Dream for Cambodia?

The Cambodian government banned an anti-genocide rally that was organised by Dream for Darfur at Tuol Sleng yesterday. Their reason was that it was a political stunt to smear China. Cambodia leaps to China's defence at the smallest provocation.

PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - Cambodian police barred Hollywood actress Mia Farrow and other activists from laying flowers at a "Killing Fields" museum on Sunday, as part of a campaign to end atrocities in Sudan's Darfur.

Some 100 baton-wielding police blocked Farrow, who fronts the Dream for Darfur pressure group, and her fellow activists from entering the compound at Tuol Sleng, the Phnom Penh high school that became Pol Pot's main torture centre.

"Darfur has nothing to do with Cambodia. Go protest in Darfur," Phnom Penh police chief Touch Naruth told reporters after the brief stand-off ended without incident.

The group, which had planned to light a symbolic Olympic torch in the compound, has held similar events in Chad, Rwanda, Armenia, Germany and Bosnia as part of a campaign to persuade China to push Khartoum into ending the violence in Darfur.

The group, which included a survivor of the Rwandan genocide, were due to hold a press conference later in the day.

Beijing is hosting the 2008 Olympic Games and human rights groups have targeted China in the hope of using the spotlight thrown on the country to influence Chinese foreign policy.

Farrow said in an earlier interview that Phnom Penh was putting the interests of Beijing, one of its biggest donors, above the memories of the estimated 1.7 million victims of Pol Pot's 1975-79 reign of terror. (Source)

As we all know, China is Cambodia's close friend. Can't allow anything that might involve a loss of face. Cambodia loves China for the 'no strings' aid. China, unlike other donors, does not require benchmarks, or development goals which makes it far easier to build golf courses instead of feeding the food and dispossessing the poor to build casinos for rich business people.

The Cambodian government, which has strong economic and political ties with China, said days ago it would prevent the 62-year-old actress from going through with the ceremony. The government accused Farrow of having "a political agenda against China" and staging the event for political rather than humanitarian reasons.

Farrow denied that her intentions were political in an interview Saturday, and said she was determined to press ahead with the ceremony.

"It's pretty harsh to be against a ceremony that honors the victims of Darfur and genocide survivors everywhere," Farrow said. (Source)

Khieu Kanharith, Minister for Information, called Farrow and others from 'Dream for Darfur' ignorant foreigners who were trying to raise money by exploiting Cambodia's genocide.

Well bluster aside (Government rhetoric), history aside (China supported the Khmer Rouge), Cambodia is currently investigating the crimes against humanity and genocide of the KR. It is curious therefore that the rally wasn't permitted or a least a more plausible excuse to stop it not found.

I suppose with the political situation in Cambodia, the government can say and do whatever it chooses because regardless they won't be voted out of office. So what should they care what the world thinks?