Thai PM urged by Human Rights Watch on Cambodia repression
As Thailand Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra prepares for her visit to Phnom Penh today, April 23, and tomorrow, April 24, Human Rights Watch is calling on her to raise pressing human rights concerns with Cambodian leaders.
The visit, which marks the 75th anniversary of Thai-Cambodian diplomatic relations, will see the 38 year old PM meet with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, Senate President Hun Sen, and King Norodom Sihamoni. However, amid the celebrations, serious issues of transnational repression loom large.
“Thailand shouldn’t sideline human rights as it seeks to expand its partnership with Cambodia,” said Elaine Pearson, Asia Director at Human Rights Watch.
The group has highlighted concerns over both governments engaging in transnational repression, a practice where states silence dissent by abusing human rights outside their borders.
These practices, sometimes referred to as a “swap mart,” involve the abduction, assault, enforced disappearance, and forced return of dissidents, where their lives or freedoms are at risk in their home countries.
The rights organisation stressed that Paetongtarn should raise these issues directly with her Cambodian counterparts, calling for an end to practices that tarnish both nations’ global standing.
One of the most glaring examples of such repression involves the unsolved killing of Lim Kimya, a dual French-Cambodian national and former member of the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP).
Kimya was murdered in Bangkok on January 7, and despite the issuance of arrest warrants for two Cambodian nationals connected to high-ranking officials, Cambodian authorities have made no progress in the investigation.
Following the murder, many Cambodian critics living abroad have expressed fears that nowhere is safe, including Thailand, where they have been subjected to unlawful deportations and repression.
Human Rights Watch also condemned Thai government officials for using immigration charges to justify the unlawful deportation of Cambodian dissidents, including those recognised as refugees by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
On November 25 last year, six Cambodian opposition members were forcibly returned to Cambodia by Thai officials, charged without basis under Cambodian criminal law.
These violations extend beyond Cambodia’s borders. The forced return of Cambodian refugees from Thailand has led to politically motivated charges and persecution. Notably, Voeung Samnang and Veourn Veasna were subjected to such treatment in 2021, and Samnang’s six-year prison sentence was upheld in December 2024.
The issue of transnational persecution also touches on the tragic case of Wanchalearm Satsaksit, a prominent pro-democracy activist abducted in Phnom Penh on June 4, 2020. Cambodian officials have failed to investigate this case, and Thai governments have not pressed Cambodia for answers, reported Human Rights Watch.
“Bangkok and Phnom Penh need to immediately end transnational persecution of critics and political opposition figures,” Pearson said. “Prime Minister Paetongtarn should use her visit to Phnom Penh to begin a new chapter of partnership that is based on respect for human rights.”
As the visit draws closer, all eyes will be on how Paetongtarn addresses these critical concerns in the pursuit of stronger bilateral ties.
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