By Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer Original report from Phnom Penh
03 March 2009
Opposition leader Sam Rainsy left the country Tuesday, to visit family and report on the suspension of his National Assembly immunity to the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Switzerland.
Sam Rainsy has been without immunity since a Feb. 26 vote to revoke it by the National Assembly’s Permanent Committee, after he failed to pay campaigning fines to the National Election Committee.
He has since paid the $2,500 in fines, which were levied for allegedly disparaging remarks made about the leaders of the ruling Cambodian People’s Party during election campaigning last year. However, his immunity remains in suspension.
Sam Rainsy said on Tuesday he would discuss the incident with European representatives of the IPU, an international body of parliamentarians.
“It was not my plan to visit Switzerland, but I reported already to the IPU, so I will spend my time to visit IPU to report about my parliamentary immunity,” he said. “I just told IPU to know that in Cambodia and the National Assembly and the Constitutional Council, the law is not respected. [The CPP members] use the Permanent Committee to threaten members of the National Assembly.”
CPP officials in the National Assembly, which is in recess, could not be reached for comment Tuesday, but National Assembly President Heng Samrin has said the body will reconsider Sam Rainsy’s immunity question when it reconvenes in April.
SRP Deputy Secretary-General Mu Sochua said the Permanent Committee’s withdrawal of the immunity purposely came before a long recess and was a “political” decision.
Sam Rainsy has been without immunity since a Feb. 26 vote to revoke it by the National Assembly’s Permanent Committee, after he failed to pay campaigning fines to the National Election Committee.
He has since paid the $2,500 in fines, which were levied for allegedly disparaging remarks made about the leaders of the ruling Cambodian People’s Party during election campaigning last year. However, his immunity remains in suspension.
Sam Rainsy said on Tuesday he would discuss the incident with European representatives of the IPU, an international body of parliamentarians.
“It was not my plan to visit Switzerland, but I reported already to the IPU, so I will spend my time to visit IPU to report about my parliamentary immunity,” he said. “I just told IPU to know that in Cambodia and the National Assembly and the Constitutional Council, the law is not respected. [The CPP members] use the Permanent Committee to threaten members of the National Assembly.”
CPP officials in the National Assembly, which is in recess, could not be reached for comment Tuesday, but National Assembly President Heng Samrin has said the body will reconsider Sam Rainsy’s immunity question when it reconvenes in April.
SRP Deputy Secretary-General Mu Sochua said the Permanent Committee’s withdrawal of the immunity purposely came before a long recess and was a “political” decision.
22 comments:
is sam rainsy working for the EU? and why is he calling himself a khmer politician. see, he fails to see how people in cambodia see him! so blinded by personal ambition and so one way and one sided in his thinking without respect for the local khmer custom and etiquette! what a shame he really is! i hope we stays in europe forever! god bless cambodia.
" i hope we stays in europe forrever".
Yes, you will stay put in eurpe, too, 4.12 am.
god will not bless cambodia, not your fake god, mentally ill jesus christ who wanted to rule israel as king's david descendant.
Mr SAM RAINSY SHOULD leave the coutry that lead by corrupted and a murderer leader like HUn SEn for now .. for your own safty , cuz HUN SEN are very dirty leader plus this man hand are full of Khmer blood .. it can do anything to eliminate any body that fight for Cambodian and her people ... Just for your Own safty .. we (Khmer)need you to fight with Hun Sen YOUN PUPPET to save our coutry from swallow by YOUN ..
TAKE CARE SIR .
KOUN KHMER
4:21! you stupid understand about a lawless goverment of ah Hun Xen? He (ah Hun Xen) rule by his stinky mouth!
May lightning strike the evil man!!
I think Mr Sam Rainsy is worrying for nothing. Who can lift his immunity? What is evidence to prove that each people has their immunity? The immunity is only giving to all elected members of Parliament. After being elected as member of Parliament, noone else, even the king or the full Assembly can lift the immunity of each elected member. Only NATIONAL GENERAL ELECTION CAN remove or lift the immunity of the member of parliament. The proof of the immunity is the current elected member of Parliament. Therefore, Mr Sam Rainsy shouldn't worry about his immunity at all until next general election in 2013. From now on as long as he is still the member of parliament, his immunity is still valided. Only monky can say that his immunity has been lifted. Areak Prey
Sam Rainsy made a smart decision by leaving a country that has dismantled his parliamentary immunity. Sam Rainsy has no military, no cronies, no thugs, no hired arms and no intentions to gain power through violence and upheavals. He's not like any of those corrupted officials in the Cambodian People's Party who bribe, take bribes, instigate killings, silence constructive criticism and are blood-stained lawless moral-lacking thieves who think that they can get away from anything and be above the law.
