Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterpart in Cambodia on the political freedoms in that country.

We take every opportunity to raise our concerns about political freedoms in Cambodia. I expressed my dismay about the recent elections and the fact that there was no credible opposition to Prime Minister Hun Sen, Deputy Prime Minister Sar Kheng and Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn during my visit to Cambodia from 21-23 August. I also met leading representatives of civil society during the visit, to hear about the ongoing challenges they face and what more we can do to assist them. At the 39th UN Human Rights Council on 11 September, the UK urged Cambodian authorities to lift restrictions on political debate and media freedom, drop all charges against and restrictions on opposition leader Kem Sokha, and create the conditions for a proper functioning democracy.

We shall continue to work closely with the EU and other like-minded partners, to press the Cambodian authorities to take further steps towards restoring the conditions for a fully functioning multi-party democracy.

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