Cambodia's 500,000 Cham Muslims live quietly alongside their neighbors in rural areas and urban centers from Battambang to Kampong Cham provinces. Most of them are descendants of the lost Champa empire, which had its seat in today's Vietnam, and are of the Sunni branch of Islam. The Chams have their own language and culture, a civilization within a nation. VOA Khmer presents an occasional series on one of Cambodia's often-forgotten cultures.
NGO Law To Aid Counterterrorism: Official
Sak Setha, secretary of state for the Ministry of Interior |
The proposed “Law on Organizations,” sometimes mistranslated as the “Organic Law,” has been criticized by rights groups and other organizations as an attempt by the government to control them.
But the law will also prevent funding from Islamic extremism to
“We focus on international terrorist organizations, not assistance from countries,” he said, as a guest on “Hello VOA.” “I believe that assistance from any country, if it’s proper by this law, will not be impacted.”
Sak Setha pointed to Muslim organization Um Alkura, which was linked to the terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah and closed by the government in 2006, as evidence that extremist funding was finding its way to
Many of
Meanwhile, Tieng Saphorn, a project manager for the NGO Star Kampuchea, welcomed the law.
“NGOs are partners of the government, and we have never committed any wrongdoing,” he said, also as “Hello VOA” guest.
“The law is in the interest of NGOs,” Sak Setha said, dismissing concerns from groups that the law would adversely affect them.
When the new law is passed, many of the country’s more than 2,000 NGOs will have to reapply and fill out additional documentation, he said.
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