A/HRC/15/47 30. The Office brought to the attention of government authorities several instances where human rights defenders were being accused, investigated or charged with incitement and defamation. An emblematic case was that of Pen Bunna, the provincial coordinator of the Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association (ADHOC) in Rattanakiri, and Radio Free Asia Reporter Ratha Visal, who are being investigated by the provincial court for “incitement” to unspecified criminal offences, incitement of villagers to violence and to illegal occupation of land. The Office sought to discuss the case with the provincial authorities and the court to explore possible solutions, to little avail. It issued a statement in September 2009, calling for an end to the intimidation and harassment of human rights defenders in Rattanakiri Province. The same month, the Office proposed to the CHRC that a joint visit to Rattanakiri be made to assess the situation of human rights defenders and to jointly look for possible solutions. The Office did not receive a reply. Mr. Bonna remains under investigation. 31. In late 2008, the Government announced its decision to adopt an NGO law. As part of its effort to support the development of civil society and to foster an environment of cooperation between it and the Government, the Office analyzed the legal environment and context of this initiative. While respecting the Government prerogative to decide its legislative agenda, the Office questioned whether the law was legally necessary, since existing and planned legislation, in combination with self-regulation, appear to be sufficient to regulate the status and activities of NGOs. It also cautioned that the initiative could be premature, given the uneasy relationship between NGOs and the Government. The Government has responded that it perceives that some organizations in Cambodia have been operating anarchically under the name of “civil society”. The Office offered to facilitate dialogue between the Government and civil society prior to the development of the law. By June 2010, the Ministry of Interior was finalizing a first draft, and considering the convening of a national consultation to seek input from stakeholders. The Office proposed that it review the draft, and the Ministry accepted. 32. In this context, in January 2010 the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Cambodia, Surya Subedi, proposed to the Prime Minister that they, together with NGOs, explore avenues to improve dialogue between Government and NGOs. The Prime Minister accepted, expressing the view that cooperation from development NGOs was welcome but that other NGOs, such as human rights advocacy groups, should remain in their roles and not act as political parties or proxies for them. The Office has been facilitating discussion amongst civil society groups to develop concrete proposals. 33. The Office commented on several deportation cases which had undermined the refugee protective framework gradually established in the past decade, after Cambodia’s accession to the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. 34. In October 2009, with the Cambodian Human Rights Action Committee (CHRAC), the Office organized a one-week training course for 35 human rights NGO staff on the methodology of the documentation of human rights violations and the use of the United Nations human rights mechanisms to help them engage better with these. A follow-up training course is being developed focusing on further human rights monitoring methods, an area participants identified as a priority. IV. Land and livelihood 35. The Land and Livelihood programme seeks to contribute to protecting the rights of the poorest urban and rural communities, which are being dispossessed of their land or housing in the context of land disputes, land grabbing by powerful individuals or groups, or 9