Hang Chakra (Photo: Zakariya, RFA)26 June 2009
SEAPA : Southeast Asian Press Alliance
A Cambodian court sentenced the publisher and editor-in-chief of a local newspaper to a year of imprisonment and also fined him 9 million Riels (US$2,250) over charges of disinformation and "dishonoring" public officials, media sources said.
Hang Chakra was charged after running a series of articles in the "Khmer Machas Srok" newspaper exposing corruption allegedly perpetrated by Deputy Prime Minister Sok An.
The publisher and editor criticized the Cambodian government for prosecuting him under the UNTAC criminal code instead of the Press Law of 1995. The former has harsher penalties, including jail time, he said.
Hang Chakra told the "The Phnom Penh Post" that he had learned of the case in a June 12 letter from court prosecutor Sok Roeun. In the letter, Sok Roeun informed him that he was accused of "publishing false information" and that he would be tried "according to Article 62 of the UNTAC criminal law".
Chong Cho Ngy, Hang Chakra's lawyer, had asked that the court try his client under the Press Law, since the alleged offence relates to a media issue.
The "Phnom Penh Post" quoted Chakra as saying being charged under the UNTAC Code was "the cruelest thing that has happened to me."
Under the Press Law, publishing false information is a criminal offence that carries a fine of up to 5 million Riels (US$1,250). But the UNTAC criminal code contains much harsher punishments, with offenders facing a prison term of between six months and three years, and a fine of up to 10 million Riels.
"The Press Law has existed since 1995, so I don't believe the court should use (the UNTAC Code)," said Sam Rithy Doung Hak, the deputy director of the Cambodian Association for the Protection of Journalists, adding that the government ought to withdraw the complaint against Hang Chakra in the interests of seeing democracy move forward.
Hang Chakra was charged after running a series of articles in the "Khmer Machas Srok" newspaper exposing corruption allegedly perpetrated by Deputy Prime Minister Sok An.
The publisher and editor criticized the Cambodian government for prosecuting him under the UNTAC criminal code instead of the Press Law of 1995. The former has harsher penalties, including jail time, he said.
Hang Chakra told the "The Phnom Penh Post" that he had learned of the case in a June 12 letter from court prosecutor Sok Roeun. In the letter, Sok Roeun informed him that he was accused of "publishing false information" and that he would be tried "according to Article 62 of the UNTAC criminal law".
Chong Cho Ngy, Hang Chakra's lawyer, had asked that the court try his client under the Press Law, since the alleged offence relates to a media issue.
The "Phnom Penh Post" quoted Chakra as saying being charged under the UNTAC Code was "the cruelest thing that has happened to me."
Under the Press Law, publishing false information is a criminal offence that carries a fine of up to 5 million Riels (US$1,250). But the UNTAC criminal code contains much harsher punishments, with offenders facing a prison term of between six months and three years, and a fine of up to 10 million Riels.
"The Press Law has existed since 1995, so I don't believe the court should use (the UNTAC Code)," said Sam Rithy Doung Hak, the deputy director of the Cambodian Association for the Protection of Journalists, adding that the government ought to withdraw the complaint against Hang Chakra in the interests of seeing democracy move forward.
33 comments:
Ah Kwack Hun Xen is shoving his communist side!
Ah kwack is using his laws from his uneducated PhD from Hanoi to kill democracy in Cambodia!
Why do you need 100% oppression on us ah Tay Houng Hun Xen!
May lightning strike you and your tugs!
See what you unfissh job done to us UN????????????????
UNTAC was shit!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is land your land, this land is my land from the sea of siam to the sea of pacific, this land belong to you and me... said vietnam and hun sen.
When there are a lot cases still pending in the Courts, it take years to start investigations and open the hearings. But when there are political lawsuits come, judges try their best to open trials as soon as possible. This can be interpreted and inferred. LICADHO, ADHOC, CDP, UNHCR, AHRC and Amnesty International should say something about this biased.
tHE FUCKING JUSTICE!!!!! OF AH kWACK HUN XEN!
MAY LIGHTNING STRIKE THE EVIL MOTHERFUCKERS!!!!!!!!!!
