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Friday, May 11, 2018, 16:36
Cambodia condemns US Congressman's sanction bid
By Reuters
Friday, May 11, 2018, 16:36 By Reuters

Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen delivers an address during an opening ceremony for the Khmer New Year at Bayon temple at the Angkor complex in Siem Reap province on April 13, 2018. Cambodia condemned a proposal by a US Congressman to impose financial sanctions on long-serving Prime Minister Hun Sen and his officials, saying the bid destroyed the credibility of the United States.(TANG CHHIN SOTHY / AFP)

PHNOM PENH - Cambodia on Friday condemned a proposal by a US Congressman to impose financial sanctions on long-serving Prime Minister Hun Sen and his officials, saying the bid destroyed the credibility of the United States.

Ted Yoho, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific, said on Thursday a "Cambodia Democracy Act of 2018" aimed to impose financial sanctions, in addition to visa restrictions that Washington placed last year, on Cambodian officials for "undermining democracy" with a crackdown on critics ahead of a July general election.

Cambodian government spokesman Phay Siphan said the proposal "offended" Cambodia and was "bad" US foreign policy.

The move aimed to impose financial sanctions, in addition to visa restrictions that Washington placed last year, on Cambodian officials for undermining democracy with a crackdown on critics

Ted Yoho, Chairman, House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific

"He drafted the bill in his office from the other side of the world ... it destroys America's credibility," the spokesman, Phay Siphan, told Reuters.

Relations between Cambodia and the United States have been strained recently over US criticism of the government crackdown on dissent, and Prime Minister Hun Sen's anger over what he says have been US efforts to undermine his rule.

ALSO READ: Cambodia's Hun Sen challenges EU and US to freeze assets

The United States has denied interfering in Cambodian politics.

In December, the United States said it would restrict entry to people involved in Cambodian action to undermine democracy, including the dissolution of the main opposition party and imprisonment of its leader.

The visa sanctions were the toughest steps by any Western country since Hun Sen launched the crackdown on critics.

The European Union (EU) and the United States have not removed preferential trade access for Cambodia’s vital garments sector, despite calls from rights groups for targeted sanctions.

Both the EU and the United States have withdrawn funding for the July election, when Hun Sen hopes to extend his more than three decades in power.

READ MORE: Cambodian PM vows to stay in power for at least another decade

Republican Representative Yoho said in a statement the Cambodian people were "starving for democracy".

He said the act would "push back against the Hun Sen's regime's undermining of democracy ... by applying financial sanctions to the figures who carry out this despicable agenda".

Chinese support for big ticket projects has allowed Hun Sen to brush off Western criticism of his crackdown.

China vastly outspends the United States in a country once destroyed by Cold War super power rivalry, and its money goes on highly visible infrastructure projects and with no demands for political reform.

READ MORE: PM: Cambodia-China ties solid, reaching high level

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