Reuters
"...farmers on the Cambodian side have claimed they are losing land as Vietnam encroaches on Cambodian territory"PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA - An arrest warrant has been issued for the leader of Cambodia's main opposition party after he ignored a provincial court order to appear for questioning, a government spokesman said on Thursday.
Sam Rainsy failed to appear for questioning on Monday about an Oct. 25 incident in which demarcation posts were uprooted along Cambodia's border with Vietnam.
A Phnom Penh court issued an arrest warrant on Tuesday, although it was not announced publicly.
Government spokesman Phay Siphan confirmed on Thursday that the warrant had been issued for Rainsy, who leads the Sam Rainsy Party (SRP).
In an email from France, Rainsy told Reuters he would not appear in court because the case against him was politically motivated.
'The court in Cambodia is just a political tool for the ruling party to crack down on the opposition,' he said. 'I will let this politically subservient court prosecute me in absentia because its verdict is known in advance.'
Phay insisted the judges made their decisions free of political interference and said the warrant was issued only because Rainsy missed his court date.
'No matter who you are you have to appear in court, that's the law,' he said.
Rights groups have accused the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) of using the courts to crack down on opposition.
On Nov. 16, the CPP-dominated government voted to strip Rainsy of his immunity for the second time in 2009.
Rainsy faces charges of racial incitement and destruction of property for his alleged role in uprooting six border posts, which local farmers claimed were placed on their land.
Vietnam lodged an official complaint over the incident. The countries are in the process of demarcating their 1,270-metre long border, but farmers on the Cambodian side have claimed they are losing land as Vietnam encroaches on Cambodian territory.
A group of villagers from Svay Rieng province, on the frontier with Vietnam, brought their concerns to Rainsy, who is a fierce critic of Vietnam's influence in Cambodian affairs.
Vietnam is a growing investor in Cambodia, and the countries signed a memorandum of understanding at a forum in Ho Chi Minh City on Dec. 26, which will guide Vietnamese investments that officials said could top US$6 billion.
6 comments:
eh, a Phan, i have never seen A Sen goes on trial when he do something wrong, even to answer the question at paliament when asked by the mp.
The world knew that the cpp clan can not pit against Sam Rainsy in a televised 1-on-1 debate regarding the border issue so they resort to their madeup and false accusation to get Mr. sam rainsy; this is a shameless arrest warrent, low tactic of cpp to challenge Sam Rainsy. Mr. siphan phay' mouth stinks.
well and well so catch him at france ,put millions dollar may police of france welcom to corpperation .
Phay Siphan,
Your turn will be next, people in Cambodia want to see YOU-Phay Siphan face with Kangaroo court and wait to see what you are going to say.
All Communist countries' courts are kangaroo, Cambodia is not an exceptional. That's how they can control the weak people under their power, and that's how the take the country to any direction they want to go.
H.E Sam Rainsy does the right thing,because he and millions khmer people plus the international communities all they know that Cambodia court is colouring by vietcong secret agents,the judicial system only legitimate for the cpp only not for Khmer people.
God bless you H.E Sam Rainsy.
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