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| SRP MP Mu Sochua |
April 19, 2011
Meas Sokchea
The Phnom Penh Post
NATIONAL Assembly President Heng Samrin has rejected a request for the restoration of immunity for Sam Rainsy Party parliamentarian Mu Sochua, who was stripped of her immunity in 2009 in connection with a now-resolved legal dispute with Prime Minister Hun Sen.
In response to a letter sent by a group of 17 SRP parliamentarians earlier this month, Heng Samrin said that according to the Kingdom’s criminal procedure code, the assembly needed to wait for permission from the Ministry of Justice before restoring Mu Sochua’s immunity.
This permission, he said, could only come one year after Mu Sochua finished repaying the fine levied in her case, or as early as September this year.
“I would like to tell your excellencies that the assembly does not now have the ability to consider the restoration of Her Excellency Mu Sochua’s immunity because Her Excellency has not received rehabilitation from the court,” Heng Samrin wrote. In January, the Ministry of Justice wrote a letter to the National Assembly stating that Mu Sochua could remain without her parliamentary immunity for up to five years.
Justice Minister Ang Vong Vathana could not be reached for comment yesterday, and Bun Hun, an undersecretary of state at the ministry in charge of penal cases, declined to comment.
The SRP letter called for the immediate restoration of Mu Sochua’s immunity, claiming that its continued withholding constituted an attempt at political intimidation.
Opposition lawmaker Ho Vann, one of the MPs who signed the original letter, said yesterday that he saw no legal basis for the assembly’s refusal to act in Mu Sochua’s case.
“I have seen nothing stating that we must wait for an answer from the Justice Ministry before we receive immunity,” Ho Vann said.
“I think Samdech Heng Samrin, the assembly president, has the complete right to restore Her Excellency Mu Sochua’s immunity.”
Mu Sochua’s parliamentary immunity was suspended in 2009 to allow for her prosecution in a defamation case brought by Prime Minister Hun Sen.
Her highly publicised legal battle with the premier started in April that year, when she filed a defamation suit against Hun Sen in relation to comments he allegedly made about her during a speech in Kampot province.
The Premier countersued and the court ruled against her, ordering her to pay 16.5 million riel (US$4,084) in fines and compensation.
Though Mu Sochua refused to pay – saying she was willing to go to jail if necessary – the court issued an order authorising the docking of her salary for four months.
In a statement issued last month, the Cambodian Centre for Human Rights called for Mu Sochua’s immunity to be restored immediately, citing “the absence of clear provisions expressly allowing for the refusal to restore parliamentary immunity to a member of the National Assembly who has been convicted of a crime but not sentenced to a term of imprisonment”.
14 comments:
If the immunity can be taken away with a snap of fingers, why the fuss about getting it back?
I guess some under-employed MPs have to look busy with something to justify their existence.
KP
We all want to have a real democracy in our country, we therefore should respect the law of our country.
You are all correct.
The work for the nation should go on regardless of an immunity on or off.
Look at disgraced Mu Sochua. She look like vampire. Despite she has American husband, but her daughters are also ugly like her because her ugly genetic is really strong like African's genetic.
This ugly thick face Mu Sochua is really good in using Khmer victims to promote her political stunt. From now on, she is concerning about her parliament immunity rather than helping Khmer people.
3:47 PM
Anyone who describe someone else like this has to be the one that took part in the murdered of peaceful people in the 1997.
The government and assembly are the same guy. they are puppet, they rarely follow the law, do corruption, partism, killers...etc not better than Pol Pot regime or worse than Pol Pot.
3:47 PM
You are the one who is a Yuon murder/killer of 1997. Your pretentious Khmer uniforms in front of gullible people causing the confusion among Khmer people and foreigners by thinking that Khmer/Cambodian policemen killed their own people.
Fucking Yuon bastards have killed many innocent Cambodian people in 1997.
There were many bodyguards and military policemen are Yuon/Vietnamese hidden faces in Khmer/Cambodian military and police uniforms.
