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Introduction to its own CAMBODIAN LAW ta dard size f th AS ogo: 15 Hor Peng, Kong Phavlalaleckt, , nJ öblragc Mor einn wzheitl .( EThdes “.) THE KONRAD-ADENAUER-STIFTUNG Freedom, justice and solidarity are the basic principles underlying the work of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS). KAS is a political founda- tion, closely associated with the Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU). As co-founder of the CDU and the first Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, Konrad Adenauer (1876-1967) united Christian- social, conservative and liberal traditions. His name is synonymous with the democratic reconstruction of Germany, the firm alignment of foreign policy with the trans-atlantic community of values, the vision of a unified Europe and an orientation towards the social market economy. In our European and international cooperation with more than 70 offices abroad and projects in over 120 countries, we make a unique contribution to the promotion of democracy, the rule of law and a social market economy. The office in Cambodia has been established in 1994. KAS in Cambodia is mainly operating in the following fields: Administrative Reform and Decentralization, Strengthening Political Parties and Parliaments, Legal Reform, Media Development, Political Education and Social Market Economy, as well as Foreign Policy Consultancy. © Copyright 2012 by Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, Cambodia Publisher Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung House No. 4, Street 462, Khan Chamkar Mon, P.O. Box 944 Phnom Penh, Kingdom of Cambodia Tel: (855-23) 996 861/ 726 221, Fax: (855-23) 213 364 [email protected], www.kas.de/kambodscha Graphic Design & Layout: Christine Schmutzler The cover picture of the book was taken from the frescos of the Silver Pagoda inside the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh. It shows a scene from the “Reamker”, the Khmer adaption of the Indian “Ramayana” epic. (Photo: Christine Schmutzler) Printed in Cambodia ISBN: 978-99950-982-1-6 CONTENTS FOREWORD ............................................................................................................1 PREFACE .................................................................................................................3 1. OVERVIEW OF THE CAMBODIAN LEGAL AND JUDICIAL SYSTEM KONG Phallack ......................................................................................................5 2. THE MODERN ERA OF CAMBODIAN CONSTITUTIONALISM HOR Peng ..............................................................................................................23 3. CAMBODIAN PRIVATE LAW: A SNAPSHOT KORK Boren ..........................................................................................................71 4. CIVIL CODE KIYOHARA Hiroshi ...............................................................................................97 5. CAMBODIAN FAMILY LAW: DEVELOPMENT AND CHALLENGES AHEAD SAR Senera ..........................................................................................................135 6. OVERVIEW OF CONTEMPORARY CIVIL PROCEDURE OF CAMBODIA KONG Phallack ...................................................................................................153 7. CAMBODIAN ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTION Steven AUSTERMILLER ........................................................................................181 8. THE BASICS OF SUBSTANTIAL CAMBODIAN CRIMINAL LAW PHANN Vanrath ..................................................................................................197 9. THE CAMBODIAN CODE OF CRIMINAL PROCEDURE: SOME REMARKS MEAS Bora ..........................................................................................................227 10. ADMINISTRATIVE LAW AND DECENTRALIZATION THENG Chan-Sangvar .......................................................................................245 11. ECONOMIC LAW: INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS PHIN Sovath ........................................................................................................265 12. CAMBODIAN LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT LAW KONG Phallack ...................................................................................................285 13. INTRODUCTION TO THE LAND LAW OF CAMBODIA HEL Chamroeun .................................................................................................313 14. INTRODUCTION TO CAMBODIAN ENVIRONMENTAL LAW CHHIN Nith, SOTH Sang-Bonn ..........................................................................337 15. INTRODUCTION TO EDUCATIONAL LAW HEM Bonarin ......................................................................................................355 16. WOMEN AND THE LAW IN CAMBODIA Milana PLISCHUK ...............................................................................................381 17. RIGHTS OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES IN CAMBODIA SOTH Sang-Bonn ................................................................................................397 18. EXTRADITION: INTERNATIONAL AND CAMBODIAN LAW MEAS Bora ..........................................................................................................417 19. THE ECCC IN THE CONTEXT OF CAMBODIAN LAW Franziska ECKELMANS.......................................................................................437 20. CAMBODIAN LAW: SOME COMPARATIVE AND INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVES Jörg MENZEL .......................................................................................................477 FOREWORD The current status of Cambodian law is a heritage of diverse historic legal and ideologi- cal concepts and multiple interventions. For centuries, Cambodia has followed a system of government and law which was influenced by Buddhist and Khmer traditions and rituals. This system changed when Cambodia was colonised by the French and the Civil Law System was introduced. Since independence from France, Cambodian’s legal history has undergone many transformations. From 1954 to 1975, Cambodia’s legal system was modelled after the French system. A comprehensive legal framework governing commer- cial, civil and family relationships regulated day-to-day life. As a result of the Communist Party of Kampuchea’s (CPK) policies during 1975 and 1979 the CPK abolished all institutions and laws existing under Cambodia’s previous re- gimes and implemented a dictatorial legal system, which exercised absolute power. Intel- lectuals including legal professionals were targeted for elimination. After the Vietnamese intervention in 1979, Cambodians had to build their legal system from scratch; nearly all legal professionals had been killed by the Khmer Rouge. Over the next decade (1979-1989) the newly established legal system was influenced by the Vietnamese model. The Paris Peace Agreement, negotiated after two years of supervisory control of the country by the United Nations Transitional Authority of Cambodia (UNTAC) over Cambodia led to the promulgation of a new Constitution in 1993 and the formation of a Constitutional Monarchy through elections, in which the concepts of political pluralism, human rights and the rule of law were introduced in Cambodia. Since the promulgation of the Constitution much progress has been made and important steps have been taken in legal reform by the Royal Government of Cambodia to overcome systematic weaknesses within legal institutions. Still, more work lies ahead to promote the rule of law, such as ensuring a greater independence of the judiciary, and comprehensive implementation and enforcement of law in Cambodia. The Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) has been active in Cambodia since 