Saturday, September 25, 2010

Cambodia: Rainsy Sentence Shatters Pretense of Democracy

Sam Rainsy, leader of Cambodia's opposition Sam Rainsy Party, speaks during a campaign rally (Photo: AFP)

Conviction of Opposition Leader Showcases Political Control of Judiciary

September 24, 2010
Human Rights Watch
"President Obama and other world leaders need to let Hun Sen and his government know that the free ride is over." - Sophie Richardson, acting Asia director at Human Rights Watch
(New York) - The latest conviction of the Cambodian opposition leader Sam Rainsy on politicized charges makes it clear that the government of Prime Minister Hun Sen is no longer interested in even the pretense of democracy, Human Rights Watch said today. Rainsy was sentenced to 10 years in prison on September 23, 2010, on charges of spreading disinformation and falsifying maps.

Human Rights Watch urged President Barack Obama to tell Hun Sen when they meet today that this incident will threaten international assistance and relations with Cambodia, especially if the government fails to take urgent action to reverse measures that undermine freedom of expression, assembly, and association. Obama is scheduled to meet with Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) leaders in New York on the fringes of the annual United Nations General Assembly meeting.

"President Obama and other world leaders need to let Hun Sen and his government know that the free ride is over," said Sophie Richardson, acting Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "Cambodia cannot sentence the leader of the opposition to 10 years in prison for peaceful expression without expecting serious consequences."





The court sentenced Rainsy, leader of the opposition since 1995, for disseminating a map that purports to show that Cambodia's border with Vietnam had been moved. The trial was closed to the public, though the verdict was read out by Judge Ke Sakhan, who said, ''The acts committed by the offender seriously affected the honor of the government." Rainsy, who has been in self-imposed exile abroad all of this year, faces prison if he returns to Cambodia.

The case is part of a concerted and longstanding campaign against Rainsy. On January 27, the Svay Rieng provincial court convicted Rainsy and two villagers, Meas Srey and Prom Chea, on charges of inciting racial discrimination and destroying demarcation posts on Cambodia's border with Vietnam. That conviction was based on an incident in October 2009, when Rainsy helped villagers in Svay Rieng remove border markers that they contended had been moved onto Cambodian territory.
"The sentencing of Rainsy takes Hun Sen's campaign of persecution of critics to a new extreme and highlights government control over the judiciary," Richardson said. "Somehow the Cambodian authorities routinely find the time to use the police and courts to attack critics, but never are able to arrest or convict those who attack, often murderously, those very same critics."

Human Rights Watch urged the United States, the European Union, Japan, and other key donors to take strong diplomatic action in response to the sentence against Rainsy, including recalling their ambassadors to demonstrate their outrage. Donors contribute approximately 50 percent of the Cambodian government's budget.

From the time he created his political party in 1995, Rainsy has been subject to assassination attempts, threats, intimidation, criminal cases, and civil court cases. On March 30, 1997, a grenade attack on a political rally he was addressing killed at least 16 people and wounded 150. Rainsy's life was saved when the full force of the blast hit one of his bodyguards.
The US Federal Bureau of Investigation, which became involved because an American citizen was harmed in the attack, found that Hun Sen's bodyguard unit was implicated, but the Cambodian government has failed to investigate or prosecute those responsible.

Senior government officials have repeatedly brought politically motivated cases against Rainsy in recent years. His immunity as a member of parliament was lifted in February 2009 after Hun Sen filed a criminal defamation complaint against him for accusing Hun Sen of corruption. Rainsy's immunity was restored after his party paid a US$2,500 fine. On November 19, 2009, his immunity was lifted again for the border markers case.

Another attempt to jail Rainsy came in December 2005 when he was sentenced to 18 months in prison on transparently political defamation charges. Rainsy was out of the country at the time. Under international pressure, Hun Sen agreed to a royal pardon in February 2006.

"For too long donors have ignored the alarming downward spiral of rights and democracy in Cambodia," Richardson said. "If they continue not to react, they will wake up some day and find that Cambodia closely resembles Burma. It is time for diplomats to stand up and be counted."

23 comments:

Anonymous said...

It’s looking like HUN SEN AND YOUN hires several people to MAKING trouble on KI-MEDIA to post the first comment most of the time, and to make khmer and khmer fighting…ect.
BUT…!!! BUT IF YOU ARE KHMER PEOPLE… WHAT’S MADE YOU MAD LIKE THIS….! OR MAYBE YOU ARE TIRE OF BEING BORN AS KHMER ???

All khmer working with HUN SEN goverment, those they just need money/home/eating and PUZY... they did not care about KHMER lost land YOUN STEALING RIGHT NOW or what's happen to KHMER coutry to the future

Anonymous said...