Take care Mr. Sam Rainsy. Don't let spineless sellouts like Hun Sen take away your dignity and the dignity of all Cambodian people.
The lifting of mr rainsy parlimentary imunity shows how corrup cambodian government can be. It's just one more attempt to silence opposing voice. Nothing's new here
Ah kwak Hun Sen, this animal is very bad, using power to intimidate people.
I felt sorry for Mr. Sam Ransy that he had to put up with 3rd grade education
prime minister.
Just another example of how corruption and incompetence is plaguing the Royal Government of the Kingdom of Cambodia through political conniving from officials within the Cambodian People's Party. Of course the CPP has their hidden agendas (or not so so hidden) and this was a perfect opportunity. I commend Mr. Sam Rainsy in having to put up with years and years of dealing with CPP tyranny.
just take care yourself and safty we 12 milion Khmer people need you , without you we all living in the world of no hope.
I am not a CPP supporter, but SRP recent action since last year primary election is weak and sided with toothless EU governments to promote democracy in Cambodia-- like the naive and egocentric king Sihanouk that distance himself from mighty US and embracing the losers. The SRP passive movements to challenge CPP regime on many sensitive issues like land grabbing and unlawful eviction had been seen as less creditable amongst his followers and potentially jeopardize his chance to win more seats in next election. Khmer needed a strong and active opposition leadership, but who will be the one? And since when Khmer has such a revolutionary hero? Are we doom to be a minority in our own land? It's likely so. Sad...but true. We have ourselves to blame for our demise due to our selfishness, greed, and lacks of nationalism.
Cambodia is led by the absolute assembly.
6:45AM
I agree with you, but you also have to understand that a lot of Cambodians with political and social leanings towards SRP are very scared and are also victims of harassment and intimidation. They need to look out for their own safety because in recent history, bloodshed has occurred and aimed at SRP supporters. Perhaps Sam Rainsy can do more. But it seems at the moment he can't. Unlike the CPP, the SRP does not practice political intimidation, conduct violence nor instigate political silencing. SRP doesn't even have influence in the National Police, the Phnom Penh Municipal Police, the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces and the judicial system. As you can see, it's very hard to rise up without getting your supporters killed and silenced.
Eh! you guy! you better change your leader.And let someone to be opposition party.If you still suportter of Somrainsy you party will lose again.Your party can't win the vote,because your boss just know how to talk,but don't know how to do everything.
8:40! shut your pie hole! Ah YOUN-leech mother fucker! go eat your mother pussy..in Svy Pak brothel bitch!
That is correct, 8:40; Plus, not only that they need a new face, but they need Khmer face, not EU face. Only Khmer will know how to play Khmer game. EU will never win here because they have bad record with Cambodia.
8:40 AM you better chang your mother hole ..
TO MR. SAM RAINSY,
I'M VERY CONFUSS!!!
AT FIRST YOU DON'T WANT TO PAY THE FINE AS IT WAS NOT FAIR TO YOU (I AGREED WITH YOU 100%). AND YOU SAID THAT YOU WERE NOT SCARED OR CARED ABOUT THE IMMUNITY.
THEN YOU PAID THE FEES, AND ASKED FOR IMMUNITY BACK.
NOW YOU ARE LEAVING CAMBODIA!!!! I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND YOUR POLITICAL STAND OR POINT OF VIEW.
I JUST NEVER UNDERSTAND KHMER POLITICIAN. ANYWAY, I HOPE YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING AND I HOPE FOR THE BEST.
I THINK AN INMATE FROM CALIFORNIA PRISON WOULD HANDLE BETTER JOB AS AN CAMBODIAN LEADER.
8:40 am and 9:42 am, whether Sam Rainsy is going to become future leader of Cambodia or not at least he is playing an important role to raise any concerns and pin point the current leaders and his party of their wrong doing. Without Sam Rainsy, Cambodia will become like those savaged leaders in the black countries.
take care Mr Raingsy You not alone.
kmer Toronto
Ah Scam Rainxy knows he doesn't have a prayer against Hor Namhong defamation charge. And as usual, he always fled the country.
Who in their right mind would want a weakman (like him) in a weak state as leader?
3:31pm is Youn secret agent in cpp so khmer brothers & sisters in cpp watch out.!3:31pm[Youn] always instigate khmer hate khmer.
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