Thursday, September 13, 2012

Witness testimonies conflict at Mam Sonando trial

Beehive Radio director Mam Sonando (C) appears at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court yesterday. Photograph: Heng Chivoan/Phnom Penh Post

Thursday, 13 September 2012
May Titthara
The Phnom Penh Post

Testimony continued in the case of jailed Beehive Radio director Mam Sonando and his alleged accomplices yesterday at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court, with 12 witnesses alternately accusing and absolving the Association of Democrats president and his co-defendants.

About 200 protestors camped outside the court again yesterday, however, despite an omniscient police force, the atmosphere was calmer with protestors singing and chanting peacefully throughout the day.

Unlike the first day of trial, media were allowed inside the court room to observe the proceedings.

Several of the prosecution’s witnesses said that their testimony was based entirely on hearsay, and none had any evidence to offer about the men actually on trial, focusing instead on alleged co-conspirator Bun Ratha, whose whereabouts have been unknown since the fatal May eviction in Kratie province’s Pro Ma village that spurred the charges of “secessionism” in the first place.


The prosecution’s witnesses’ testimony painted a picture of Ratha as the village’s unofficial dictator.

Chea Mom accused him of having set up barriers blocking the road into and out of the village, and having said that he would force travellers to thumbprint a document before passing in order to keep out undesirables.

Mom, however, allowed that she hadn’t actually seen either of those things, saying: “I know from people who told me, but I did not see it by my own eyes.”

In May, Pro Ma was the site of the forced eviction of hundreds of families involved in a long-running land dispute with agro-business company Casotim, during which a 14-year-old girl was shot dead by government forces.

The government called the eviction an “anti-secessionist raid”, despite repeated denials from villagers – including one-time Association of Democrats volunteer Bun Ratha.

Kong Vannak, another prosecution witness who lives in Pro Ma village, said that he moved to Pro Ma just four days before the forced eviction in hopes of getting enough farmland to support his family.
But in order to be allotted land, Ratha had made him man the roadblocks for a day.

“I have no will to against the authorities or the government,” said Vannak, denying his own involvement in the so-called secessionist plot.

“The reason I went to live there was that I just wanted to get the land to support my 11 sons and daughters.”

Song Soun, one of the few witnesses to be summonsed that supported the defendants, said that the tools brought by the prosecution as evidence that Pro Ma was planning an armed rebellion were simply tools that villagers had used for hunting wildlife for years.

For his part, Suon also added that he “never saw Mr Mam Sonando go to Kratie; he was not involved with the plan to establish a secessionist area.”

Witness Hun Sophal, a Kratie member of Sonando’s Association of Democrats, pointed out that Sonando was abroad when the alleged secession took place, prompting prosecutor Meas Chan Piseth to explain that, as ringleader, Sonando didn’t need to show his face to incite rebellion.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

DUMB Khmer. Mom Sonando had been accused as the ring leader by the Vietminh Hun Sen after his arm force killed a Khmer girl.

What are you DUMB Khmer going to do about it? NOTHING Because you DUMB Khmeronly knows how to scream and cry like street animals.

Everyone is right, you DUMB Khmer are lazy and uneducated. When will you DUMB Khmer learn?

Anonymous said...

7:53 PM, Dumb Yuon Dog Eater, did your Dumb parents call you Dumb first before you moved forward to using the work Dumb all over the place?

You, Dumb Yuon Dog Eater, you are very bad and evil and even worse than animal. So, stop being to mean, disrespectful, user propaganda to talk rubbish like Dumb Yuon slave Hun Sen, your lovely horny bastard who wants to love with you in bed, Dumb Yuon dog eater. Don't be too much educated because you are so confused yourself way too far using the words Dumb Khmer promote yourself as the most Dumbest Yuon Dog Eater that your Yuon parents called you.

May peace be brought upon to only this Dumb Yuon Dog Eater. So, please don't jump off the bridge. Just save yourself for those dogs who want you to be eaten by dogs who suffered because of you who killed too many dogs.

