Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment she has made of the effect of reported (a) human rights abuses and (b) attacks on political opposition and trade unions on the fairness of the forthcoming general election in Cambodia.

We are deeply concerned about steps taken by the Cambodian authorities and Supreme Court which undermine freedom of expression and prospects for free and fair elections.

We have repeatedly raised our concerns at the dissolution of the CNRP and arrest of the opposition leader Kem Sokha with the Cambodian government. Most recently, the Permanent Under-Secretary at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office recently underlined our concerns to his counterparts during a visit to Cambodia on 18 May. At the UN Human Rights Council in June, the UK expressed dismay at the continued democratic deterioration in Cambodia.

A EU statement made on 30 May at the Committee on the Application of Standards urged the Cambodian Government to cease using the judiciary as a political tool to harass and intimidate trade unions. Despite an uptake of small political parties registering ahead of the Election, we assess that these do not constitute a credible opposition.