According to information and documents, controversial businessman George Soros’ Open Society Foundations was also involved in the ‘anti Cambodian’ government groups.
NEW DELHI: Documents and internal communications shared with The Sunday Guardian have indicated and claimed that a colour revolution, similar to what was witnessed in Bangladesh, was recently attempted and is still being attempted in Cambodia by the United States-based and -backed civil society and government groups.
As per internal emails, reports and documents shared with The Sunday Guardian, a cocktail of agencies situated in the US and other countries, in collaboration with political dissenters in Cambodia used the issue of Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam Development Triangle Area (CLV-DTA) agreement to push the Cambodian government to the back foot and subsequently execute a long standing operation to remove the incumbent government from power and install a pro-Washington face in Phnom Penh.
THE BACKGROUND
The government in Cambodia is presently headed by Prime Minister Hun Manet, who is the vice president of the Cambodian People Party. He had succeeded his father Hun Sen, who currently serves as the President of the Senate. Hun Sen previously served as the Prime Minister of Cambodia from 1985 to 1993 and from 1998 to 2023, and was the longest-serving head of government in Cambodia’s history. He is also the president of the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP).
On 2 August, PM Manet had said that Cambodians should be careful of protesting against the government, citing Bangladesh’s recent demonstrations in its capital that caused that country’s leader to resign and flee the country.
“I don’t want to see this type of situation happening in Cambodia, especially in Phnom Penh,” he had said while referring to a huge anti-government protest planned on 18 August in Phnom Penh.
However, the protest could not turn into a large-scale event due to the government knowing about it in advance.
Later, on 20 September, Manet announced that Cambodia will withdraw from the Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam Development Triangle Area (CLV-DTA) agreement while stating that the move was aimed to “disarm the opposition and maintain peace and solidarity.”
According to officials familiar with these developments who spoke to The Sunday Guardian, Manet decided to withdraw Cambodia’s participation from CLV as he did not want the protests to continue and cause possible civilian casualties.
He, official sources said, has so far avoided revealing the inputs and information that prove that these anti-government groups are funded by America-based entities including the infamous Open Society Foundations of George Soros.
CLV had come into focus after opposition groups, domestic and abroad, began alleging that the agreement could lead to Cambodia ceding territory to Vietnam, and used it to call for widespread protests and the eventual overthrow of the government.
Incidentally, Hun Sen was the one who personally initiated the CLV-DTA agreement in 1999, to develop four Cambodian provinces—Ratanakkiri, Kratie, Stung Treng and Mondulkiri—by enhancing transportation links and economic activities with Laos and Vietnam. While cooperation officially began in 2004.The agreement allowed for the free flow of citizens who live in these provinces into the other two countries for trade and investment.
Those who are against the agreement claim that multi-decade agricultural land concessions to Vietnamese and Lao based investors will result in a loss of control of large pieces of Cambodian land.
The CLV “is a cover for further illegal deforestation, land evictions and exploitation of natural resources for foreign gain,” exiled opposition leader Mu Sochua had written on X, when the 18 August protests had still not happened.
Sochua is amongst the individuals and groups who have been named as those who instigated the protests while taking funds from US agencies, directly or indirectly.
“Continued illegal Vietnamese immigration into the four Cambodian provinces concerned by the agreement, and the effective control that Vietnam will wield over the economy of the region, means that the provinces will effectively become vassals controlled by Vietnam,” she had written under the Khmer Movement for Democracy (KMD) account, that launched this year in March, and registered in the US state of Massachusetts, while intending to serve as a de facto opposition to the CPP.
As per rights groups including Amnesty International, the Cambodian police have arrested the dissenters for their difference of opinion over the government policies.
As per media reports, at least 94 people have been arrested since late July 2024 for publicly criticizing the Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam Development Triangle Area. According to Amnesty, many of those arrested have been charged with plotting and incitement merely for expressing their views on the CLV or organizing peaceful protests.
THE ALLEGED PLOT
As per the investigation by Cambodian authorities, a series of subversive activities were framed as an initial step in a broader effort to incite a “colour revolution” to overthrow the present Cambodian government through civil unrest.
Internal documents and investigation-related documents shared with The Sunday Guardian show that the anti-government groups were and are being funded by US based NGOs like NDI, United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Open Society Foundation (OSF), who were dealing with anti-government groups including KMD (Khmer Movement Democracy ), CNRP (Cambodia National Rescue Party) which was led by Mu Sochua (Vice Chairman ) and its chairman Sam Rainsy, with the intention to overthrow the current Cambodian regime and re-establishing a pro-American government. Rainsy now stays in Paris, France.