Sa thuk! Sa Thuk! Sa Thuk!
puok ah khmer M'chas Srok joule kuk mneak heuy, mé vea srey nov baraing, Neak Srey Bandit Chak Sakhon terb tei mouk som luy nov lynn Mass. pon man atith mun niss.
Ah mé khoch Tith Sarun trov Ban Neak Srey Bandit Chak Sakhon bandech chenh pi pak, pi pruos Ah mé khoch Tith Sarun ban luoch loy pak oss $5,000. chong york tov rok si nov srok khmer tei meak eing chhmuonh ang kor mok lork nov améric chea moy bropon chong.
nov mean krom ah Hin Sithan, Sam Vichea, Yim guechse, Ly Ngoc Yiep teat khang sarsé kamnap, min chea kamnap mè vea eiy rok sdab min ban.
If you mess with Thevoda Hun Sen, you are history boy.
Hun Sen government never let our people reveal the thrue. We all know we all need to support each other just a couple people fight for our Right.
Hun Sen always kill or hurt his own people if someone open up about Hun's party curruption, but not Youn people in Cambodia. Such shame of Khmer people, they try to vote for Hun Sen became a Leader again, and they have a lot of hope from this Regime to support and look after the country, but Hun Sen have been betraid Khmer people.
We never lost our hope, please step up fight for our Right, the more we stand up and we will be get back the Freedom of Speach, Freedom of Right and Peacful for our future. Never let this evil Leader destroy our country, soon Youn and Siam will slide our Land and we will lost every thing.
Be brave all of us, We the only one have to Free ourself from this regime.
Kaun Khmer in Blood
ហេ អា ភីភីយូ (PPU) អាឯងចង់បៀម ក្ដ ឪ អា
ឯងទេអាចុយម៉្រាយ???
អញមិនចង់ទេបើប្រពន្ធអាឡប់ឯងអញចង់មួយរយ
ភាគរយ!អាឡប់ឯងបំរើពួកបស្ចឹមប្រទេសហើយមកមើលងាយដល់ប្រជាជនខ្លួនឯងដួច្នេះគេហៅថាអាឡប់មិនខុសទេ!
HOW CAN DEMORCRAZY IN CAMBODIA CAN EVER MOVES FORWARD WHEN SOK AN IS CURRUPTED AND MORE POWERFUL THAN HUN SEN.
UNTIL SOK AN IS RID OF FROM THE FACE OF THIS PLANET. MAYBE DEMOCRAZY CAN MORE FORWARD.
khmer court system is horrible, you get accused today, they can lock you up tomorrow. Unlike other nation, its may takes months atleast.
in cambodia, two days. especially when your innocent.
what a joke.
The khmer rouge's angkar rule of law has worked well in cambodia. If anyone is exposing angkar's corruption then he mst be punished by angkar's law, not democratic due process as evidenced in this case.
we haven't seen the entire stories from both sides, only from one side, so i wonder how this whistle blowing took place? i wouldn't be surprised a bit if it is politically motivated and inappropriate of place and time and even etiquette, etc., to say the least! unless we heard or the evidence from both sides, i wouldn't put all my eggs in one basket. don't forget, a lot of infightings by different groups of politicians are of course politically motivated. let's be fair and balance, whether, do not deserve a lot of credit for this kind of heresay or bias report, really! one has gotten to wonder out loud in this kind of case.
it has a lot to do with the lack of problem solving skill.
1:34AM ! you motherfucker know that ah Polpot, ah Eang sari, ah Noun Chea, ah Douch, ah Keit Chorn, ah Ho nam Hong,ah Hun Sen, ah heng Sarim ware live better than us and that mother fuckers was corrupted and commeted a bog crime too!
May ligthning strike those evils mother fucker! and their childrens!
1:49AM why don't you go read and find thout the true somewhere else!
We are here not blind like ah Hun Sen! we comment here but we read and heard mony sources!
Ah Kwack Hun Xen is evil, stupid, and ah Vietnamese motherfucker's poppet!
