In July 2018, Cambodia will hold general elections. Unfortunately, restrictions on political freedoms have strengthened ahead of the country's democratic party. In fact, in November 2017, the main opposition party in Cambodia, the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), was dissolved by the Cambodian Supreme Court. Many assume that the dissolution of the CNRP was done to pave the way for Prime Minister Hun Sen to extend his power.
In response to the deteriorating state of democracy in Cambodia under Hun Sen, on 9 March 2018, the Australian National University (ANU) with the support of the Tifa Foundation organized a public conference "Cambodia on the Brink: Towards the 2018 Elections" in Canberra, Australia. During the conference, speakers including academics, civil society representatives, and politicians discussed the current situation in Cambodia and Hun Sen's policies that threaten the existence of democracy.
In one of the sessions, speakers ANU Chancellor Prof. Gareth Evans, Leng Thearith from the University of New South Wales, The Australian Defence Force Academy (UNSW ADFA), and Human Rights Watch (HRW) Director Elaine Pearson discussed the role that ASEAN countries can play in responding to democracy issues in Cambodia.
Listen to the panelists' discussion by visiting this link.