LTO Cambodia: WikiLeaks

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

WikiLeaks does it again

For the second time in as many months (see 'WikiLeaks') WikiLeaks has released US embassy cables including some from the embassy in Phnom Penh. And like last time, WikiLeaks has failed to scour the confidential sources from those cables, this time revealing the name of a foreign human rights activist in Cambodia who had spoken candidly with the US embassy (see NYT: 'WikiLeaks Leaves Names of Diplomatic Sources in Cables.') At a time when human rights abuses are on the rise and NGOs in Cambodia are under fire from the government for their human rights activities (see PPP: 'NGO 'Incitement'') WikiLeaks may have exposed this human rights activist to serious repercussions.

Unlike the WikiLeaks cable release of two months ago, this time they claim that publishing the names was 'accidental' (see here,) though that is likely of little help to those they have exposed. And while this time may not have been intentional, it is unsurprising that such an 'accident' could occur as WikiLeaks puts very little weight on protecting the names of informants. Mr. Assange stated earlier this year:

“Well they’re informants…So if they get killed, they’ve got it coming to them. They deserve it.” (see here)

Whether due to a political agenda that WikiLeaks feels outweighs the possible human costs, or to a dogmatic adherence to some deontological ethics, or to just plain unprofessionalism, WikiLeaks' repeated disregard for the human consequences of their actions is at the very least incredibly irresponsible, perhaps worse.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

WikiLeaks

WikiLeaks just released hundreds of cables from the US Embassy in Phnom Penh, some dating back to the early 90s but most post-2005. The cables can be viewed here:

WikiLeaks leaks: US Embassy, Phnom Penh, Cambodia cables, released by WikiLeaks July 2011

After a quick browse through, the US looks pretty good throughout the cables. I haven't found any big gotchas yet. Fairly normal embassy correspondence. Perhaps a little embarrassing at times to have all of one's private conversations, musings and opinions publicized unfiltered, as it would be for anybody, but nothing untoward (at least for the US) that I can find yet. Generally good political analysis, mostly accurate or at least one can understand how a reasonable person could arrive at that conclusion. Not that different than one might read in the local English language press, but deeper and more informed, as well as a bit more open and incautious as the writers thought they were engaged in private, non-binding conversations. Where specific interests are pushed by the embassy, the US seems mostly a force for Good (anti-sex trafficking, anti-drug trafficking, pro-democracy/human rights/political freedom), if not sometimes rather pragmatic in its interests.

Unfortunately WikiLeaks has once again failed to delete the names of some private individuals, including asylum seekers and those who provided information to the embassy. Potentially dangerous for the individuals named, who now may become targets for persecution. They can thank Assange for hanging them out to dry like that.

Cambodia

Cambodia is Srok Khmer, the 'Land of the Khmer,' the primary ethnic group in the area since at least the Neolithic and an Indian influenced civilization with origins near 2000 years old. Centered on the lower Mekong and tributaries the Khmer people have dominated the region for millennia. From 2nd century AD Khmer kingdoms rose and fell, culminating in unification and the 500 year reign of the Angkorian Empire, the builders of the temples of Angkor near Siem Reap. The Empire stretched from Burma to the ocean. But by the 1400s Cambodia fell to centuries of change and decline squeezed between the expanding Siam and Vietnam. Colonized and by the French in the 1860s, independence 90 years later in 1954, a brief post-colonial 'golden period' under Sihanouk, coup in 70, civil war, fall to the communist Khmer Rouge in 75, 3 years 8 months 20 days of madness, Vietnamese rescue in 1979, occupation, low level war and international sanctions in the 80s, the UN, ostensive democracy and an adventure party destination in the 90s and now mainstreaming, tourism, rapid development, rapacious capitalism and NGOs, missionaries and other international busybodies aplenty.

Southeast Asia

As the term implies, Southeast Asia encompasses the southeastern corner of the Asian continent, loosely speaking, the area between India, China and Australia. It is made up of two distinct regions: the mainland zone, a bulbous peninsula jutting into the Pacific Ocean, bounded by China to the north and India to the west; and the insular (island) zone in the Pacific Ocean. The name 'Southeast Asia' is a comparatively recent invention, first coming into use into the 20th century and still a bit indefinite in definition. Mainland Southeast Asia is generally considered to include Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, Burma (Myanmar) and peninsular Malaysia. The mainland is sometimes referred to as Indo-China though Indochina (Indochine) also designates the 19th/20th century French colonial conglomerate of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. Sitting south of the Tropic of Cancer, most of mainland Southeast Asia lies in the hot, humid tropics and sub-tropics with a climate dominated by a monsoon cycle which divides the year into two distinct seasons: a dry season and an extremely wet monsoon season. Much of the mainland is mountainous and thickly jungled, with large river systems and wide, low-lying, flood-prone plains, much of which is, in modern times, deforested and blanketed with geometrical rice paddies. Several major river valleys including the Mekong River, the Red, Ma and Ka rivers and the group of rivers draining to the Chao Praya Delta played host to the rise of early civilization in the area. The Mekong River is one of the world's greatest rivers, the seventh largest on the planet, and since pre-history has been closely associated with the land of the Khmer.