Bektimirova Nadezhda

Civil protest activity in Cambodia in 2013-2014

ЮГО-ВОСТОЧНАЯ АЗИЯ: АКТУАЛЬНЫЕ ПРОБЛЕМЫ РАЗВИТИЯ, 2014, №22, 82-105

 
Annotation: This article considers the rapid rise in protest activities in 2013-2014. The author highlights the growing numerical strength and the increasingly diverse social make-up of the protesters, points to the most common forms of protest and analyses the use of new technologies, such as social networks, the Internet and other modern means of communication in the organisation of protest movements. The paper also focuses on the sources of social discontent and growing protest mood among rural and urban dwellers, which has significantly contributed to allowing the oppositional Cambodia National Rescue Party to strengthen its position. Having refused to accept the results of the 2013 general election the Party managed to organise a series of mass political rallies, as well as to consolidate protest movements in the country as a whole, expanding their scope and enhancing coordination. A close analysis of the available data leads the author to conclude that on the whole, the rapid increase in the sheer volume and frequency of civil activities among various population groups and the emergence of new forms of self-organisation and mobilisation of Cambodian society creates favourable conditions for accelerating the process of democratisation which has been stalled for the past 10 years.

Keywords: CAMBODIA, PROTEST ACTIVITY, STRIKES, TRADE UNIONS, TEXTILE INDUSTRY, LAND GRABBING, BOYCOTT, CAMBODIA NATIONAL RESCUE PARTY, PROTEST NETWORKS