Court ‘Information Boards’ Open to Help Judiciary

By Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer
Phnom Penh
21 May 2008

Provincial and municipal courts hope to strengthen their transparency through a system of public information boards, which will seek to answer questions by citizens on court procedures.

The information boards, funded through $2 million in US aid and launched Wednesday, will list civil dispute filing fees, provide criteria for waiving those fees and will help citizens understand the rights of defendants and criminal court proceedings.

The boards will operate in every province and city, said US Embassy Charge d’Affairs Piper Campbell.

Justice Minister Ang Vong Vathana called the boards “an important step toward court transparency.”

Adhoc rights investigator Ny Chakrya said installing such boards without strengthening the rest of the judicial system would produce limited results in reform.

Cambodian courts to unveil public information boards

PHNOM PENH, May 21 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian courts this week will unveil public information boards designed to improve the accessibility and transparency of the country's legal system, local media reported Wednesday.

The information boards, installed in sets of three, make details of court rules and procedures available to the public, the Mekong Times newspaper said.

The first board lists civil dispute filing fees and lists the criteria under which fees may be waived; the second lists the defendants' rights under the newly passed Criminal Procedure Code; and the third board provides information on the rights of accused persons, minors and victims of crime, it said.

The project, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by the East West Management Institute (EWMI), hopes to have public information boards at every provincial court by mid-July.

The idea for the information boards came from a model courthouse in Kandal province developed by the Ministry of Justice with USAID support, a U.S. embassy spokesman said.