By Poppy McPherson
BANGKOK, Nov 13 (Reuters) - Exiled Cambodian opposition figure Sam Rainsy denounced a gathering of leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, in Phnom Penh this weekend as a "sham", saying political persecution and organised crime in the Southeast Asian nation made it an inappropriate venue.
Heads of state and senior ministers are meeting in the Cambodian capital for a summit of the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF). The organisation promotes cooperation between French-speaking nations and lists peace, democracy and human rights among its core tenets.
"I think the summit is going to take place at the wrong place at the wrong time," Rainsy told Reuters on Friday by phone from Paris. He lives in self-exile after fleeing Cambodia, where he has been convicted of multiple offences in absentia and his political party has been banned.
"Cambodia is in a very difficult situation in terms of democracy, the rule of law, human rights, independence of the judiciary...which is totally contrary to the values that the Francophonie is supposed to represent," he said. "I think it is a sham. It is a strange summit."
Neth Pheaktra, Cambodia's minister of information, said the government had "no time for polemics" and was focused on making the gathering a success.
UN CALLS FOR RELEASE OF DETAINEES
On Monday, Tom Andrews, the United Nations' human rights envoy to Cambodia, urged the government to release more than 100 people detained for "exercising their fundamental freedoms", including environmental activists, before the summit. He said doing so would honor the OIF's values.
A coalition of 26 Cambodian organisations this week handed the Canadian and French embassies in Phnom Penh a joint petition citing "democratic backsliding, human rights violations, and attacks on civil society". It called on states attending the summit to protest the "rapidly deteriorating situation".
An Elysee official told Reuters that France had "messages to convey" at the summit and that human rights and rule of law were being addressed "at all levels".
"The policy of the empty chair is not the best way to move these issues forward," the official said.
Strongman Hun Sen governed Cambodia for nearly four decades until 2023, when he handed power to his son, Hun Manet. He retains considerable influence, including as head of the ruling Cambodian People's Party.
Rights groups say political repression has continued, with the government stifling dissent, independent media and civil society.
Cambodia has also become an epicenter of the multibillion-dollar cyberfraud industry, as criminal syndicates, mostly of Chinese origin, have built sprawling scam compounds staffed by trafficked workers forced to defraud people worldwide. The government launched a crackdown last year, but critics say it has failed to target powerful elites linked to the industry.
“The Francophonie cannot credibly promote shared prosperity while criminal networks operate with impunity and citizens are denied their democratic rights,” said Mu Sochua, another exiled Cambodian politician.
(Reporting by Reuters staff; Additional reporting by Elizabeth Pineau in Paris; Editing by Ros Russell)
