A National Human Rights Insitution for Cambodia

Representing government and civil society- Om Yentieng (Cambodian Human Rights Committee), Governor Sou Phirin, and Kem Sokha (Cambodian Working Group) join hands for human rights in 2006

The Cambodian Working Group for an Asean Human Rights Mechanism and the government-run Cambodian Committee on Human Rights will hold a regional conference on Saturday and Sunday to establish Cambodia's first national human rights institution. The conference will be held at the Allson Angkor Paradise Hotel. "This will be a great step towards the goals of the Cambodian government and NGOs," said Teang Pa, secretary general of the Cambodian Working Group. "Cambodia's national human rights institution will not only contribute to the improvement of human rights in the country, but also in the region through its engagement with Asean." Participants from various Asean working groups and human rights institutions in Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia will also discuss their experiences starting similar commissions in their own countries. At the 2006 conference, Prime Minister Hun Sen expressed strong support for such a commission.

Source: The Phnom Penh Post