Cambodian Red Cross playing by the party’s rules, watchdog says
Cambodian branch of aid organisation accused of acting as Prime Minister Hun Sen’s proxy and funnelling donations from tycoons linked to his ruling party
In war zones and disaster areas around the world, the Red Cross is often seen as a beacon of hope for populations struggling to come to terms with catastrophe. But it now stands accused of acting as a state-sponsored “humanitarian wing” of the Cambodian government, violating its own policy of impartiality.
Global Witness, a London-based corruption watchdog, has called for the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to expel the Cambodian Red Cross (CRC).
In a report released on Wednesday, the NGO alleged the CRC is “used by [Prime Minister Hun Sen] and the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) for political gain”, violating the CRC’s fundamental principles of neutrality and independence.
“[The CRC] does little to hide its political allegiance”, reads the report. “It functions as a microcosm of Hun Sen’s patronage system and its central committee comprises many of the Hun family’s business associates, CPP officials and their family members.”
Hun Sen’s wife, Bun Rany, is the CRC president and critics point to a speech she gave in 2013 as evidence of this overlap.
“When there are floods ... [you] have seen that there is no other party coming to help you,” she said. “There is only the CPP, because all civil servants are CPP.”
