{mosads}Obama became the first sitting U.S. president to visit the two countries when he visited in November. He was in Cambodia to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit and the East Asia Summit and first visited Burma to mark the thawing in relations.
“Assistant Secretary Posner’s latest trip to the region is a planned follow up to the October bilateral human rights dialogue and to discuss commitments the government of Burma made during President Obama’s November visit, including the subject of political prisoners,” State Department spokesman Evan Owen told The Hill. “The administration has long held concerns about the human rights situation in Cambodia. This was Assistant Secretary Posner’s third trip to Cambodia to engage on these issues.”
Here is the full readout from the State Department:
In Cambodia, Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, Michael Posner met with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Hor Namhong, civil society activists, opposition leaders, and the representative for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on February 19. His discussions focused on promoting electoral reform, resolving land rights disputes, and harassment and detainment of activists while stressing the United States commitment to the Cambodian people’s right to a government that reflects their goals and desires.
On February 20 Assistant Secretary Posner will continue to Rangoon, Burma for a three-day visit where he will discuss human rights reforms with government officials, religious leaders, and civil society activists. Specific topics will include the government’s announcement of a political prisoner process, religious freedom of ethnic minority communities, and the human rights situation in current and former conflict areas.