In this picture taken on Sept. 9, 2009, Irish journalist Kevin Doyle, 41, the editor-in-chief of the well-known local English newspaper Cambodian Daily, enters the Phnom Penh Municipality Court in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. On Tuesday, Sept. 22, the court found two journalists, including Doyle, guilty of defamation for publishing an article in which an opposition leader criticized dozens of high-ranking military officers. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)
SRP MP Ho VannCambodian court convicts 2 journalists, including Irish national, of defaming army officers
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
By Sopheng Cheang The Canadian Press
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — A Cambodian court found two journalists, including an Irish national, guilty of defamation Tuesday for publishing an article in which an opposition leader allegedly criticized dozens of high-ranking military officers.
The ruling was the latest in a series of legal judgments this year that human rights groups charge are part of a campaign of intimidation against critics of the government.
Phnom Penh Municipal Court Judge Sin Visal ordered Cambodian Daily Editor-in-Chief Kevin Doyle and Neou Vannarin, a Cambodian reporter at the same newspaper, to pay a total of 8 million riel ($1,927) in compensation to a group of senior military officers about whom the paper reported.
"The article published in their paper caused confusion among the Cambodian people and damaged the dignity of the military officers," Sin Visal told the court.
Doyle, 41, refused to comment when leaving the court after the ruling.
Last month, the same court convicted outspoken opposition legislator Mu Sochua of defaming Prime Minister Hun Sen and ordered her to pay 8.5 million riel ($2,000) to the state and another 8 million riel ($1,882) in compensation to Hun Sen.
In July, the U.S.-based group Human Rights Watch called on Hun Sen's government to "end its campaign of harassment, threats, and unwarranted legal action aimed at consolidating its rule by silencing the political opposition and peaceful critics."
It said senior Cambodian government leaders and military officials had filed "at least nine politically motivated criminal defamation and disinformation cases against journalists, opposition members of parliament, lawyers, and government critics."
"The Cambodian government is imposing its most serious crackdown on freedom of expression in recent years," the group quoted its Asia director, Brad Adams, saying.
Tuesday's case began after The Cambodia Daily ran a story in April in which opposition lawmaker Ho Vann was cited describing as useless military certificates received by 22 well-connected officers in a yearlong program in Vietnam.
The officers sued Ho Vann for defamation. He insisted the newspaper had misquoted him and said he had repeatedly asked it to run a correction but it failed to do so.
Sin Visal on Tuesday dropped the defamation charges against Ho Vann.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
By Sopheng Cheang The Canadian Press
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — A Cambodian court found two journalists, including an Irish national, guilty of defamation Tuesday for publishing an article in which an opposition leader allegedly criticized dozens of high-ranking military officers.
The ruling was the latest in a series of legal judgments this year that human rights groups charge are part of a campaign of intimidation against critics of the government.
Phnom Penh Municipal Court Judge Sin Visal ordered Cambodian Daily Editor-in-Chief Kevin Doyle and Neou Vannarin, a Cambodian reporter at the same newspaper, to pay a total of 8 million riel ($1,927) in compensation to a group of senior military officers about whom the paper reported.
"The article published in their paper caused confusion among the Cambodian people and damaged the dignity of the military officers," Sin Visal told the court.
Doyle, 41, refused to comment when leaving the court after the ruling.
Last month, the same court convicted outspoken opposition legislator Mu Sochua of defaming Prime Minister Hun Sen and ordered her to pay 8.5 million riel ($2,000) to the state and another 8 million riel ($1,882) in compensation to Hun Sen.
In July, the U.S.-based group Human Rights Watch called on Hun Sen's government to "end its campaign of harassment, threats, and unwarranted legal action aimed at consolidating its rule by silencing the political opposition and peaceful critics."
It said senior Cambodian government leaders and military officials had filed "at least nine politically motivated criminal defamation and disinformation cases against journalists, opposition members of parliament, lawyers, and government critics."