Communist Vietcong bastards in Hanoi ordered CPP Yuon Officials and Hun Sen to tell those hidden Youn faces with Khmer military uniforms to shoot the artillery into the peaceful crowds in Phnom Penh and scared the tourists or foreigners
ក្រុមបក្សពួកអាបក្សប្រឆាំងនៅស្រុកខ្មែរមិនដែលចង់
ឲ្យប្រទេសខ្មែរបានសុខសប្បាយនោះទេពីព្រោះមេអាពួកទាំងនេះគឺអាមេរិកាំងហើយអាមេរិកាំងមិនដែលចង់ឲ្យប្រទេសខ្មែរបានសុខសប្បាយជានោះទេដួច្នេះពួកអាមេរិកាំងវាបានជួលពួកខ្មែរវង្វេងជាតិមួយក្តាប់តួច
ខំនិយាយបំភ្លើសអំពីស្រុកខ្មែរឬក៏រាជរដ្ធភិបាលខ្មែរសព្វថ្ងៃ។ដួចជាពួកអាវិទ្យុអាស៊ីសេរីឥញ្ចឹងខំនិយាយតែ
អំពីស្រុកខ្មែរ។ចំពោះវិទ្យុនេះមិនដែលនិយាយរឿងអ្វីមួយទៅប្រាប់រាជរដ្ធាអាមេរិកថាប្រជាពលរដ្ធខ្មែរនៅស្រុកអាមេរិកលំបាកនោះទេតែមួយមាត់ក៏ពួកនេះមិនដែលនិយាយដែរ។ដួច្នេះពួកនេះមិនមែនជាខ្មែរនោះទេ។
The state of Cambodia has the constitution,but did not put into
practice;it means nothing.The CPP is
creating new laws to protect their
own benefits and power.
The CPP is using the communist laws,
not the free world laws.
The man 8:02PM had no ideas,he just
cut and posted on.
Yes no one is perfect;no a single
country on planet is 100% right or
good,but much better than Hun Sen
who is a dictator and Yuon slave.
You are addict to your Viet boss.
Women can use her knowledge and
wisdom to lead her family,her
community,and her country.
They have equal rights and opportunity as human beings.
Learn to love and respect women.
ពួកអាបក្សប្រឆាំងមួយក្តាប់តួចអើយកុំសូវកាន់ជើងអាស្បែកសពេកក្រែងលោវាទម្លាក់គ្រាប់លើក្បាលម៉ែអាអស់ឯងទៅ។ដឹងទេពួកអាស្បែកសវាមិនដែលចូលចិត្តខ្មែរទេឬក៏អាប្រឆាំងវាបានស៊ីកណ្តួយមីស្បែកសឬក៏មីប្រឆាំងវាបានស៊ីក្តរបស់អាស្បែកសភ្លេចក្តខ្មែរហើយឬ?កុំភ្លេចថាអាស្បែកសវាចុយអាក្រកណាស់។
2:11 AM
if majority of khmer people don't support her or her political group, who will support her and will it be legitimate? i doubt it, really! cambodia will always be cambodia, you know! wake up, people! cambodia is nobody's colony, ok! this is not the dark ages of cambodia anymore, ok! god bless cambodia. if people don't know this by now, then they must be still daydream about the dark ages of cambodia or something, really! that is so blinded and ignorant and uneducated, etc, to say the least, really!
2:13 AM,
What are you talking about? Think you are very blind and brainwashed by CPP Yuon or something wrong with your eyes and mind?
To 2:13 AM:
I am not following what you are saying.
in cambodia, it's all about having support, if no one support you, how can you be effective, etc! so people should work on winning enough support or backing up, etc, etc, ok! how can you convince me to buy your product if you don't know how to market or cater or service to your customers, it's the same concept here, ok! wake up, people! customers are the kings in the market economy, ok! if you don't understand this by now, then you must be still living in the stone age era, really!
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