Cambodian union leader Chea Mony is detained during a rally in Phnom Penh, May 1, 2006. (AFP file photo)2009-09-01
Radio Free Asia
But allegations persist of a government role in the 2004 killing of Cambodian labor leader Chea Vichea.
PHNOM PENH—Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has ordered a halt in legal proceedings against Chea Mony, brother of slain union leader Chea Vichea, after Chea Mony blamed the government for his brother's killing.
Chea Vichea, former head of the Cambodian Confederation of Unions, was gunned down in broad daylight at a newsstand here on Jan. 22, 2004. He was an outspoken critic of government corruption and human rights and labor abuses.
Two men, Born Samnang and Sok Sam Oeun, were convicted of murdering him, but the Supreme Court ordered their release and a retrial in 2008, citing contradictory evidence.
The Appeal Court here said Aug. 17 that a new investigation in the case would go ahead, setting both men free until a verdict is handed down.
Chea Mony said afterward that he remained certain that the government had been involved in his brother's killing, and government spokesman Khieu Kanharith then said Chea Mony would face prosecution for defamation and disinformation.
But Khieu Kanharith said in an interview Aug. 29 that Prime Minister Hun Sen had ordered his government to drop the charges, on grounds that Chea Mony was overwhelmed by grief when he spoke out.
Chea Mony, president of the Free Trade Union of Workers of the Kingdom of Cambodia (FTUWKC), welcomed the decision.
"Concerning Samdech's [Prime Minister Hun Sen's] order for officials to stop legal action against me, and his request for pursuing Chea Vichea's murderers, the workers, my family, and I are very pleased," he said.
The FTUWKC is one of the country's most active unions, with about 30,000 members. It has said the killing was politically motivated.
Human rights groups have sharply criticized the government's handling of the case, saying Born Samnang and Sok Sam Oeun were framed. They also point to numerous police and judicial irregularities.
More cases
Sophie Richardson, Washington-based Asia advocacy director for Human Rights Watch, welcomed reports that charges against Chea Mony had been dropped.
"If it is in fact true that Hun Sen has dropped the defamation charges against Chea Mony, that's not a bad thing. But the fact remains that those charges never should have been imposed in the first place," Richardson said.
"And if the prime minister has somehow come to a more enlightened understanding about freedom of expression, there are a host of other defamation cases that should also be dropped, since they are wildly incompatible with both Cambodian and international law," she said.
Original reporting by Sok Serey for RFA's Khmer service. Translated by Uon Chhin. Khmer service director: Sos Kem. Executive producer: Susan Lavery. Additional reporting by Richard Finney. Written in English by Sarah Jackson-Han.
PHNOM PENH—Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has ordered a halt in legal proceedings against Chea Mony, brother of slain union leader Chea Vichea, after Chea Mony blamed the government for his brother's killing.
Chea Vichea, former head of the Cambodian Confederation of Unions, was gunned down in broad daylight at a newsstand here on Jan. 22, 2004. He was an outspoken critic of government corruption and human rights and labor abuses.
Two men, Born Samnang and Sok Sam Oeun, were convicted of murdering him, but the Supreme Court ordered their release and a retrial in 2008, citing contradictory evidence.
The Appeal Court here said Aug. 17 that a new investigation in the case would go ahead, setting both men free until a verdict is handed down.
Chea Mony said afterward that he remained certain that the government had been involved in his brother's killing, and government spokesman Khieu Kanharith then said Chea Mony would face prosecution for defamation and disinformation.
But Khieu Kanharith said in an interview Aug. 29 that Prime Minister Hun Sen had ordered his government to drop the charges, on grounds that Chea Mony was overwhelmed by grief when he spoke out.
Chea Mony, president of the Free Trade Union of Workers of the Kingdom of Cambodia (FTUWKC), welcomed the decision.
"Concerning Samdech's [Prime Minister Hun Sen's] order for officials to stop legal action against me, and his request for pursuing Chea Vichea's murderers, the workers, my family, and I are very pleased," he said.