1994, offer- ing advice and support to the Royal Government of Cambodia in developing the rule of law. Essential for development of the rule of law is a flourishing discussion on legal topics. Such debate has not been easy in Cambodia for many years due to its historical legacy and the legal vacuum that existed during and in the aftermath of the Khmer Rouge regime. Through different publications, conferences and trainings, KAS contributes to the plu- ralistic formation of public opinions and aims at fostering public and academic debate on the status of the rule of law in Cambodia. The publication “Introduction to Cambodian Law” is one result of KAS “Rule of Law” related activities. The book comprises 20 articles on recent trends and developments in selected legal sectors in Cambodia. It is the first book of its kind in Cambodia. It will serve as a significant tool for law students and legal experts and the interested public to gain knowledge on ongoing legal development trends and challenges in key areas of Cambodian Law. | 1 Without the support and help of numerous Cambodian and International law scholars this project would not have been possible. We also express our appreciation to the editors, who have all been cooperating with KAS in projects and events for many years: Professor Dr. Hor Peng (Rector, National Uni- versity of Management, “NUM”), Professor Kong Phallack (Dean, Pañña¯sa¯stra University of Cambodia, “PUC”) and Dr. Jörg Menzel (Associate Professor, University of Bonn), who initiated this book when still working as a legal advisor to the Senate of the Kingdom of Cambodia. Many thanks finally go to all involved staff from the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung office in Cambodia for coordinating authors, editors and experts during the production period, to Raymond Leos and David Fagan for their extensive editing and proofreading assistance as well as to Christine Schmutzler for her inspirations on design and format. We emphasize that all opinions expressed in this book are those of the authors and do not reflect the opinions of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung. We hope that this publication will contribute to a better understanding of recent developments in Cambodian law. Phnom Penh, April 2012 Denis Schrey Rabea Brauer 2 | Introduction to Cambodian Law PREFACE This book is about Cambodian Law. It is a collective effort by the Cambodian and foreign authors to give an overview of the main topics of law as well as some special fields, which might be interesting for the readers. From our knowledge this is currently the only introduction to Cambodian Law in the English language. There are also no up to date English language publications with respect to Private Law, Criminal Law or Public Law in Cambodia. We hope that this introduction will not only be helpful for foreign readers, but also for Cambodian readers who might study law in English language courses, or who are working in internationalized environments with foreign clients as private lawyers or foreign counterparts as legal staff in government or other institutions. As it is impossible to provide comprehensive information on all areas of law in a single volume publication it is obvious that this book can only provide some basic information. All chapters have been originally written for this book, but as legal development in Cam- bodia is dynamic some information might be outdated by further developments soon after writing. Law is like a river, always flowing and changing and any attempt to describe it can only be temporary. Generally, as with any academic legal book worldwide, neither editors nor authors can guarantee the total accuracy of all information provided. We can only assure that we have tried to state the law as accurately as possible. As editors we have tried to ensure that important topics of Cambodian law are covered, but the authors are solely responsible for the content of their chapters. The editors thank the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, its former country director Mrs. Rabea Brauer, its current country director Mr. Denis Schrey and all their staff for the strong and patient support of this project. We also wish to thank the English language editors Mr. David Fagan and Mr. Raymond Leos as well as Mrs. Christine Schmutzler for her valuable work on design and format. Furthermore, we thank the numerous authors, who despite other obligations spent their valuable time end energy to write their chapters. Finally, we hope that the readers of this book might find the information provided helpful and that it will encourage further academic discussion of Cambodian law inside and outside the country. Phnom Penh, April 2012 HOR Peng KONG Phallack Joerg MENZEL | 3 4 | Introduction to Cambodian Law 1 Introduction to Cambodian Law | Chapter OVERVIEW OF THE CAMBODIAN LEGAL AND JUDICIAL SYSTEM and Recent Efforts at Legal and Judicial Reform KONG Phallack CONTENTS I. Abstract ................................................................................................................7 II. Cambodian Legal and Judicial System ...............................................................7 1. Overview of the Cambodian Legal System .......................................................7 2. Sources of Law in Cambodia .............................................................................8 The Constitution .................................................................................................9 Laws (Chbab).......................................................................................................9 Royal Decrees (Preah Reach Kret) .....................................................................9 Sub-Decrees (Anu-Kret) .....................................................................................9 Proclamations (Prakas) ......................................................................................9 Decision (Sech Kdei Samrach) .........................................................................10 Circular (Sarachor) ............................................................................................10 Bylaw (Deika) ..................................................................................................10 International law ..............................................................................................10 3. Overview of Cambodian Judicial System ........................................................11 4. Overview of Cambodian alternative dispute resolution system .................................................................................12 Negotiation .......................................................................................................13 Conciliation ......................................................................................................13 Arbitration ........................................................................................................14 5. The Cambodian Legal Profession ....................................................................15 III. Recent effort at legal and judicial reform ........................................................17 1. Methodologies for the formulation of legal and judicial reform strategies ...17 2. The Values Document ......................................................................................18 3. Vision statement for the legal and judicial sector ..........................................19 4. Interventions for legal and judicial reform ......................................................19 5. The Legal and Judicial Reform Strategy ...........................................................20 6. Development of the Plan of Action for Reform ..............................................20 7. Implementation of the legal and judicial reform strategy ..............................21 Chapter 1 | 5