Friday, 04 September 2009Meas Sokchea
The Phnom Penh Post
SAM Rainsy Party lawmaker Mu Sochua maintained Thursday that she will not pay 16.5 million riels (US$3,937) in penalties imposed on her after she was found guilty of defaming Prime Minister Hun Sen, even if her defiance risks landing her in jail.
Speaking ahead of today's deadline to hand over the cash, Mu Sochua said that it is she - not the prime minister - who is the victim following a round of lawsuits that has drawn sharp criticism from the international community, which has accused the government of using the courts to silence political dissent.
"My stance is the same. I will not pay. If I pay the fine, it means I agree to recognise my mistake. Even if I was imprisoned, I would not pay," Mu Sochua told the Post from New York, where she is receiving medical attention.
Mu Sochua was convicted August 4 of defaming Hun Sen and ordered by Phnom Penh Municipal Court to pay 8.5 million riels in fines and 8 million riels in compensation to the prime minister, who said that her defamation accusations against him damaged his reputation.
The conflict stemmed from a speech Hun Sen gave in Kampot province in April, during which Mu Sochua said he made derogatory references to her, prompting her to file defamation charges.
The premier said that he never referred specifically to Mu Sochua in his comments, and his lawyers countersued. Mu Sochua's case was dismissed June 10 by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court.
Mu Sochua said that to pay the fine would be an admission of guilt.
She also questioned the premier's motivation, pointing out that he did not file his lawsuit until after she had lodged her own legal complaint.
"Hun Sen did not complain the first time this was raised," she said. "He only raised his complaint against me when I held a press conference to complain about him. If he wasn't speaking about me, who was he speaking about?
"He should admit his mistake, but instead of doing so, he continues [to exacerbate the problem]. Who created the problem in the first place?" she added. "He should be open about who he was speaking about. I'm a woman; I need my reputation. No other country in the world would say something that impacts female parliamentarians."
SRP spokesman Yim Sovann said the party backed Mu Sochua's decision to defy the court ruling. "She has said that she will not pay [the fine and compensation to Hun Sen]. She is the victim here," he said.
Chan Soveth, an investigating official with human rights group Adhoc, said it was wrong of Mu Sochua to refuse to pay, but that the courts should first prove that she was guilty. "I need law enforcement for all people," he said.
Last month, the Court of Appeal postponed a hearing on the dismissal of Sochua's lawsuit against the prime minister due to her absence from the court.
Hun Sen's lawyer Ky Tech said Thursday he did not wish to comment until after the hearing. "Let the Appeal Court decide first and ... then we may [rethink our strategy]," he said.
Mu Sochua is due to return to Cambodia on September 23.
Speaking ahead of today's deadline to hand over the cash, Mu Sochua said that it is she - not the prime minister - who is the victim following a round of lawsuits that has drawn sharp criticism from the international community, which has accused the government of using the courts to silence political dissent.
"My stance is the same. I will not pay. If I pay the fine, it means I agree to recognise my mistake. Even if I was imprisoned, I would not pay," Mu Sochua told the Post from New York, where she is receiving medical attention.
Mu Sochua was convicted August 4 of defaming Hun Sen and ordered by Phnom Penh Municipal Court to pay 8.5 million riels in fines and 8 million riels in compensation to the prime minister, who said that her defamation accusations against him damaged his reputation.
The conflict stemmed from a speech Hun Sen gave in Kampot province in April, during which Mu Sochua said he made derogatory references to her, prompting her to file defamation charges.
The premier said that he never referred specifically to Mu Sochua in his comments, and his lawyers countersued. Mu Sochua's case was dismissed June 10 by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court.
Mu Sochua said that to pay the fine would be an admission of guilt.
She also questioned the premier's motivation, pointing out that he did not file his lawsuit until after she had lodged her own legal complaint.
"Hun Sen did not complain the first time this was raised," she said. "He only raised his complaint against me when I held a press conference to complain about him. If he wasn't speaking about me, who was he speaking about?
"He should admit his mistake, but instead of doing so, he continues [to exacerbate the problem]. Who created the problem in the first place?" she added. "He should be open about who he was speaking about. I'm a woman; I need my reputation. No other country in the world would say something that impacts female parliamentarians."
SRP spokesman Yim Sovann said the party backed Mu Sochua's decision to defy the court ruling. "She has said that she will not pay [the fine and compensation to Hun Sen]. She is the victim here," he said.
