Thursday, September 23, 2010

Cambodian opposition leader jailed 10 years, fined in border case

Sep 23, 2010
DPA

Phnom Penh - A Cambodian court on Thursday jailed the leader of the main opposition party for 10 years in absentia and issued an arrest warrant after he charged Vietnam with encroaching on Cambodian territory.

The municipal court also handed down a fine of 16,250 dollars to Sam Rainsy, who heads the Sam Rainsy Party, after convicting him of disinformation and falsifying public documents.

The government's case stemmed from a press conference this year when Sam Rainsy showed maps that he claimed showed the neighbouring country was appropriating Cambodian land.

The two nations are demarcating their 1,270-kilometre common border in an exercise that is due to run until 2012.

Party spokesman Yim Sovann called the verdict 'a major injustice.'

'He performed his duty as a member of parliament to protect the country and the rights of the people who are losing their land because of the demarcation posts,' Yim Sovann said. 'The ruling is a step backwards for democracy in Cambodia.'

Sam Rainsy is in exile in France after receiving a two-year jail sentence in an earlier, linked case for racial incitement and damaging public property.

Yim Sovann said the international community should focus on Cambodia's democracy before it slipped into authoritarianism 'in the near future.'

'Everybody knows the courts are not independent and are used by the ruling party as a political tool to suppress the opposition party,' he said.

The government brought the first case against Sam Rainsy after he uprooted wooden posts in Svay Rieng province that mark the border with Vietnam. The opposition said Cambodian farmers in Svay Rieng were losing their land.

Two villagers were jailed in that earlier case, which is to head to appeal October 5.

The incident riled Hanoi, which is a close ally of Prime Minister Hun Sen's government. Vietnam has significant interests in agribusiness, aviation, telecommunications and banking in Cambodia.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

The international community will be silent as usual on this matter.

What a pity!

Come on America, EU, Australia, etc; do something about it. Don't just be a sleeping dog.

What kind of democracy and justice champions are you? How are all of you different from China?

Anonymous said...

Xam is a troublemaker, jail him or send him back to Pattaya where he belongs

Khmer in Sydney CBD

Anonymous said...

IT WON'T LONG BEFORE THE SAME KANGAROO COURT PARDONS HIM THE FAKE CHARGE. I DON'T WORRY. IT IS NOT THE FIRST TIME THE NATIONALISTS.

Anonymous said...

AH HUN SEN Vietcong slave court can jail any Cambodian people just to please the Vietcong government. This is so fucken predictable!

One day Cambodia will beg the Vietcong government for independence nation! Because at this moment in time, the Khmer Krom are fighting and struggle to gain independence nation from the Vietcong government!

Anonymous said...

To Khmer Rouge supporter
Khmer in Sydney CBD

Why are you support the Democratic Kampuchea Pol Pot Khmer Rouge Regime kills 1.7 million innocent Khmer peoples?

Why are you support the Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime kills hundreds of innocent Khmer peoples?

Why are you support the Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime extrajudicial execution over 100 members of FUNCINPEC Party?

Why are you support the Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime murders over 80 members of Sam Rainsy Party?

Why are you support the Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime murders 3 leaders of the Free Trade Union?

Why are you support the Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime murders 10 Journalists?

Why are you support the Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime kills at least 18 innocent Khmer peoples during a grenades attack (terrorism) on March 30, 1997 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia?

Why are you support the Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime police brutality against monks and evictees?

Why are you support the Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime burn poor people's house(s) down to the ground and leave them homeless?

Why are you support the Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime torture innocent Khmer peoples?

Why are you support the Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime human rights abuses innocent Khmer peoples?

Why are you support the Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime sex with children in Cambodia?

Khmer in Sydney CBD, do you like to sleep with children?
The reason why I'm asking is because you gay guys support the Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime who is continue to keep child sex industry open.

Why are you support the Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime committed corruptions in Cambodia?

Why are you support the Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime signed away our territories to Vietnam; Koh Tral, almost half of our ocean territory and oil fields?

Why are you support the Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime illegal arrest, mass evictions, land grabbing, firearms, logging, deforestation, sold state properties, removed parliamentary immunity of parliament members and plunder national resources?

Why are you support the Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime abuse the laws, the National Election Committee and the National Assembly?

Why are you support the Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime violate the laws, the Constitution and the Paris Accords?

Why are you support the Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime oppress, injustice, impunity, persecute, unlawful detention and death in custody?

Why are you support the Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime steal votes, bring foreigners from Vietnam to vote in Cambodia for Cambodian People's Party, use dead people's names to vote for Cambodian People's Party and disqualified potential Sam Rainsy Party's voters?

Why are you support the Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime abuse the court as a tools to send political opponents, journalists, land owners and farmers to jail?

You're support the Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime who is responsible for killing almost two million innocent Khmer peoples and counting.

Please do me a favor, don't ever tell anyone that you are Khmer because you make Khmer peoples look bad.

Anonymous said...

Cambodian Court jailed Sam Rainsy for 10 years in absentia is the last nail on Sam Rainsy's coffin. From now on, Sam Rainsy's political career in Cambodia is done and dush. So, will SRP survive until the next election and beyond? Everyone can bet for it.

Anonymous said...

Kangaroo court in a animal kingdom!
I advise all khmers to get out if and while they can.

Anonymous said...

It just doesn't make any sense at all to use dirt poor Cambodian farmers’ rice field to start the border demarcation? How about use the location of AH HUN SEN house to start the border demarcation process?

This so called border demarcation is one fuck up process! First of all AH HUN SEN doesn't even know where to start the border demarcation and he allowed the Vietcong government to pick and chose and eventually pick Cambodian farmers' rice field to start the border demarcation! Actually the Vietcong government can pick AH HUN SEN's house as a point to start the border demarcation but why the Vietcong government didn't do it? This is a fucken mystery! Like they said it ain’t mystery and it ain’t interesting.

Anonymous said...

Someone tells the truth always getting in jail or gets blamed.

Anonymous said...

Sam Rainsy is a mad dog that facing in deadlock situation. This mad dog is going to bite everyone who stand in front of it.

Like father like son. Finally, Sam Rainsy has followed his father's foot step, fugitive criminal conviction ran away from Cambodia and shamely died in overseas.

Anonymous said...

ToLaKa Porng Ka Dor Ann Na! Chang Chap Ah Na Chap ,Sreach Ta Kaduy Mare Via

Anonymous said...

Hmmm, I think US should take his action like he did with Iraq. Kill from the root otherwise it's useless

Anonymous said...

Hmmm, I think US should take his action like he did with Iraq. Kill from the root otherwise it's useless