សូមខ្មែរទាំងអស់ភ្ញាក់រលឹកឡើង ឈប់រស់ក្រោមការបោកប្រាស់ ញុះញង់របស់
គណបក្សសម រង្ស៊ី តទៅទៀតទៅ ពួកគេ បានបោកប្រាស់អ្នកទាំងអស់គ្នាជាង
១0ឆ្នាំមកហើយ។

ឥឡូវនេះ
សមរង្ស៊ីនិងជើងដៃកំពុងតែដើរបោកពួកខ្មែរក្រោមដែល
ល្ងង់ខ្លៅមិនមានការចេះដឹងថា ទឹកដីដែលបាត់បង់ជាមួយ
ប្រទេសយួន គាត់នឹងទៅយកមកឲ្យខ្មែរក្រោមវិញ។

សូមអ្នកទាំងអស់គ្នាពិចារណាទៅមើល សូម្បីតែសម រង្ស៊ី ខ្លួនឯងក៏ត្រូវដេញចេញពីដំណែងដែរ ធ្វើដូចម្ដេច សម រង្ស៊ី
អាចទៅយកទឹកដីដែលបាត់បង់ជាមួយប្រទេសយួន មកឲ្យខ្មែរក្រោមវិញបានទៅ?។

ពី
និស្សិតច្បាប់នៅសកលវិទ្យាល័យ
ភូមិន្ទនីតិសាស្ត្រនិងវិទ្យាសាស្ត្រសេដ្ឋកិច្ច
ភ្នំពេញ

Anonymous said...

Con cat tao ![my dick] Niset Ah hun sem Youn communist dog.what's for? hun sen Youn slave Niset ?All Ah hun sen Niset come to canada no speaking english. why write youn language to you cuz U R hun sen's Nist, most of U R training in vietnamese.

hahahahahah !Niset con cat Tao!

Anonymous said...

10:19Am Perhpas only one you, a Law Student, who so dumb cannot understand write or wrong and pretend did not understand the country being run by youn?
What a waste you are!!

Anonymous said...

លោក ១០ ១៩ គឺជានិស្សិតគ្មានខួរក្បាល។ កុំយក ឈ្មោះនិស្សិតមកប្រើលើកក្រោយដឹងទេ? សុំវង្វេងតែម្នាក់ឯងបានហើយ ត្រូវចាំណានិស្សិត ខួរក្បាលលាមក។

ពីស រ អា ​

don't be crazy anymore,ok? u don't even remember our history how u can be a khmer student? stupid!

Anonymous said...

Mr. Sam Raingsy wants very bad to be the next Khmer Dalai Lama. But the real Dalai Lama is a respected person and still respect the law of the country.
Contrary Mr. Sam Raingsy is always blaming others, when he was in trouble. The way he did, will not help Cambodia and the Khmer people.
He will not a Khmer hero, not able to secure the Democracy in Cambodia.

Anonymous said...

what about ur boss hun sen ?so hun sen is Youn pussy hero?LOL.

Anonymous said...

11:02AM,
Are you alright ?.

Anonymous said...

Hey11:02am what the fuck are you talking abaut?
Rainsy not help Khmer?
You are fucking out of your mind?
wake the fuck up.

Anonymous said...

Hopfully some of you have experiences in working with the Front National liberation again the Vietnamese occupation during 1980.
Yes I knew the real Mr. Sam Raingsy.

Anonymous said...

Thanks to Ms. Richardson for exploiting HS to the free world.

Anonymous said...

I would like KI media next time post on Sihanouk and Khmer Rouge wearing Vietnamese soldiers uniforms With Ho Chi Minh in 1970.All Khmer blogger should express ideas which could help Khmer people inside the country such as organizing demonstration anywhere in the world.And also Sam Rainsy is not a perfect man,but he can help Cambodia better than nothing against Hun Sen.Hun Sen and Viet never want anyone to stand against them.

Anonymous said...

និស្សិត ហិត​កន្តួយយួន ក្នុងវិទ្យាការិយាល័យ
នៅភូមិន្ទក្រាំងយ៉ូវ ខំសន្សំលុយទិញវិញ្ញាសា
ឬសញ្ញាប័ត្រទៅ អាកញ្ជះយួនពីកំណើត។

Anonymous said...

"" Mr. Sam Raingsy wants very bad to be the next Khmer Dalai Lama. But the real Dalai Lama is a respected person and still respect the law of the country.
Contrary Mr. Sam Raingsy is always blaming others, when he was in trouble. The way he did, will not help Cambodia and the Khmer people.
He will not a Khmer hero, not able to secure the Democracy in Cambodia.

11:02 AM "" (SIC!)

You stupid head 11:02AM! what's the fucking Democracy you want to secure! ther is no democracy in the corrupting , stealing government of ah Kwack Hun Xen!!!

