MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION

9 February 2004

tabled for the debate on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law
pursuant to Rule 50 of the Rules of Procedure
by Graham Watson and bob van den Bos
on behalf of the ELDR Group
on political murders in Cambodia

B5-0079/04

European parliament resolution on poliltical murders in Cambodia

The European parliament,

-  having regard to its previous resolutions on Cambodia, and most particularly to its resolutions of 13.03.2003 (P5_TA(2003)0103) and 03.07.2003 (P5_TA(2003)0339);

A.  whereas, in its preliminary statement after the election on 27 July 2003, the European Union Election Observation Mission (EUEOM) concluded that the 2003 parliamentary elections were well conducted but there was still some way to go to full democracy;

B.  whereas Cambodia is still without a legitimate government since the last parliamentary elections of 27 July 2003;

C.  shocked and saddened by the murder of Mr Chea Vichea, President of the Free Trade Union of Workers of the Kingdom of Cambodia; he was shot to death in daylight on January 22 in the centre of Phnom Penh;

D.  concerned that this murder is likely to cast a shadow over negotiations currently under way to form a new coalition government;

E.  whereas Mr Chea Vichea was a public supporter of political opposition leader Sam Rainsy, and his assassination is the latest in a string of political killings and attempted murders that has in recent weeks struck active members of the Alliance of Democrats which consists of Funcinpec Party and Sam Rainsy Party (SRP); of Funcinpec Party, Meach Yean was shot dead 25 January; of SRP, Lay Kong was assassinated on 10 January; Chhin La and Keo Chan both on 15 January;

F.  concerned with the fact that perpetrators of these politically motivated attacks on members and supporters of the Alliance of Democrats have gone unpunished;

• 1.strongly condemns the murder of Chea Vichea, and deplores all acts of political violence in Cambodia;
• 2.believes that such violence puts at risk the rights of all Cambodians, and jeopardise progress toward a peaceful, democratic, and prosperous Cambodia;
• 3.calls on the Cambodian authorities to properly investigate, and bring to justice those responsible for Mr Chea's murder and other political killings;
• 4.strongly believes that a culture of impunity in Cambodia must not be tolerated;
• 5.invites the Council of the EU, the UN, and international communities to make condemnations over those incidents, thus helping restore the safe and sound political atmosphere in Cambodia;
• 6.invites all Cambodian leaders to work together to form a new government in an environment free of intimidation and violence;
• 7.recommends all pending agreements, commercial or otherwise, with the caretaker government be put on hold;
• 8.calls on the Commission to send a clear message via its representatives in the region that lives of democratic leaders and their supporters must be safeguarded; otherwise, the cooperation agreement with the EU will be frozen;
• 9.calls for proactive commitment by EU representatives in Phnom Penh to ensure improvement of the human and civil rights in Cambodia;
• 10.calls for an immediate suspension of EU non-humanitarian aid;
• 11.suggests an ad-hoc EU delegation to Cambodia as soon as possible to evaluate the political situation of the country;
• 12.instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Secretary-General of the UN, governments of the Asean countries, and the caretaker government and parliament of Cambodia.