Off the wire
• China launches employment institutions for disabled  • Chinese shares tumble nearly 6 percent at closing  • Argentine court gives patient right to "die with dignity"  • Taliban, Afghan gov't "agree to continue talks", says Pakistan  • Nikkei plunges 3.14 pct to two-month low  • Interview: UN refugee relief body eyes deeper cooperation with China: commission-general  • Direct flight links Chengdu and Mauritius  • Myanmar plans to boost industrial enterprises for power access  • China's Didi Kuaidi raises USD 2 bln, boosting cash reserves  • Singapore's train service operator apologizes for massive disruption  
You are here: 　 Home

Cambodian parliament consults with stakeholders on NGO draft bill

Xinhua, July 8, 2015 Adjust font size:

The National Assembly of Cambodia on Wednesday held a public consultation on a controversial draft law on Non-Governmental Organizations and Associations ahead of an imminent vote.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the forum, which joined by some 700 NGO representatives, foreign diplomats and development partners, National Assembly's President Heng Samrin said the draft legislation would enhance the freedoms of NGOs and heighten the cooperation between NGOs and the government in the framework of the rule of law.

"So far, there are more than 5,000 NGOs and associations operating in Cambodia and actively assisting the government in social development, but the country has not yet had a law governing NGOs and associations," he said.

Prime Minister Hun Sen's cabinet approved the draft law on NGOs and Associations last month and it is currently awaiting approval from the National Assembly.

Under the draft bill, NGOs and associations will be required to register their nationalities with the government in order to have legal standing and must file reports on their activities and finances each year to the government.

It also allows the government to delete the name of any NGO or association, which has conducted any action that jeopardizes peace, stability and public order, or harms national security, unification, culture, traditions and custom.

Chheang Vun, Chairman of the National Assembly's Commission on Foreign Affairs, said the National Assembly will soon hold a plenary session to debate and pass the draft bill, which aims to protect the freedoms in creating NGOs and associations.

However, some international rights groups and diplomats in Western countries criticized the draft bill, saying that it was designed to restrict the freedoms of NGOs and associations. Endi