CONFIDENTIAL
KAMPUCHEA (CAMBODIA)
Report by HM Embassy, Bangkok
Right No.
(i)
(ii)
Rating Suggested
by Post
Although Prince Sihanouk may be under what amounts to house arrest, so far as can be determined there have been few, if any, cases of arbitrary arrest or imprisonment since the communists took power in April 1975. Instead it appears that the punishment in most areas for most offences is arbitrary execution. (It would probably be impos- sible for even the Cambodians to estimate how many have died in this way, but it must be at least many thousands.)
As with arbitrary imprisonment, there is little evidence of the use of torture as such. Reports of executions indicate that they are often by the most brutal and primitive means (eg people are clubbed to death to save ammunition). Executions appear to have slackened off because their objectives have been achieved, but most of Democratic Kampuchea's population of 6 million has existed since April 1975 under conditions of forced labour, starvation and deprivation of medical treatment which amount to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment.
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(iii)
There is no evidence of slavery as such, but most of the population perform forced labour under appalling conditions which amount to the worst kind of slavery.
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(iv)
Except perhaps within certain limits among the ruling elite, who control what little exists in the way of press and radio, it seems probable that any attempts at free speech are punished by death.
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(v)
Those members of the judiciary who did not escape in April 1975 are almost certainly dead. There appears to be no law in Demo- cratic Kampuchea other than the decisions and directives of the central authorities. Local commanders and officials often act according to their own whims.
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(vi)
It seems unlikely that any trade union acti- vity exists; unless organised by the authorities it would probably be punished by death.
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CONFIDENTIAL
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