Protesters have marched from Springvale to Dandenong calling for peace in Cambodia ahead of a visit to Australia by that nation’s Prime Minister.
Fifty marchers including three Buddhist monks and five Cambodian groups trekked 10 kilometres as part of the ‘Pilgrimage for Peace’ on Saturday 17 February.
Their journey concluded with presenting a petition to Bruce MP Julian Hill at his Dandenong office.
The petition called for the Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to raise issues of human rights and democracy with the Cambodian PM Hun Manet.
It also calls for the release of political prisoners.
Also among the protest were former state MP Hong Lim, former Greater Dandenong mayor Youhorn Chea and current Clarinda MP Meng Heang Tak.
All three have claimed to have received death threats from supporters of Cambodia’s rulers.
“We hope the march will draw attention to the lack of democracy and human rights in Cambodia,” Tak said.
Cambodian PM Manet will attend the ASEAN Special Summit in Melbourne on 2-4 March.
Manet is the son of the previous Prime Minister Hun Sen, who ruled for nearly 40 years. He won last year’s elections in a landslide last year after the main opposition party was banned.
The march was organised by the Cambodian Australian Federation, the Cambodian Alliance for Peace Agreements on Cambodia, the Cambodian National Rescue Party, the Khmer Kampuchea Krom Federation and the Cambodian Association of Victoria.
