Cambodia denies forcing trial on drug users

22/12/2009
by AFP

Phnom Penh - Cambodian authorities on Tuesday denied a rights group's accusations that they had forced drug addicts to participate in a "trial" of a herbal formula that is not registered in the country.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) said that since December 11, the police had arrested 17 people from the streets and held them in a centre where they had been given a course of the medication "with no indication of voluntary consent".

"Such a trial violates the rights of the forced participants and does not meet minimum scientific standards," HRW said of the course of a formula called "Bong Sen", which took place on the outskirts of Phnom Penh.

Rebecca Schleifer, health and human rights advocacy director at HRW, said the "perverse experiment" had only been made possible "by arbitrary detention and compelled participation".

"The use of coercive tactics to put drug users on a wholly unknown and unproven cure for drug dependency violates the most fundamental principles of medical ethics and human rights," the group said.

Authorities in Cambodia said "Bong Sen" was not registered in the country but denied the course had been a "drug trial", saying it had been a programme to train Cambodian doctors in treating addictions with the herbal substance.

Neak Yuthea, director of the legislation, education and rehabilitation department of the National Authority for Combating Drugs, said 10 Vietnamese doctors had helped train the Cambodians, who had had no experience using the formula.

Authorities in Vietnam, where he said "Bong Sen" had been used effectively, had provided the medication for the programme.

He said 21 drug users from the Phnom Penh streets had taken part in the 10-day programme before being discharged.

"We did not arrest or force them but we persuaded them to participate in the programme voluntarily," he said.

One drug user who participated also told local media that he had volunteered to participate in the programme.

Christophe Peschoux, representative for the UN High Commission for Human rights in Phnom Penh, said he had filed a "request to meet the individuals tested in order to establish the facts".