"The Cambodian government is imposing its most serious crackdown on freedom of expression in recent years," the group quoted its Asia director, Brad Adams, saying.
Tuesday's case began after The Cambodia Daily ran a story in April in which opposition lawmaker Ho Vann was cited describing as useless military certificates received by 22 well-connected officers in a yearlong program in Vietnam.
The officers sued Ho Vann for defamation. He insisted the newspaper had misquoted him and said he had repeatedly asked it to run a correction but it failed to do so.
Sin Visal on Tuesday dropped the defamation charges against Ho Vann.
17 comments:
great news for all khmer soul .we need to comfort and live together.
The more they sue, the more they are exposing themself to the world of their true color. God bless Cambodia.
IF NOT FOR THE U.S. GOVERNMENT PRESSURES, THE CAMBODIAN COURT WOULD
STILL PURSUE HO VANN. NOW, THEY TRY
TO SAVE THEIR FACE, BY BRINGING BOGUS ACCUSATION
10:05PM,
I agree Hun Xen is panic. He underestimate a woman, Mrs. Mu Sochua to take this issues to the international level especially here in U.S. with full attentin.
Regarding the teenager that were shot and burnt alive at Thai/Khmer border last week it was all Cambodian government conspiracy. Who knows, it could be their people disguised as Thai soldiers to kill their own Khmer citizens. The reason I felt that way because the government absolutely do not allow Khmer citizens to protest in front of Thai Embassy at Phom Penh. What do they scared? Are they guilty? It make no sense to me for not letting our Khmer people stand up for Khmer people. EVERYONE AGREE?
The government create this buzz trying to steer peopole attention on the real issues, their vital abtions and corruptions, their human rights violation and improper used of international funds as their own.
Remember during the election last year? They used Preah Vihea conflicts. Now, they panic and used Preah Vihea again.
Don't fall for their lame tactic! Keep focus on the real issues: Human Rights and Corruptions.
1:00 Am,
I am not pro Hun Sen, and it doesn't suprise me if CPP and Hun Sen Cronies is pulling these kind of tricks inorder to svay the public attention. However, you can not totally dismissed the thieve Siem that they don't have the these capability because of their track records of stealing our land. As far as the 16 years old teen that was burned alive, it is no doubt that these Siem animals must have done this because it is not the first time that they miss treated our people. Therefore, for you to conclude that the teen death is conspiracy is very disrespectful to the victim family not knowing the fact.
That's the way they could make money too.
ពួកអ្នកឯងទាំងអស់គ្នានឹងចង់ក៏សាងប្រទេសបួន
ដប់ឆ្នាំហ្នឹងឲ្យអស់រឿងឬអ្វី?វាមិនដួចពួកអាឡប់
ឯងនិយាយទេ។ប្រទេសគេជាប្រទេសអ្នកមាន
ផងក៏គេនៅតែខំធ្វើជារាងរាល់ថ្ងៃចុះពួកអាឡប់
រាល់គ្នាហ្នឹងបានតែនិយាយហើយមិនដែលជួយធ្វើ
អ្វីមួយដល់រាជរដ្ធាភិបាលផងហើយមកចង់ឲ្យប្រ
ទេសលូតលាស់រហាស់វាមិនខ្មេះទេអាឡប់អើយ។
បើពួកអាឡប់ឯងគ្រាន់បើម្តេចក៏មិនធ្វើឲ្យក្រុមគ្រួ
សារអាឡប់ឯងឲ្យវាមានជាងគេទៅ។កុំឲ្យកូនចៅ
អាឡប់ឯងវានៅរហេមរហាមទៀតកុំឲ្យរដ្ធាភិបាល
លោកគាត់ខ្វល់តែរឿងអាឡប់ឯងអូខេ!!!