The National Democratic Institute (NDI) is a non-profit, non-partisan organization based in Washington, D.C., that aims to support and strengthen democratic institutions worldwide. Founded in 1983, it is one of the four core institutes of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), alongside the International Republican Institute (IRI), the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE), and the Solidarity Center. Its involvement in the removal of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina that led to power being transferred to Muhammad Yunus was documented by The Sunday Guardian earlier. (Documents show U.S. set in motion plan to oust Hasina, 15 September).
It is suspected by officials that while the 18 August protests were controlled, the Opposition in Cambodia will not give up and will try to continue the protests in the following Bon Om Touk (Cambodian Water Festival) and Pchum Ben Day. Bon Om Touk (Cambodian Water Festival) is celebrated in November, marking the end of the rainy season. Pchum Ben Day is scheduled for November 14.
Among the other individuals who were arrested by the Cambodian authorities to thwart the 18 August protest includes Hay Vannith who admitted to participating Mu Sochua’s plan to incite violence, breach the peace, attempt to overthrow the government, and incite people to hold rallies and demonstrations for the purpose of subverting the government and opposing CLV through Facebook and Telegram.
Vannith is the brother of a prominent Cambodian activist Hay Vanna, who lives in Japan. Vanna won a scholarship to Fulbright University and was a civil servant before his arrest. He is the president of Cambodia National Rescue Movement in Japan which is closely aligned with Sam Rainsy’s Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP).
Last month, Hay Vanna, who lives in Japan, apologized to Senate President Hun Sen and Prime Minister Hun Manet for his role in organizing protests among overseas Cambodian workers in August in Japan, South Korea, Canada and Australia. The demonstrations “caused chaos” and were “provoked by extremists,” such as exiled opposition leader Sam Rainsy, Hay Vanna said in the two-minute video posted on Facebook.
According to information and documents, controversial businessman George Soros’ Open Society Foundations (OSF) was also involved in the “anti Cambodian” government groups.
A copy of an email exchange between a senior member of Kurawal Foundation, a Jakarta, Indonesia-based organization that “aims to promote democracy values, institutions and practice in Indonesia and abroad” and Mu Sochua, former Cambodian politician and Nobel Peace Prize nominee, who is the president of the Khmer Movement for Democracy, shows that in July 2024, the OSF secretly funded $55,000 to Mu Sochua through the Indonesian Kurawal Foundation.
The first email in this topic was sent on 1 July 6.41 PM by Ms Sochua to a member of the Kurawal Foundation to Sochua, with the subject line, “Cambodia Democracy Project—extension”, with a detailed plan on what Sochua and her organization would do with fund that they had received.
The email reads,
“Thank you for verifying the conditions for extension of the project.
Reasons for extension of the project: Major advocacy will continue till the end of 2024. This includes the following:
In the USA:
– To ensure the adoption of the Cambodia Human Rights and Democracy Act by US Congress;
– To work with elected representatives in key US states on Transnational Repressions;
– To mobilize Cambodian diaspora to support the Khmer Movement for Democracy and participate in democracy activities.
In Asia-Pacific:
– To advocate with Australia and New Zealand governments for the release of political prisoners and present the human rights situation;
– To mobilize the Cambodian communities in Japan, South Korea to join the Khmer Movement for Democracy and participate in democracy activities;
– To work with NGOs and civil society organizations to support democracy in Cambodia.
In Europe:
– To advocate the EU Parliament for resolutions on Cambodia;
– To push for targeted sanctions by the EU against high ranking officials of the Cambodian government for grave violations of human rights and corruption.
I would like to extend the rest of the unspent budget to the end of 2024.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sochua”
The response to this email was sent by a member of the Kurawal Foundation on 4 July at 4.21 PM:
“Dear Sochua,
Thank you for your patience while awaiting my response.
I have duly noted the extension period.
Kurawal can extend the project and grant to you using OSF money. The funds you’ll receive $50,000, with the remaining $5,000 set for transfer in December 2024.
As for the budget for social media, you have the flexibility to use the $50,000 grant for any activities that support your advocacy, including for social media content creation and democracy activities.
Could you please confirm if you find this arrangement acceptable for the extension of our collaboration?
Thank you”
Email message ends.
***
Similarly, the Cambodian investigators, in order to stop the 18 August protest, arrested 16 members of Youth Resources Development Program (YRDP) which is an organization in Cambodia that aims to empower young people to exercise their civil and political rights.
As per the whistle blower quoting Cambodian security officials, YRDP has for long received funding from United States Agency For International Development (USAID), and allegedly trains grassroots people, especially the young, to carry out anti-government activities on political, economic, and social issues.
