PLANS are under way to reform Cambodia's
court system, said Deputy Prime Minister Sok An on Wednesday, while
handing out certificates to law students at the Royal Administration
School.
"We will be preparing a national workshop to reform the
law and courts," Sok An said. "We hear bad rumours about courts in
Cambodia, and we are going to work very hard to change that. We need to
enforce discipline and make sure the courts are independent."
Local
and international NGOs have long been demanding improvements in the
judicial system, and are sceptical about the government's sudden
enthusiasm.
"The government often announces plans to reform the
courts, but I never actually see these plans put into practice," Heang
Rithy, director of the Cambodia National Research Organisation, told
the Post Thursday
"There are three points that are very important to us," he added.
"Number
one: ensure the judge and prosecutor work independently according to
the Paris Peace Accords. Number two: ensure the Council of Judges and
the government are kept separate, and there are clear distinctions made
between the two parties. Number three: ensure judges are selected by an
independent party," he said.
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