PHNOM PENH has condemned a report by three leading nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that say basic freedoms within Cambodia's one-party state are 'restricted' amid increasing criticism by civil-society groups ahead of commune elections, according to the Union of Catholic Asian News. In their sixth annual report, titled 'Cambodian Fundamental Freedoms Monitor,' the Centre for Human Rights, Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association and the Solidarity Centre said fundamental freedoms in the Southeast Asian country remained restricted and its civic space continued to shrink. 'Despite the government's duty to respect, protect and promote the freedoms of association, expression and assembly, the report records more than 300 restrictions and violations of fundamental freedoms in every province,' the 80-page report said. But government spokesman Phay Siphan deplored the report, saying it did not reflect the truth about Cambodian society. 'The government always bases its decisions on the law in regards to freedom of assembly and freedom of speech,' he said, adding that 'all people have equal rights, but they cannot stray from being under the jurisdiction of the law.'