The FTUWKC is one of the country's most active unions, with about 30,000 members. It has said the killing was politically motivated.
Human rights groups have sharply criticized the government's handling of the case, saying Born Samnang and Sok Sam Oeun were framed. They also point to numerous police and judicial irregularities.
More cases
Sophie Richardson, Washington-based Asia advocacy director for Human Rights Watch, welcomed reports that charges against Chea Mony had been dropped.
"If it is in fact true that Hun Sen has dropped the defamation charges against Chea Mony, that's not a bad thing. But the fact remains that those charges never should have been imposed in the first place," Richardson said.
"And if the prime minister has somehow come to a more enlightened understanding about freedom of expression, there are a host of other defamation cases that should also be dropped, since they are wildly incompatible with both Cambodian and international law," she said.
Original reporting by Sok Serey for RFA's Khmer service. Translated by Uon Chhin. Khmer service director: Sos Kem. Executive producer: Susan Lavery. Additional reporting by Richard Finney. Written in English by Sarah Jackson-Han.
14 comments:
A dictator bites anyone. He's no better than a mad dog.going wild.
Bravoo Mr. Cheam Mony, you are realy smart man and you did a right comment in respond to Goverment's Develoment Policy and Sam Dach Hun Sen's leadership. You now are waked up from the dark percepttion that is situated in your mind and heart, but now you are so clear and walk on the right way. Congradulation...Hope other pro-opositiom member will be waked up as you did.
Cheers,\ Khmer
Hahaha.... When Dictator dropped the it lawsuite on Chea Mony, that means Hun Sen did it. In order to make the situation down and save its criminal face to the world.
Cambodian cannot be developped her social and economic development by not changing their current leaders at all. To develop a country, first we must have a good quality leader with good vision and good self-sacrifice to lead his or her people for propserity and harmony. At present many Cambodian people are very confused between developping a country and developping a Nation.
1-Developping a country is very easy by selling their own Nation to a few powerfull businessmen to build their business empire and appartments for foreigners to live and leave own citizen to be beggers and homeless.
2-Developping a Nation is totally different. It is about building social and economic for their own citizen to live in pride and prosperity. To do that salary and wage of local people should be raised to catch up with economic development and housing, education, healthcare, public security should be at the highest standard.
Areak Prey
1219
You have a very educated comments!
Samay mun ke tveu ka khnonh mneak mean muk ngea tae muoy ning thanontarak sak tae muoy, phlaek ey puok ah srae chamkuot samay nis mneak muk ngea 2 reu 3 muk hoey thanontarak sak roab min os, doch chea ah chhkae khlas chea roat muntry krasuong nis, chea Aknu roat muntry knak kamaka nus, chea damnang sthaban nis, chea prothean angka nus...min deung chea ches ach kod ey chroen mles, tveu ey tae aeng, rean ban ponman tov, ches pit prakod reu ot. Ah ach
Democratic Kampuchea Pol Pot Khmer Rouge Regime had committed:
Tortures
Executions
Massacres
Atrocities
Crimes Against Humanity
Starvations
Overwork to Death
Slavery
Rapes
Human Abuses
Assault and Battery
Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime had committed:
Assassinations
Assassinated Journalists
Assassinated Political Opponents
Assassinated Leader of the Free Trade Union
Attempted Assassinations on Chea Vichea and Sam Rainsy
Attempted Murders on Chea Vichea and Sam Rainsy
Executed members of FUNCINPEC Party
Murders members and activists of Sam Rainsy Party
Killings
Extrajudicial Execution
Grenade Attack
Terrorism
Drive by Shooting
Tortures
Intimidations
Death Threats
Threatening
Human Abductions
Human Rights Abuses
Human Trafficking
Drugs Trafficking
Under Age Child Sex
Corruptions
Bribery
Illegal Mass Evictions
Illegal Land Grabbing
Illegal Firearms
Illegal Logging
Illegal Deforestation
Illegally use of remote detonation on Sokha Helicopter, while Hok Lundy and others military official on board.