May lightning srike the evils!!!!
people get rich by working hard and becoming well educated, etc, in this day and age, hello. in this big world, there will always be rich and poor people. it is naive to expect everyone in the entire world to be equality rich. same concept in cambodia as well. it the fact of life, hello. to make a difference, one has to work hard and stand out amongst the crowd. the so-called corruption, etc. could be history by now. yes, in the past, some people were corrupted and pocket money at the expense of other, however, i don't necessarily believe that to be a case anymore nowadays because nowadays, people became successful by other means like finish college, work hard, invest wisely, luck in gambling (although not a good one to live by), profitted tremendously from real estate business, inheriting from their rich parents or grandparents, rich gold on their own, etc, etc., you name it! so, don't always think people get rich or wealthy by corruption act, etc only. there are many more ways individuals can become rich nowadays. have to understand the big picture altogether. look at cambodia now, cambodia is becoming a prosperous country, slowly and surely; nothing stay the same as the years progressed and more and more people are becoming educated, business savvy, and so on. just because cambodia and our people had had a history of hardship and suffering in the past, doesn't necessarily mean they can't overcome by working hard, by reforms, by changes, by luck, by borrowing to do business, by learning new skill and becoming smarter and smarter each and every day. so, stop whining and be cynic or pessimistic. think perhaps, lady luck is finally strike her charm on cambodia and our people for to see and expect everything in cambodia stay the same forever is like an ignorant person waiting for the rain to come, instead of improvising and build irrigation canals, using modern machinery and equipment to make build their business, plant their agriculture stuff, etc... my point, is nothing is the same in cambodia. i think people need to see for themselves in cambodia before just goes only by the ignorant bad rumours, hate, selfishness, greed, etc... just because i came from a mediocre beginning, doesn't i can change my destiny or become rich by getting good education, by being lucking, by working hard, by the wind of change in the country that drove real estate market to go up and i sell for lots of profits, etc, etc... see my point! god bless cambodia.
Gentleman
Can you imagine to have waited more than 10 years for the corruption laws that, cambodia and cambodians waiting for,is strange to cambodians and international funding communities?.
Responsible govt does not even need to have over one millions citizen to sign any petition.
when our PM does not recognise the crooks around him,this has led to lots of frustration and devastation to poor cambodians as who he once was,and against his will.
Cambodia is in a trend of searching for power,power of greed and abuse that nationally and internationally known, where Thai has tried to grab that opportunity that long waiting for.
Anyone can be great leader,if he or she cares to listen to resonable demand from crying diadvantaged people.
King can play an important roles to providing safety and security to those innocent citizen,and avoiding those unethical royalties.
Bear in mind that anything valued,unless quality is maintained
Neang SA
We not comment for hate, yes you are right but most are not have any money and born in the poor family what do you think?.
People should have theire own freedom of speach, they allow to give the idea and Hun regime never excepted. Who is stand up to specha that person became have a problem, eather gets gail term or get kills.
The real Leader never look after a poor people and findout what the lacking of system in the country.
Most are the rich people in our country now, they all get from the curruption only. This is the true in Cambodia. Our country is best country in the world, we have everything what we want, but the think is Hun Sen regime is using theire power to abuse people.
Kaun Khmer in Blood
then, by all means, do call out for gov't reforms! keep demanding reforms; however, be patient too because to expect everything to happen like magic, puff! or something is unrealistic. i'm sure people will bend over backward for anything if using the proper way and the right treatment, etc. it's called civilized or civilai in khmer. we talk, we don't shout or raise our voice, be ask politely, we don't scream and make gesture or display verbal abuse, etc, etc... where is the mutual respect, hello! i think it's all in the people skill approach, this way you get a kind favor than when you shout, scream, name-calling, etc... i hope it is clear. god bless all.
Hun Sen regime is not different from KR. His goal is to privatize Cambodia and sell it to Vietnam at the end. Starting from recent lifting opposition immunity to sentencing of Hang Chakra benefit nothing to the nation, but to silence all those critics and defame Cambodia in the world stage.
Hun Sen's alternative is to eliminate SRP and his team-works, and support another opposition party (may be Human Rights Party, only the name of this party already shows its intent to eliminate human rights NGOs in Cambodia) that can lick Hun Sen's d-i-c-k.
But how Hun Sen can go far and divert the rife happening inside the CPP?
