Foreign Minister Hor Namhong said Friday he was dropping a defamation suit to help a secure election environment.Minister Drops Suit Against Opposition Editor
By Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
27 June 2008
Foreign Minister Hor Namhong announced Friday he will drop his defamation suit against an opposition newspaper editor who was jailed for a week earlier this month.
Hor Namhong said he was dropping his suit against Dam Sith because he did not want to interfere with the political atmosphere ahead of general elections.
The defamation suit, filed in April, stemmed from a story published in Dam Sith's newspaper, Moneaksekar Khmer, which quoted opposition leader Sam Rainsy accusing the foreign minister of involvement in the Khmer Rouge. Dam Sith spent a week in jail following Phnom Penh Municipal Court investigations, worrying observers that press freedom was eroding ahead of July's national election.
"I am very happy to drop the complaint against Dam Sith, in the spirit of compatriotism," Hor Namhong told reporters Friday, following an hour-long meeting with Dam Sith at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "I told Dam Sith that although we occupy different political tendencies, we are all Khmer, and this compromise will lead to a good atmosphere for the election."
Hor Namhong said he would officially request the court to drop the case.
"Hor Namhong doesn't want to be reminded of the past," Dam Sith said following the announcement Friday. "He decided to drop his complaint against me."
"I did not apologize to Hor Namhong," he said of the meeting, "but I only asked that he compromise and he get his complaint out of court, so that I have the right to walk around without restriction."
Um Sarin, president of the Cambodian Association for the Protection of Journalists, called the minister's decision a "positive step" and "good example for other high-ranking officials."
Hor Namhong said he was dropping his suit against Dam Sith because he did not want to interfere with the political atmosphere ahead of general elections.
The defamation suit, filed in April, stemmed from a story published in Dam Sith's newspaper, Moneaksekar Khmer, which quoted opposition leader Sam Rainsy accusing the foreign minister of involvement in the Khmer Rouge. Dam Sith spent a week in jail following Phnom Penh Municipal Court investigations, worrying observers that press freedom was eroding ahead of July's national election.
"I am very happy to drop the complaint against Dam Sith, in the spirit of compatriotism," Hor Namhong told reporters Friday, following an hour-long meeting with Dam Sith at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "I told Dam Sith that although we occupy different political tendencies, we are all Khmer, and this compromise will lead to a good atmosphere for the election."
Hor Namhong said he would officially request the court to drop the case.
"Hor Namhong doesn't want to be reminded of the past," Dam Sith said following the announcement Friday. "He decided to drop his complaint against me."
"I did not apologize to Hor Namhong," he said of the meeting, "but I only asked that he compromise and he get his complaint out of court, so that I have the right to walk around without restriction."
Um Sarin, president of the Cambodian Association for the Protection of Journalists, called the minister's decision a "positive step" and "good example for other high-ranking officials."
14 comments:
Concourse Hor Namhong does not want to be reminds of the past, because he had done very bad things like: crimes against the innocence people during Khmer Rouge.
what kind of court system is this ? you jailed the person first, before proven guity. And now, he " don't want to interfere with the election.
why don 't he just say he is wrong, when he is wrong.
Well, if you can't prove your innocent, screw you.
Gentleman
Mr Hor should be reminded that millions of cambodians had gone through this horrific crime against humanity. In fact many are still traumatised as victims and they never had lived a life as per petrator and comfortable life as what you have been.
I have learnt similar statement from king father, but what about poor cambodian victims only husband or wife and children they had but most were killed. Their impact of KR atroscity is even worst.
You can ask to be tolerent about the past, but you can not bury it. Highly ethical politicians, they face up to their actions for the benefit of community or the country.
Well, if Mr HOR is digging for more truth then the worst will come. As foreign minister he pretty well should know about it.
Neang SA
It's more like crime against humanity, so when will Whore be arrested and strip of comfortable life, after election????
Don't worry every time your criminal face appears on the media we'll remind the world of you disturbing past as a mass murderer!!!
Look it's the Foreign Mass Murderer of the CPP party.
Yes, of course whore nam hong doesn't want to remember his past crimes against khmer people because he was the chief murderer. If he was really the victim, he would want the khmer public and the world to know about what happened to him then.
7:21, lesson learned should be thou shall not couped they king no more, get it?
We appreciate your effort but don't understand a word what you're trying to say!!!
In other we don't get it!!!
This man was the former Khmer Rouge and the real communist. But his life style is in capitalsm.
So does your family, relatives, and friends were former Khmer Rouge and the real Communist, and their lifestyle is in capitalism.
អា ហោ ណាំហុងបាននិយាយថា ឈឺចាប់ណាស់ ដែលប្រជារាស្រ្តខ្មែរគ្រប់រូបថា អា ហោ ណាំហុង ជាមេគុកបឹងត្របែក ក្នុងសម័យខ្មែរក្រហម ប៉ុន្តែសូមជំរាប អាហោ ណាំហុងថា អ្នកដែលឈឺចាប់ជាង អា ហោ ណាំហុង ទៅទៀតនោះ គឺប្រជាពលរដ្ឋខ្មែរគ្រប់រូប ដែលមានបងប្អូន ត្រូវអា ហោ ណាំហុង បញ្ជាយកទៅសំលាប់ រាប់មិនអស់ នៅគុកបឹងត្របែក ។ អា ហោ ណាំហុង សមចូលគុក ដោយ តុលាការខ្មែរក្រហមហើយ។
ah Hor Nam Hong must be in jail with Noun Chea, Ieng Sary, Khieu Samphan in KR tribunal because ah Hor Nam Hong was the chief of Boeng Tra Baek prison during Khmer Rouge regime (1975-1979).
href="http://khmervipheak.wordpress.com/2008/06/18/hornamhong">http://khmervipheak.wordpress.com/2008/06/18/hornamhong
How about sueing someone like Sam Rainsy for saying the truth ? This guy Ho Nam Hong is capable of anything, simply because he is unscrupulous, full stop!
He can sleep well every night knowing full well that he can put an innocent person in jail, just to prove that he can do anything. His head is full of shit, he is not capable of admitting mistakes. Many survivors of Boeung Trabek recognize him and his family in their roles at this camp. But he managed to turn the situation in his favor with the help of a former French Foreign Minister, Roland Dumas (an avid collector of antiquities). Hor would pay his mentor with many of Angkor's statutes that Hor, himself stole from the Khmer Museum.
Now he brings the case to France, expecting that the Paris court will follow the 1991 verdict.
you damm right hornamhong! You did too may bad things that you should have not done like allowing Prince Sisowath Matheavy and his wife ( princess Nanette )to be killed , all becuase they wanted to go back to Paris to get them self treated from illness. You didn't believe them and you accused them of betraying the revolution. All of you Communist are the same. Anything and everything different from you is a crime and you punish them all with the Capital Punishment or death. you F*ck up people are F*ckup from head to toe. Now go and explain to Court why you damm peopel had to do what you did. why can you let other people that are different from you live?. You Motherf*ck regime are F*cked up. All of you should be so ahame of yourself and quit your motherf*cker regime!
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