Illegally Sold State Properties
Illegally Remove Parliamentary Immunity of Parliament Members
Plunder National Resources
Acid Attacks
Turn Cambodia into a Lawless Country
Oppression
Injustice
Steal Votes
Bring Foreigners from Veitnam to vote in Cambodia for Cambodian People's Party.
Abuse the Court as a tools for CPP to send political opponents and journalists to jail.
Abuse of Power
Abuse the Laws
Abuse the National Election Committee
Abuse the National Assembly
Violate the Laws
Violate the Constitution
Violate the Paris Accords
Impunity
Under the Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime, no criminals that has been committed crimes against journalists, political opponents, leader of the Free Trade Union, innocent men, women and children have ever been brought to justice.
Congratulations CHEA Mony, u a so smart. U a really have done a right thing.
I hope that the rest of people who always pro-opposition party would rethink and follow this clever guy because Mr. CHEA Vichea clearly knows that dark perception is not productive and leads to "THE MOON IN THE DARK".
Brovo! Longlive the Kingdom of Cambodia! Longlive the government of Cambodia and our smart, great strong, visional lerdership SAMDECH TECHO HUN SEN.
SAMDECH TECHO HUS SEN will stay with us 50 years ahead from now.
To 6:01 PM. Absolutely; I strongly support u. Mr. CHEA Vichea has done a write thing. I wish him good health and lucks.
To 6:01 PM. Absolutely; I strongly support u. Mr. CHEA Vichea because he has done a right thing. I wish him good health and lucks.
To 6:01 PM. Absolutely; I strongly support u.
Mr. CHEA Vichea has done a right thing. I wish him good health and lucks.
Sina, USA
Hi all,
Absolutely; I also strongly support your idea too. Mr. CHEA Mony has done a right thing for himself, his country, his people and his government because his hope and expectation is very clear and bright.
I wish him and his family to have good healths and lucks.
From Dara, LA of USA.
Bun Rany Hun is CEO of CPP:
Hun Xen is CFO of CPP:
Clan of Phnom Penh
Court of Corrupted People
Cuffed People Party
Collected People Property
Claimed People Plot
Canceled Pageant People
Choking Poker Player
Commission of Pay Pal
Controlling Police Patrol
Criticized Poor People
Champange Party People
Cigar of Pimping People
Collected People Paid
Canceled Paper Press
Clan of Profit Party
Cell Phone Profit
Criminal Party People
Cheated Poll Party
Cheated Party People
Cheated on Poor People
Collected People Purses
Claiming People Party
Clan of Police Party
Clan of Pol Pot
Cell Phone People
Calling People Perverted
Dear all,
Now, we should wake up and identify who we are because individual or interest group who created this English website (KI media)in which almost information provided only in favor of oppositition party, but it is not so helpful to the public interest in terms of sensibility, creativity, contructivity, productivity, and neatral judgement. If u say that Cambodia is not a demoncratic country, u a 100% wrong.
By the way, if u say that the demoncracy in Cambodia is not fully applied or partially carried out, of course your idea or judgement is sensible and valuable. But, it is still acceptable because Cambodia case is not as the same as other countries cases, we need sometime to make change.
If were u, anyway, I may be very shame due to the fact that information provided is only attacked individual person that lead to conflict of interests (your own problem). My suggestion is that u should provide fair and neatral information that would help our country and people. Especially; foreigners shall not be able to look down our nation due to the fact that we a in unique unity. Why? Because it does not matter even we fight with each other. We attack just in the purpose of progress and future develpment of ow own nation. If we try to attack individual, we can not change because of conflict of interest between supporters and oppositors. We can achieve a goal and do thing change unless we break difference and combine into commond interest,goal and vision.
We should learn from the past experiece, we lost when we broke, we won when we united.
From Thana
I am sorry, I am not intellectual person. My education backgrownd is little and my English is poor too.
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