Hun Sen's step to bully oppositions and Hang Chakra is just his habit to indirectly warm his internal opponents.
After Hun Sen died, Cambodia will be fully controlled by Vietnam.
អាសាច់ងាប់(dead meat) ភីភីយូ (PPU) អាចុយម៉្រាយ អាឯងនឹងត្រូវខ្មែរស្រឡាញ់ជាតិពឹត
ប្រាកដសំឡាប់ចោលទំលាក់ទឹកទន្លេ បួនមុខ ក្នុងពេលឆាប់ៗនេះ។
ពីអញ ឪអា ភីភីយូ(PPU) ឯង!
Mais oui, pour de bon on doit éliminer ce fils de pute, ce salaud PPU.
Hun Sen regime is very different from KR. His goal is not to privatize Cambodia nor sell it to Vietnam at the end. Starting from recent lifting opposition immunity to sentencing of Hang Chakra benefit do a lot good to the nation, and to silence all those critics and defame Cambodia in the world stage is a must.
Hun Sen's alternative is to eliminate SRP and his Seim supporters, and oppose another opposition party (may be Human Rights Party, only the name of this party already shows its intent to eliminate Seim supporters and NGOs in Cambodia).
But how Hun Sen can go far and unit people inside the CPP?
Hun Sen's step to bully oppositions, the Seim supporters and Hang Chakra is better for our country and bring above peace in internal policies.
After Hun Sen died, Cambodia still be Cambodia and will not control by Vietnam or Seim.
CPP youth promoting for change.
Now, we need to drag Ah Chan and Ah Chen Ah Khmer-Yuon asses out of MN and put them in Prey Sar.
PPU
Now, we need to drag Ah Siem and Ah Yellow Shirts, Ah Thai King asses out of MN and put them in Prey Sar.
PPU
5:16am
សូមខ្មែរគ្រប់រូបនៅក្នុងប្រទេស កុំអោយ
ពួកអាចុយម្រ៉ាយចោលម្សៀតឥតបានការ
ពួកអាឆ្កែខ្ញុំកញ្ជះបស្ចឹមប្រទេស មកកាន់កាប់ អំណាចបានឲ្យសោះ ។
ពួកអាចុយម្រ៉ាយ កុំមកសាបព្រួសអំពើហឹង្សា
លើខ្មែរ អញកំពុងនៅមើលបក្សពួកអាឯង
ចុយកន្តួយម៉ែអាឯងហ្នឹងណា អាឆ្កួត អាភ្លើ អាឆ្កែបស្ចឹមប្រទេស។
ពី អញ
ភីភីយូ
When the KR No 1 rule the country,we keep asking who is ANFKAR LEU?.When KR No 2 rule, we can ask who is ANGKAR LEU?.Now we know that ANGKAR LEU is HUN SEN.Do Cambodia have a king?. What's king doing now?.Do the king is the simbole of shadow shade to all Khmer poeple?. We want to know what the king doing everyday.Does he eat,take a nap,watch TV, read Khmer paper or read Paris match,listen to the Khmer radio Sombok khmum or radio Bayon.Does he sing karaoke or he still enjoy ballet dance?.Does he knew his kon chau died because she short only $20.00 to delivery her baby.I really want to know all of this.Can someone who close to the royal Palace tell me about this.Thank you very much.
The UNTAC was absolutely useless to Cambodia; also, it was a colossal failure in terms of UN mission, with the exception brought AIDS epidemic to Cambodia.
PPU
if UNTAC was useful , there will be no CPP in the government right now because the CPP didn't win the first election. the FUNCINPEC did , but the CPP didn't step down because UNTAC was in charge but not strong enough to push Hun Sen out of power. that's the fact .
3:35 PM
You may pontificate all you want, but the election was fair. Also, your helper UNTAC officials were there to monitor the election. So, why don't you bark at them?
Pi Anh: PPU
Ah Bat Phsars Niss needs to spend his time in Prey Sar prison.
Ah Chan and Ah Khmer-Yuon Chen, you need to take this shit of yours to serve justice.
Pi Anh: PPU (your superior)
1:49 Your opinions don't count, no one cares about what you say. We know that you and your comrades are from angkar leu.
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