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Cambodia's prime minister asked foreign donors for more aid
Tuesday while hitting back at critics who doubt his government's
ability to manage prospective windfall revenues from oil and gas
amid rampant corruption.
Hun Sen's remarks at the opening of a two-day meeting with
foreign donors came after a barrage of criticism that his
government has repeatedly reneged on promises to control
corruption. Such criticism is perennial, but few aid donors have
ever carried out threats to stop funding.
Despite economic growth averaging 11.4 percent for the last
three years, Cambodia remains one of the world's poorest countries
and is heavily reliant on foreign aid. Donors pledged $601 million
to the government last year.
It is not yet clear how much the donors will pledge for Cambodia
this time.
A recent offshore oil discovery by U.S. energy giant Chevron
(nyse: CVX - news - people ) Corp. has prompted concerns that
corruption could worsen in Cambodia, even though it is still
unclear if the oil is present in commercial quantities.
In his opening speech, Hun Sen chided the donors for being "a
bit over-concerned" about how oil revenues will be used when the
oil is still under the seabed and the exact quantity isn't even
known yet.
He said such concerns ignore his government's efforts to
implement reforms and "appear to prematurely cast doubt on the
government's integrity and capacity in the management and
leadership of the country."
The country was ranked 151 among the 163 countries in
Transparency International's 2006 "corruption perceptions index"
which grades countries from the least corrupt at the top to the
worst offenders near the bottom. Transparency International is an
international non-governmental agency.
Human rights and environmental groups said the government keeps
breaking its promises to reform, and that donors must get tougher
with the government to ensure it meets its pledges.
"If their mission is to help Cambodia's long-suffering
population, rather than just cozying up to its kleptocratic
government, donors must start insisting on tangible actions to
combat corruption and impunity," Simon Taylor, director of the
Britain-based environmental group Global Witness, said in a
statement Monday.
Earlier this month, his group issued a stinging report alleging
that tycoons in league with some senior officials and relatives of
Hun Sen were running illegal logging businesses. The government
denied the allegations.
U.S. Ambassador Joseph Mussomeli praised the government for the
strong economic growth and other achievements, but added that
progress in fighting land-grabbing, preserving the environment and
promoting good governance "is hampered by the systemic corruption
we see in Cambodia today."
Hun Sen told the aid donors that if the oil discovery leads to
production, his government will use the revenues "efficiently,
transparently and accountably."
At present, it is still in tremendous need of their generous
contributions to support its development programs, he said, adding
that his government is firmly committed to enacting an
anti-corruption law, a promise he has made in the past but which he
has yet to keep.
"Hun Sen continues to run circles around the donors, making the
same empty promises every year and laughing all the way to the
bank," Brad Adams, Human Rights Watch's Asia director, said
Saturday.
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