Cambodia Town
Long Beach, Ca
Siams Thieve 1:00 AM, tell your king Bhumibol to stop committed crimes against humanities, allow his people acknowledge fact in history. Therefore, PAD (yellow shirts) were elite Siams from Bangkok, which dominated all ethnics, included Khmer Surin, Muslims that were long time oppressed under current regime.
New Phally
suckie, fuckie, me love you long time. more money, more honey,ok!
i know cute man, pssss! suckie, fuckie!
2:02 AM,
I am not affiliated to any political parties in Cambodia,
but in regard to accusation that Thai burnt Khmer teen alive, I do believe that it could be Hun Sen's trict to divert Khmers attention from Vietnam issue. It's true that Thai soldiers are crual but it does not mean that Viets are nice either. If the Viets are nice it is just because they want to buy khmers' people heart to serve their own agenda only. There might be some bad Viets too who mistreated Khmers and have you seen news about the bad Viets. The same hold true for CPP and opposition party. Have you ever seen police arrested the CPP members for wrongdoing? As for SRP or other opposition party members they are subject themselves to harasshing, intimidation, murder, false accusation and CPP police have never arrested the perpetrators who commit the crimes. As such, I believe that in order that to achieve his objective, Hun Sen can do anything, including the burning of Khmer teen alive which happend recently at Khmer-Thai border.
Siams PAD (yellow shirts) bandist 10:29 AM, you can not do a robberry on our land anymore, our security were up grades, we were able to prevent any thieves.
Khmer Mercedz Benz
3:52am
There others way around,if you let the ignorant like ahkwak Hun Sen lead the country,it won't take ten,twenty nor hundred of years it won't go any where ,because he blind stupid and ignorant .
So in advance country they use intelligences people but in Cambodia they use dumb people so your conclusion it works with the ignorant like you and Hun Sen regime.
1028pm
you never know ,if Ah Kwak still oppress our people your youn boss won't be a good Damn savor any more
You can't say it! Hear no evil
You can't write it! Speak no evil
You can't touch it! See no evil
IT'S HUNSEN NATION REGULATION LAW!
1. You abroad and welcome aboard
2. arrested for big mouth
3. court appearance with bail
4. innocent proven until guilty
5. jailed for bad reputation
6. shamed on you
Translated from french by Google:
The Asian model Ahmadinejad:
The model Ahmadinejad "Cambodia" is dangerously contaminated since the coup 1997/5-6july.
It needs more foreign journalists to satisfy its future blackmail, because "Ahmadinejad Cambodia 'to ask Europeans to amend human rights at least on the liberty of expression. Is this the result of pride celebrations "July 14" which would thus pompously escalated "inhuman"? Or by pure revenge against diplomacy with Gordonienne did not grant diplomatic visa?
If the Iranian and Cambodia have both cheated to stay on top of their respective dictatorship.
French text:
Le modèle d'AHMADINEJAD asiatique:
Le modèle d'Ahmadinejad "cambodgien" se contamine dangereusement depuis le coup d'état de 1997/5-6july.
Il lui faudra davantage de journalistes étrangers afin d'assouvir ses chantages prochains; car le "Ahmadinejad cambodgien" pour demander aux Européens de modifier les droits de l'Homme au moins sur la Liberté d'expression. Serait-ce l'orgueil découlant des fêtes de "14 juillet" qui lui aurait ainsi pompeusement monté d'un cran "inhumain"? Ou par pure vengeance contre la diplomatie Gordonienne ne lui ayant pas accordé de VISA diplomatique?
Sinon l'iranien et le cambodgien ont tous deux triché pour rester au sommet de leur dictature respective.
12:28 PM Or Khmer Mercedez Benz
The fact that I have an opinion different from yours it does not imply that I'm a traitor. If you read my comment seriously you will see that I did not cursed anyone. My comment is just an opinion followed by examples and if you believe that my opinion don't sound correct in your view you can counter by your comment explaining the reason why you disagree in response. Cursing at people who disagree with you is not how civilized people do. Please learn how to respect people.
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