Thomico: The court is an instrument of the ruling party [-Khieu Kanarith: the donation fee to join the CBA is $2,000]

04 March 2007
By Sophorn
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

"...the current ruling party agrees to the race, but before the race, they tie the legs and the hands of other competitors..." - Prince Thomico speaking about the ruling CPP party

The leader of the Sangkum Jatiniyum Front Party (SJFP) accused on Sunday the Cambodian tribunal of not only lacking independence, but also of serving as an instrument to the ruling party.

Prince Sisowath Tomico, SJFP president, said that when the ruling party wants to destroy any opposition party, it will find any kind of excuses to break down and destroy that party.

In addition to the case of Prince Ranariddh, president of the Norodom Ranariddh Party (NRP), Prince Thomico also gave as example the Khmer Rouge Tribunal: “The case of Samdech Krom Preah [Ranariddh] is an example showing clearly that the tribunal is an instrument used to stop opposition parties, and those who oppose their ruling. In addition to the case of Samdech Krom Preah, in the Khmer Rouge Tribunal, we can see that international judges who are participating in the drafting of the internal rules for that tribunal, they believe that the royal government is interfering with the tribunal progress. This shows that even for the Khmer Rouge Tribunal which is one functioning under the cooperation between the Khmer and UN tribunals, the royal government is also interfering in this tribunal, using it as an instrument…”

Regarding the preparation for the [commune] election, Prince Thomico said that the ruling party has no courage to allow its rivals to have the ability to compete at all: “The commune election to be held on 01 April 2007 shows that the current ruling party agrees to the race, but before the race, they tie the legs and the hands of other competitors. This is what I want to show that there is no freedom, no transparency, no fairness in the election preparation because this is a threat at the local levels, they are threatening and pressuring through the use of the law, from the local levels all the ways to their leaders.”

In response to the Prince’s accusation, Khieu Kanharith said that regarding the election, the more parties are participating, the better it is, so that it can prove who has the ability [to win], and the CPP is never worried about the competition from the NRP at all.

He added that the court summon of Prince Ranariddh is the result of the lawsuit brought up by the Funcinpec party, and the former wife of the prince. This has nothing to do with the CPP.

[As for the prince accusation of government interference in the Khmer Rouge Tribunal,] Khieu Kanarith said: “First of all, he does not look to see why they call it Extraordinary Chambers in the Court of Cambodia. They use the word “extraordinary” because this is a tribunal borne by Cambodia’s own idea. Foreign lawyers accept to participate in it, but when it comes to paying, Cambodian lawyers when they become a member [of the Cambodian Bar Association], they must pay a donation fee of $2,000 each [to the CBA]. But, for foreign lawyers who have money by the tens out thousands of dollars, they don’t want to pay the $2,000 fee [to join the CBA]. The dispute is between the lawyers only, but Thomico, he does not know anything, he only heard hearsays, and he just repeats them.”