As per another set of documents, YRDP is currently working with COMFREL (Committee for Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia) and CENTRAL (Center for Alliance of Labor and Human Rights, a Cambodia based rights organization ) on the USAID ECCS (Empowering Cambodian Civil Society Actors and Networks ) project, which runs from October 2023 to September 2028.
The documents also showed that representatives of these groups in Cambodia met under NDI’s (National Democratic Institute) auspices to discuss plans for the 18 August event.
As per the document, NDI funded eight groups, including CENTRAL, COMFREL, YRDP, and nearly $100,000 to carry out anti-Cambodian government activities.
The document, which relates to awarding US$98,291 to Center for Alliance of Labor and Human Rights (CENTRAL) for a nine-month project that starts from 1 April 2024 till 31 December is related to how under the previous Political Accountability, Inclusivity & Resilience Support (PAIRS) programming, NDI supported the establishment of a Core Coordination Group (CCG) to support effective and cohesive implementation of pro-democratic advocacy efforts across relevant Cambodian Civil Society Organizations ( CSOs).
As per the document, the CCG has grown to eight total organizations, including CENTRAL, COMFREL, YRDP and five other non-governmental organizations, all of which had collectively designed this new project for which the award was sought.
The project, as per the internal document, is split into two phases: phase one that will focus on conducting an assessment of Cambodian Civil Society Organizations outside of the CCG to understand their bandwidth and appetite to engage in democracy, human rights, and governance advocacy topics related to Cambodia and, if so, which topics they see as most relevant to addressing and their capacity to address them.
While phase two will provide tailored capacity building efforts to interested organizations.
The document has further stated that CSOs (Civil Society Organizations) outside of the CCG to understand their bandwidth and appetite to engage in democracy, human rights, and governance advocacy topics related to Cambodia and, if so, which topics they see as most relevant to addressing and their capacity to address them; phase two will provide tailored capacity building efforts to interested organizations.
Under the heading “Background”, the project report has said,
“In an effort to remove any threat to their power, the Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC) and the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) have systematically undermined fundamental freedoms and crippled independent media and civil society. There were many reported cases of intimidation targeting the opposition Party, independent media, NGO and the dedicated activists. The situation deteriorated further as Hun Manet became the new Prime Minister. This campaign, which used legal, administrative, and judicial harassment and resulted in grave human rights violations, will leave a lasting impact on Cambodia that must be reversed immediately. The current political arena represents an opportunity for civil society to strengthen its network, recruit allies and create avenues for citizens to discuss issues and organize on the local level to increase public demand for equitable political processes.”
Under “Project objectives”, the document reads
1. Increase public demand for political processes that represent and respect the rights of Cambodians in all their diversity.
2. To foster a deeper understanding of human rights, democracy and the freedom of expression and assembly.
3. Strive to cultivate a spirit of resilience and the fortitude to advocate for justice within the community.
According to details shared with The Sunday Guardian, in addition to all these groups, another organization, “LI (Liberty International)” was one of the forces behind the Sam Rainsy group’s plot against the CLV program, which not only provided guidance for the protests but also sending two members with colour revolution experience directly to Cambodia to direct the entire operation.
On 10 August 2024, as per documents and inputs based on the interrogation of the arrested people by the Cambodian authorities, Jeffrey Epstein, a member of the CANVAS (Centre for Applied Nonviolent Action and Strategies based in Belgrade, Serbia), gave 50,000 euros to Federix Oldsen (a US citizen) and Andrew Butstama (Slovakian), two members of the LI in Norway, for the purpose of funding a visit to Cambodia. The two men had been sent to Cambodia to guide and gather information about plans for a big anti-government protest in Phnom Penh on 18 August. The two men, interrogation by Cambodian authorities revealed, were also allegedly involved in the colour revolution in Ukraine that was witnessed in 2004-05.
CANVAS is regarded by multiple countries as an organization that creates civil disturbance. It was listed as a terrorist organization by the United Arab Emirate in 2014.
In its response to The Sunday Guardian’s queries, CANVAS denied being involved in any activity in Cambodia recently. “CANVAS has not been involved in any activities in Cambodia recently and has never received any funding from Jeffery Epstein. We have not worked with NDI, IRI or any other U.S. organizations in Cambodia,” it said.
In 2011, its correspondence with the US-based intelligence agency Stratfor, was published by WikiLeaks after which it was accused of acting as a spy of the US government.
The Sunday Guardian sent an email to Liberty International, Ms Sochua, Kurawal Foundation, Comfrel, Central and YRDP on their official email seeking their version and response to these claims and developments. No response was shared by them till the time this report went to press.