THE PHNOM PENH POST/ANN – Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said development and democracy would not be possible without peace.
Speaking at the inauguration of the Choam Chao interchange in Phnom Penh’s Por Sen Chey district on Thursday, the premier pointed out that the war between Ukraine and Russia that is currently raging has resulted in the loss of shelter, the separation of families and total disrespect for human rights.
“Now, please go ask Ukraine where human rights are. The Russian army has been bombing and shelling children, who are now hiding underground.
“There are no schools, no clean water. Refugees have fled Ukraine, including students of African countries who were studying in Ukraine and who were then discriminated against on the European continent, a place that considers itself pro-democracy and respectful of human rights,” he said.
Hun Sen added that many Syrian and Libyan refugees were still living in refugee camps and the question to be posed to European countries is why do they have such obvious double-standards?
The prime minister said that at this point it’s not certain that those who talk about discrimination, democracy and human rights are actually practising what they preach.
Hun Sen further stated that the world is crying for peace and striving for peace at a time when instability due to the war in Ukraine and the possibility of a third world war or an outbreak of nuclear war are very real.
“We demanded peace. Having found peace, we’ve tried hard to talk about how to protect that peace at all costs until they say that we only think about peace and that we’ve forgotten about democracy and human rights. Yes, I acknowledge those criticisms, but let’s talk about peace first,” he said.
