Many of Cambodia's rural poor are in worse shape than they have been in the past

Rural Poor Worse Off Than Ever, Rights Official Argue
Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Original report from Washington
15 October 2007

Many of Cambodia's rural poor are in worse shape than they have been
in the past, a human rights official said Monday.

Emerging political conflict, food and land shortages and a low
standard of living continue to plague the rural population-about 80
percent of Cambodians, said Ou Vireak, director for the Cambodian
Center for Human Rights.

Even 10 kilometers out of Siem Reap, the gem of the country's tourism
sector, the most people live in abject poverty, he said, as a guest on
"Hello VOA."

The Center runs a public forum that has come under recent governmental
interference.

The central government has done little so far to tackle the issues
facing the rural poor, despite continuous documentation by the Center,
Ou Vireak said.

Ruling party officials ignore such complaints because it could cost
them their position and "grip on power," he said.

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