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Aid donors pledged US$601 million yesterday to help support Cambodia's development this year, bringing the amount foreign governments and international organisations have poured into the impoverished  nation over the past 15 years to more than US$7.5 billion.

But there are growing doubts about the sincerity of Cambodia's leaders and their efforts to embrace democracy, with critics saying the goodwill of the international community has borne little fruit since the UN peacekeeping mission in 1991 and the first democratic election in 1993.

The failure to uphold the rule of law and create an independent court system; encourage free speech and a proper opposition, or crackdown on corruption is evident in the frustrations of many Cambodians.

'We have the rule of law but there is a lack of enforcement,' said Lay Sihorn, 48, a jeweller.

Taxi driver Ben Phirum, 41, said the judicial system  was weak and  false charges were often brought against individuals, who were forced to pay bribes to be released.

Human rights groups had lobbied the foreign donors ahead of  yesterday's meeting about the country's lack of good governance.

Basil Fernando, executive director of the Asian Human Rights Commission, was critical of  Prime Minister Hun Sen's use of defamation laws to silence his critics.

He said it was 'part of an attempt by the prime minister to consolidate absolute power in the country, in violation of the Cambodian constitution, which declares Cambodia as being a liberal democracy'.

'We know  14 years is not enough time to build a liberal democracy but there should be signs of a strong commitment to achieving it. Instead we are seeing the country going backwards.'

Mr Fernando said  donors needed to pressure the Cambodian government to honour its commitments. Cynicism about  the  democratic process heightened after the Cambodian government decided to release in January four human rights activists and also restore the parliamentary immunity of opposition party leader Sam Rainsy, just ahead of the foreign donors' meeting. Hun Sen declared the reconciliation with Sam  Rainsy was the 'best day in the history of the democratic process' since the elections in 1993.

Pen Mengleang, who sells plastic flowers, said: 'If there is a chance of reconciliation and peace between the political parties then I think the country and the people will prosper.'

For many Cambodians democracy is measured against the violent and bloody rule of the Khmer Rouge that resulted in the deaths of 1.7 million people. In that context, there are many who are reluctant to criticise democracy's growth.



World sees little return on billions in Cambodia aid