Anonymous said...

ណែ អាស្វាវត្តភ្នំខ្ញុំយួន ១០:១៩AM(10:19AM)!

អាស្វាវត្តភ្នំខ្ញុំយួនឯងនឹងត្រូវអ្នកស្នេហាជាតិ
សំឡាប់ចោលអោយផុតពូជមឹនខាន ឭទេ???

អាស្វាវត្តភ្នំខ្ញុំយួន ១០:១៩AM ឯងនេះគ្មាន
ផ្លូវកែរខ្លួនអោយទៅជាអ្នកជាបានទេ!
True Khmer patriots are all around you; it's just a matter of time, got it អានិស្សិតស្វាវត្តភ្នំខ្ញុំយួន ១០:១៩AM???

Nous savons bien qui et ou tu es, connard!!

Anonymous said...

Donor money doesn't mean that much for CPP at this time because CPP will use oil and gas money to fund they government.

I don't think using donor money to threat Xen won't work as it use to be.


I hope American has more way than just money.

Anonymous said...

Sam Rainsy must take Hun Sen to court;  Failure to prosecute Hun Sen will result in more innocent Khmer peoples being murder.

Sam Rainsy must not give Hun Sen another option to pick to escape justice.

Which one is better?

1. Hun Sen Death Squad (The Cambodian Organize Crime) go to federal prison for life in the United States for terrorism on March 30, 1997 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

2. Sam Rainsy get his jail terms drop.

Option 1 will benefit all innocent Khmer peoples and Khmer national.

Option 2 will benefit Sam Rainsy and the Cambodia People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime (Hun Sen Death Squad, assassins, murderers, killers, human rights abusers and land grabbers...).

The last time, Sam Rainsy picked was option 2.

I remember Sam Rainsy said "I'm not doing this for Sam Rainsy, I'm doing this for Khmer national."

Sam Rainsy, please do a favor for the Khmer national, take Hun Sen to court.

I am hopping that Sam Rainsy pick the right option this time so that the same thing will not happen again ever.

Sam Rainsy must not allow Hun Sen to continue to kill more innocent Khmer peoples.

Sam Rainsy is in a position to take Hun Sen to court because Hun Sen was trying to assassinate him on March 30, 1997 Grenade Attack (Terrorism).  This is a rare opportunity.  Only victims have the power.  I wise, I have this power to bring Hun Sen to federal court in the United States.

This is a million times better than spend hundreds of million of dollars to hire a private military contractor (Black Water, now XE etc...) to bring justice to criminals (Hun Sen Death Squad and the Khmer Rouge Regimes) who is responsible for killing almost two million innocent Khmer peoples and counting.

Who ever charge, prosecute, convict and sentence Hun Sen is a Khmer hero.  You will be saving a lot of innocent Khmer peoples life.  Because Hun Sen is responsible for murders his political opponents, leaders of the free trade union, journalists and innocent Khmer peoples.

Hun Sen is the most powerful person in Cambodia.

Sam Rainsy have the power to send the most powerful person in Cambodia (Hun Sen) to federal prison for life in the United States.

By
Victim of
Democratic Kampuchea Pol Pot Khmer Rouge Regime
&
Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime

Anonymous said...

Tell me who follow the law in Cambodia anymore? The dirt poor Cambodian garment workers? ahahhahh

The only people who follow the law are those dirt poor Cambodian farmers even if they did follow the law and their land are stolen right before their eyes! Ahhahahah

Anonymous said...

mean krom ah CPP COMMENT khnong athabot khang leu nis banhchak kanhchas youn temidang

Anonymous said...

i had read some common on you tube about who is the pretties girls be tween East Asian and South east asian. i had see couple common on vietname side said that their people anceister are an andia mix with youn and they talk like khmer history. to me this viet youn try bo take khmer land. because the urglies girld on eart are tibet, korean, Japanese chinese and excepted vietname is southest asian is earlier people or east asian people are urgly people and the highest rate in the world do the plastic surgery so if these people are looking good is by blastic surgery. and the hotest and prettiest southest asian girld.
to me it seem that youn are the ealies people on earth among the southest asian.

Anonymous said...

so if khmer who are half chink, and yourn are the one who are the urglies looking. so khmer should remembe that half chin khmer and youn khmer are the urgliest look.

Anonymous said...

--- LET FIGHT ON...!

--- DO NOT STOP ...!

--- WE WILL CONTINUE TO FIGHT ..!

Anonymous said...

Please, you go to die

-Cambodia not welcome you.
-Cambodia have peace and safe home.
-Cambodia don't need a person as Sam Rainsy.
-Bad man, u're always make cambodian has a lot problem.
-Go die -Go die