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Trouble Came in Threes JAN
JAN
FEB
7
14
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The first year of the pandemic had already made it clear that some governments across Asia were taking advantage of the health crisis to tighten their grip on their people. But even CALD was surprised that just a week into 2021, it was compelled to issue a statement condemning the arrest of 50 democrats in Hong Kong. In its statement dated January 7, CALD said that it considered “these arrests as an indication that the national security law can have negative repercussions for democracy and political rights in the territory” and that these “can just further exacerbate the already volatile political situation” in Hong Kong. “CALD once again implores the Hong Kong administration to immediately release and drop the charges against those arrested,” the Council also said in its first statement for 2021, “and to cease from committing further actions that threaten or harass the political opposition and activists.”
Just a week later, however, CALD was moved to issue another statement, this time addressing the refusal of the Hun Sen government to allow opposition politicians to return to Cambodia so that they could attend their court trial. The Council said in its statement dated January 14: “Aligned with the principles of democracy, we in CALD firmly believe that everyone has a right to fair trial with respect to justice and human rights. The continuous persecution of the political opposition in Cambodia is an alarming trend that has no place in a democracy that Cambodia claims to uphold.” Added CALD: “We urge the government of Cambodia, under the leadership of Prime Minister Hun Sen, to allow the opposition leaders and activists a safe return to Cambodia by granting valid travel documents, committing to a fair trial, and ensuring that they are not detained as they await judicial procedures as is their right.”
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But the worse was yet to come. On February 1, Myanmar’s military forcibly took over the country’s democratically elected government. CALD wasted no time in issuing a statement on the very same day. Condemning the military takeover “in the strongest terms,” CALD in its third statement for 2021 called “on the international community, particularly the United Nations (UN) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to speak up and make a principled stand against the coup d’etat in Myanmar.” It also appealed to China “to use its significant clout over Myanmar to ensure that country returns to the democratic path.” In addition, it urged the international community “to demand for the immediate and unconditional release” of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and other senior officials of the National League for Democracy (NLD).