Constitutional amendment allows Cambodian government to revoke citizenship
The change would apply to people who were born Cambodian citizens, people with dual citizenship in Cambodia and another country, and people from other nations who have been granted Cambodian citizenship.
All 125 members of the National Assembly voted for the resolution, which legally amends Article 33 of the Cambodian constitution. The move comes after a rise in tensions between Cambodia and Thailand over a border dispute that resulted in a deadly shooting incident, closures at the border, and a political fight that contributed to a Thai court suspending the country's prime minister.
Hun Manet, Cambodia's prime minister, used a speech last week to frame the move's expected impact.
'Please don't be concerned if you are a patriot and do not oppose the interest' of Cambodia, he said. 'But if you have conspired with foreign powers to destroy Cambodia then, yes, it is true you should be worried, and in such case you are not a Cambodian. No true patriot would ever plot with foreign powers to destroy their nation.'
Critics warn that new legislation targeting dissidents' citizenship would suppress voices critical of the government.
'As the proposal moves closer to becoming reality, anyone who speaks out against or opposes the ruling party will be at risk of having their citizenship revoked,' Montse Ferrer, Regional Research Director for Amnesty International, said in a statement. 'We are deeply concerned that the Cambodian government, given the power to strip people of their citizenship, will misuse it to crackdown on its critics and make them stateless.'
Before the amendment, Article 33 of the Cambodian constitution said that 'no Khmer citizen shall be deprived of their nationality, exiled, or extradited to another country except through mutual agreement. Khmer citizens living abroad are protected by the state. The acquisition of Cambodian nationality is determined by law.'
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