Chan Soveth, an investigating official with human rights group Adhoc, said it was wrong of Mu Sochua to refuse to pay, but that the courts should first prove that she was guilty. "I need law enforcement for all people," he said.
Last month, the Court of Appeal postponed a hearing on the dismissal of Sochua's lawsuit against the prime minister due to her absence from the court.
Hun Sen's lawyer Ky Tech said Thursday he did not wish to comment until after the hearing. "Let the Appeal Court decide first and ... then we may [rethink our strategy]," he said.
Mu Sochua is due to return to Cambodia on September 23.
18 comments:
Hey, all Hun Sen's licspittles, take a good look at your doggy boss for the last time, because by the Bon Phjumben is over, he'll be dragged legs first to hell by the King of Devil.
correction:lickspittles=puok lit komhak
Cheap lady. Why don't you obey the law.
4:27am you asked, "why don you obey the law?"
what law? you see, cambodian people complain about the law because the cambodian judicial system is full of corruption, which has caused problems in the entire rules of law. ms sochua decided that she wouldnot p;ay the fines because she did not receive a fair trial and she di not do anything wrong.
Hey, all Mu's licsbetweenasswhole. Take a look at your Mu looks like prey avar sair.
Correction:licsbetweenasshole=pouk lit ach.
Have you ever heard of a saying: in the land of the blinds the one eye man is the king?
That's exactly what's happening in cambodia.
Hi all, if we look at Mu Sokhua, she seems to be a Srey Avar Sei. Who care aboout her? She did have her own intention to touch somebody not someboby want to touch her.
She just creat the matter because she planed to make business by selling tickets cost USD25/each to audiences to attend her useless function in US.
They're not losing their livelihood, They're losing their corrupt livelihood.
We made $1.00 a day just eat and die. We don't have any tv, karaoke, liquor, computer, internet, toy, bike, car, moto, laptop, running water and etc.
Our toilet would be digging dirt spot by spot for our poop around our shack. We worked sunrise till sunset and 7 a days a week to feed our whole family.
WORK, EAT, SLEEP, AND DIE..........
I agree with Mu Suchua for continuing to find the truth from Hun Sen. Hun Sen keeps denying that he did not talk about Mu Suchua but all of the evidence points to the victim Mu Suchua. Then after the victory in the court, Hun Sen once again attacked Mu Suchua in a speech at a graduation ceremony in which he displayed his power to control the military. Again, he did not say Mu Suchua by name but he clearly talked about her. Never did he ever mention the name Mu Suchua but we all know that Hun Sen was attacking Mu Suchua all over again. So the court needs to ask Hun Sen about to tell the truth. Actually, Hun Sen is only good at suppressing the Cambodian people. He would not dare do anything to the Viets or the Thais because he knows that they will beat the shit out of him. According to Hun Sen, he was caged up as an animal to be used as a display for the ordinary Viets. Lol. Now it is the turn of the Thais to cage up Hun Sen. Lol.
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.
Thana,
If you don't like getting your news from KI, then go some place else.
It's simple as that!
I read your post on the other subject too. Stop advocating!
To Khmer Rouge supporter
You're support Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime who is killing innocent Khmer peoples.
Please do me a favor don't ever tell anyone that you are Khmer, because you make Khmer peoples look bad.
The CPP is a hybrid khmer rouge monkeys/hanoi slime flu parasites regime.
To 11:41 PM: Thanks for your agressive instruction and order. However, my cool reply is that everybody can access to KI through the internet provided that Cambodia is applying demoncracy. If u want me to go away from KI, u should stop post or service your news on online. If it is still exist, I have a right to see. Is it your demoncratic way to force someone to do this and that?
From Thana
10:17am
what you see is what you get. KI media is as fair and balanced as any other news you would get through newspaper, television, magazines, or radios. Please try to see the issues from both sides of the story. No one is saying that all news is neutral; it is only the opinion of the individual writer. Sometimes it happens that the writer takes one side of the issue, but that is his/her prerogative.
To 10:17am: Ya, what I see is what I get, that seems to be...... However, what I see is also what I have right to judge. So that, unless KI is still posing on line, nonthing can prevent me for seeing or judgement and expression too.
Thana
To 12:27 pm: Ya, what I see is what I get, that seems to be...... However, what I see is also what I have right to judge. So that, unless KI is still posing on line, nonthing can prevent me for seeing or judgement and expression too.
Thana
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