A draft law in Cambodia to regulate NGOs is being criticized as an attempt to increase government control and ability to close NGOs down without justification. According to AlertNet, this is the latest in a series of "draconian" laws passed in Cambodia over the last 18 months.
NGOs operating in Cambodia have expressed their fears that the law will be used to restrict freedom of expression, and to keep NGOs from operating, particularly the ones unable to meet the stringent registration requirements. Other governments are also raising concerns about the law. The American deputy assistant secretary of the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, Daniel Baer, told reporters, "The United States has made clear that we have concern about the law, that we see Cambodian civil society as something that Cambodia should be proud of."
More than 3,000 foreign and local NGOs would be affected by the law. For further information, see the article on AlertNet. For a list of all InterAction members working in Cambodia, visit our page Where Our Members Work and enter "Cambodia" in the Country field.