OK, Dumb Yuon Dog Eater @7:53 PM, stop barking and stop promoting yourself to the most stupid level as an evil Yuon Dog Eater on the planet.

Stay in peace. Don't let your brain swollen bigger like Dumb Yuon Slave Hun Sen that wants to make love in bed with you. You promote and praise him too much because of your comments on innocent Cambodian/Khmer people who are the victims of CPP and you blamed them while you are lazy sitting behind the computer to blah blah blah with disrespectful and mean words on them (good Khmer/Cambodian people).

Anonymous said...

អាសំ រង្សី នឹងអាគឹម សុខា ពួកវាបង្កើតគណបក្ស(នាំគ្រោះឱ្យជាតិ) រីឯពួកអាផ្កាប់មុខទាំអស់នោះគឺពពួកអាបំផ្លាញជាតិ អាផ្កាប់អស់ទាំងហ្នឹងពួកវានេះបំរើនយោបាយឱ្យអា(ហុន សែន)ដោយមិនដឹងខ្លួន។ ឥឡូវនេះខ្ញុំសុំលើកយកទង្វើថោកទាបរបស់អា សំ រង្សី នឹងអា គឹម សុខា ដែលពួកវាបានធ្វើកន្លងមក។ ទី១-នៅពេលដែលពលរដ្ឋខ្មែរមានរឿងនៅស្រុកក្រចេះ
ភូមិប្រម៉ាហើយក្មេងស្រីមួយនាក់មានអាយុ១៤ឆ្នាំពួកហុនសែនបាញ់ស្លាប់។ តើអាថោកទាបទាំងពីរហ្នឹងកំពុងធ្វើរអី? គឺពួកវានាំគ្នាដង្ហែក្បួនបោះឆ្នោតធ្វើជាមិនដឹងខ្លួនទៅវិញ។ ទី២-នៅពេលដែលលោក(ម៉ម សូណង់ដូ)ត្រូវបានមេអាថោកទាបទាំងពីរបញ្ចូទាហានមកចាប់គាត់។ រីឯអាថោកទាបទាំងពីរហ្នឹងវាណាត់ជួបគ្នានៅឯ(ម៉ានិលប្រទេសហ្វីលីពិន)ទៅវិញ។ ទី៣-ថ្មីៗនេះទៀតលោក (ម៉ម សូណង់ដូ)ត្រូវឡើងតុលាការពលរដ្ឋខ្មែរផ្អើលទូរទាំងពីភពលោកកមជួយគាំទ្រគាត់។ បែជាពួកអាថោកទាបគណបក្សនាំគ្រោះឱ្យជាតិនាំគ្នាសប្បាយ បង្កើតទីស្នាក់ការកណ្ដាលបណ្ដោះអាសន់នោះទៅវិញ។ ដូចច្នេះហើយសូមពលរដ្ឋខ្មែរទូទាំងពិភពលោកគឹតពិចារណាមើល។ ពេលវេលាមុនពេលវាលាក្រោយម្ដេចក៏ពូកវាមិនធ្វើរ បែជាពូកវាមកយកពេលវាលាណាដែលពលរដ្ឋខ្មែរកើតរឿងទៅវិញ។ នេះហើយគឺជាល្បិចបំភន់ភ្នែកពលរដ្ឋខ្មែរ នេះខ្ញុំនិយាយតែរឿងថ្មិៗដែលទើបហ្នឹងកើតឡើងផង៕

Anonymous said...

what is he so happy about? every time I see his picture, I see him smiling, wearing a tie, giving a V sign. is he going to jail or to a vacation? if he's too happy about being in jail, let him stay there.

Anonymous said...

គណបក្សសង្រ្គោះជាតិខ្មែរក្លែងក្លាយ
(សម រង្ស៊ី + កឹម សុខា )...និង
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