Who is she?
Pung Chhiv Kek, 71, is the founder and current president of the Cambodia League for Promotion and Defense of Human Rights (Licadho). A medical doctor, she comes from a family of prominent public figures. Her father served in the cabinet of then Prince Norodom Sihanouk from 1979 to 1993. Her mother was the first woman to sit in Cambodia’s National Assembly in 1958 and served as health minister under Sihanouk during the 1960s.
Kek went into exile in France in 1971, after her parents left Cambodia for medical treatment and were not allowed to come back. In the 1980s, thanks to her family’s close ties to King Sihanouk, Kek helped broker the 1991 Paris Peace Accords by arranging meetings between the King and Hun Sen. Kek returned to Cambodia in 1992 and founded Licadho to promote human rights in the country.
Dr. Pung Chhiv Kek attending WITNESS’ Focus For Change Benefit Dinner & Concert 2010. Source: WITNESS,org’s flickr photostream, used under a creative commons license.
Why is she in the news?
Following the agreement reached between Prime Minister Hun Sen and opposition leader Sam Rainsy to end a one-year political stalemate in Cambodia, both sides on July 28 selected Kek to serve as a neutral member of Cambodia’s new National Election Committee (NEC). The new committee will consist of nine members, with eight seats divided equally between the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) and opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) and one for a neutral member. Kek accepted the position, but has requested full independence for the committee and immunity for its members.
Reforming the NEC was highlighted as a priority during talks between Hun Sen and Sam Rainsy, as critics have long charged the previous body of being under the influence of Hun Sen’s government.
What can we expect from her?
Although her appointment was officially supported by both the CPP and CNRP, Kek was accused by some of taking the government’s side during the negotiations. Nonetheless, her longstanding work to promote human rights in Cambodia leaves her well-placed to serve on the NEC and oversee the country’s upcoming electoral reforms. Expect Kek to push for a greater role for the NEC and be more outspoken on human rights issues in her new position.
