They are among millions of democrats who live in dictatorships, who press on and push for freedom, even as they feel alienated from and neglected by the world. Yet, although we do not hear their voices much, many Cambodians are still fighting for their democracy from both outside and inside their country. I returned to Cambodia many times as a visitor in the years that followed, and lived there from 2008 until 2014, and as time went on, the democratic space shrank and Hun Sen’s grip tightened. I feverishly took Polaroid photos of the Cambodian opposition leaders hiding in the hotel, so that the ambassador could issue them the safety of U.S. I stood on the rooftop of Hotel Cambodiana, where expats and government officials had fled for safety, and watched Hun Sen’s goons round up members of Parliament and political opponents, escorting them down to the Mekong River. The very next day, Hun Sen-a former military commander who at the time was Cambodia’s co–prime minister-marshaled the army and carried out a military coup. ambassador to Phnom Penh warned of storm clouds ahead. The air was hopeful: Civic groups were preparing to monitor upcoming elections, political parties were selecting candidates and drafting platforms, and newspapers had popped up to feverishly report on it all.Īt his Fourth of July party, however, the U.S. government to help solidify the country’s fragile democracy. In 1997, I was living in Cambodia, working for the U.S.
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