hould Sam Rainsy come back to be sent to jail by Hun Xen or not?
(Photo: AFP)22 September 2010
By Pech Bandol
Free Press Magazine Online
Translated from Khmer by Soch
Click here to read the article in Khmer
A myriad of lawsuits against the opposition party are currently being brought up and this raises the question on the future of democracy in Cambodia: will Cambodia limp toward democracy as it is doing now, i.e. a democracy that only serves as a shield to protect a dictatorship or will it return back to an 80s style communist regime?
Kul Panha, the executive director of the Comfrel NGO, indicated that the number of accusation cases against opposition officials are on the rise and this is intentional from the part of the ruling CPP party in order to smash democracy and to prevent free and fair elections.
Kul Panha commented: “We look at other countries in Europe, Japan, in America, nobody brings up lawsuits because of diverging political opinions such as we have here.”
It should be noted that since 2009 until now, opposition officials have faced an array of lawsuits against them brought up by government officials and by the powerful CPP party. Mrs. Mu Sochua, an opposition MP from Kampot province, was sued for defamation by Hun Xen and the Supreme Court decided on 02 June 2010 that she lost this case and it forced her to pay a compensation to Hun Xen, as well as a fine, both totaling 16.5 million riels. Opposition leader Sam Rainsy was sentenced in absentia by the Svay Rieng provincial court on 27 January 2010 to 2-year of jail term in regards to his uprooting of border stakes, he is also facing another lawsuit where he is accused of falsification of public documents and disinformation. The latter case was heard on 08 September, but the sentencing will not be known until 23 September.
Kul Panha, the executive director of the Comfrel NGO, indicated that the number of accusation cases against opposition officials are on the rise and this is intentional from the part of the ruling CPP party in order to smash democracy and to prevent free and fair elections.
Kul Panha commented: “We look at other countries in Europe, Japan, in America, nobody brings up lawsuits because of diverging political opinions such as we have here.”
It should be noted that since 2009 until now, opposition officials have faced an array of lawsuits against them brought up by government officials and by the powerful CPP party. Mrs. Mu Sochua, an opposition MP from Kampot province, was sued for defamation by Hun Xen and the Supreme Court decided on 02 June 2010 that she lost this case and it forced her to pay a compensation to Hun Xen, as well as a fine, both totaling 16.5 million riels. Opposition leader Sam Rainsy was sentenced in absentia by the Svay Rieng provincial court on 27 January 2010 to 2-year of jail term in regards to his uprooting of border stakes, he is also facing another lawsuit where he is accused of falsification of public documents and disinformation. The latter case was heard on 08 September, but the sentencing will not be known until 23 September.
