SRP MP Ho Vann (Photo: Sok Serey, RFA)31 October 2009
By Sok Serey
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Socheata
Click here to read the article in Khmer
SRP MP Ho Vann returned back to Cambodia in the evening of 30 October, following the Phnom Penh municipal court decision to drop the defamation charge leveled against him. The charge stemmed from a lawsuit brought up by 22 high ranking RCAF officers against him.
Phnom Penh SRP MP Son Chhay told RFA on Friday 30 October that Ho Vann returned home to serve the Cambodian people following a few months of absence.
Son Chhay said: “I believe that it is a reasonable time for Mr. Ho Vann to return back to fulfill his role as Phnom Penh MP.”
Sok Serey: The representative of the 20 or so officers did not appeal?
Son Chhay: We don’t know if they will appeal or not.
General Khieu Sopheak, spokesman for the ministry of Interior, said that Mr. Ho Vann should not worry about his personal safety.
Khieu Sopheak said: “Come back, there is nothing! Unless the police receive a letter from the court, then we will do our work accordingly, but we have nothing at all.”
Sok Serey: So, he is a regular citizen, he has no charge against him, right?
Khieu Sopheak: First, he is a regular citizen, but it looks like he did not receive his immunity back from the National Assembly yet.
Chan Soveth, an official for the Adhoc human rights group, said that the National Assembly should return the immunity back to Mr. Ho Vann.
Chan Soveth indicated: “In particular, our National Assembly, the President of the NA should think and make the court [requests for the] return the immunity to Mr. Ho Vann, the SRP MP, so he can serve his constituents again.”
It is not yet known when the NA will return the immunity back to Mr. Ho Vann.
Ho Vann returned to Cambodia after the Phnom Penh municipal court decided to drop the defamation charge against him on 22 September because the court did not find that he did anything wrong as he was accused by the 22 RCAF officers.
SRP MP Ho Vann and Mu Sochua saw their parliamentary immunities lifted on 22 June so that they can face the court. Following that lifting, Mr. Ho Vann left for self-exile in June.
22 RCAF officers sued the 62-year-old Ho Vann, as well as reporters for The Cambodia Daily newspaper because Ho Vann gave his comments to the newspaper on 21 April in which he criticized the diplomas received by these 22 officers for their education in Vietnam as being valueless and lacking quality.
Two reporters for The Cambodia Daily, Nao Vannarin and Kevin Doyle, were ordered by the court to pay 4 million riels ($1,000) each for repeating defamation information.
Phnom Penh SRP MP Son Chhay told RFA on Friday 30 October that Ho Vann returned home to serve the Cambodian people following a few months of absence.
Son Chhay said: “I believe that it is a reasonable time for Mr. Ho Vann to return back to fulfill his role as Phnom Penh MP.”
Sok Serey: The representative of the 20 or so officers did not appeal?
Son Chhay: We don’t know if they will appeal or not.
General Khieu Sopheak, spokesman for the ministry of Interior, said that Mr. Ho Vann should not worry about his personal safety.
Khieu Sopheak said: “Come back, there is nothing! Unless the police receive a letter from the court, then we will do our work accordingly, but we have nothing at all.”
Sok Serey: So, he is a regular citizen, he has no charge against him, right?
Khieu Sopheak: First, he is a regular citizen, but it looks like he did not receive his immunity back from the National Assembly yet.
Chan Soveth, an official for the Adhoc human rights group, said that the National Assembly should return the immunity back to Mr. Ho Vann.
Chan Soveth indicated: “In particular, our National Assembly, the President of the NA should think and make the court [requests for the] return the immunity to Mr. Ho Vann, the SRP MP, so he can serve his constituents again.”
It is not yet known when the NA will return the immunity back to Mr. Ho Vann.
Ho Vann returned to Cambodia after the Phnom Penh municipal court decided to drop the defamation charge against him on 22 September because the court did not find that he did anything wrong as he was accused by the 22 RCAF officers.
SRP MP Ho Vann and Mu Sochua saw their parliamentary immunities lifted on 22 June so that they can face the court. Following that lifting, Mr. Ho Vann left for self-exile in June.
22 RCAF officers sued the 62-year-old Ho Vann, as well as reporters for The Cambodia Daily newspaper because Ho Vann gave his comments to the newspaper on 21 April in which he criticized the diplomas received by these 22 officers for their education in Vietnam as being valueless and lacking quality.
Two reporters for The Cambodia Daily, Nao Vannarin and Kevin Doyle, were ordered by the court to pay 4 million riels ($1,000) each for repeating defamation information.
2 comments:
According to the Cambodian Constitution ,if the suspect has been found innocent, his or her paliament needs to be reinstated automaticly without voting .
If you have no freedom to make an opinion what can kind of democracy is that? Again and again, why are we doing such a thing to hurt our democracy process in the world community when there is no gain? Don't we all want to speak freely?
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