Long-Time Communist Dictator Hun Sen Reestablishing Totalitarian Control in Cambodia

What’s saddest about this is that only a few years ago, Cambodia seemed headed for democracy. No longer:

“Cambodia right now is at a crossroads: It must decide whether it’s going to be a real democracy or whether it’s going to move inexorably toward a one-party state,” said the American ambassador, Joseph Mussomeli.

The special United Nations envoy for human rights in Cambodia, Yash Ghai, said only strong action from the countries that support Cambodia’s economy could stop the slide.

“It has all the hallmarks of the beginning of a totalitarian regime,” he said.

The government rounded up all three of the country’s top opposition leaders in one day. Cambodia had been one of the places that make things I still feel good about buying. The Times suggests that international pressure may be the only way to stop Hun Sen’s power grab, and I agree.