Chakroval newspaper advice to King's Adviser: "Ask for pardon"

From left to right: Sean Pengse, President of Cambodia's Border Committee, Dr. Say Bory, adivser to former King Norodom Sihanouk, Prince Sisowath Thomico, personal secretary of former King Norodom Sihanouk. All three have been sued by Prime Minister Hun Sen for talking out against the illegal supplemental treaty signed by Mr. Hun Sen in Hanoi. (Photos: RFA archive).

Say Bory and Sean Pengse names did not appear in the package lawsuit withdrawal

10 Feb. 2006
Chakroval newspaper
Translated from Khmer by Ki-Media

In the package civil lawsuit withdrawal from the prime minister (Hun Sen) and Samdech Krom Preah (Norodom Ranariddh), the names of Mr. Sean Pengse, the President of the Cambodia's Border Committee in France, and of Mr. Say Bory, the adviser to [former] King Norodom Sihanouk, could not be found.

Messrs. Sean Pengse and Say Bory were accused by the prime minister of defamation in relation to the Vietnamese borders issue. The prime minister signed the supplemental treaty on the 1985 Vietnamese-Khmer border treaty which Mr. Say Bory had commented on, Mr. Sean Pengse provided an interview with Mr. Mam Sonando, the manager of Beehive radio station. At the same time, Prince Thomico, the personal secretary of the King, was also named in the lawsuit following his comment saying that the signing [of the supplemental treaty] caused the loss of territories.

After giving the green light to the release of the seven people involved in the defamation on border issues, and a number of other issues perpetrated on Samdech Krom Preah Norodom Ranariddh and prime minister Hun Sen, and the subsequent pardon and lawsuit withdrawal, the names of Messrs. Sean Pengse and Say Bory did not figure on this list. For Mr. Sean Pengse, even if there is an arrest warrant against him, he does not care about this warrant because he has French citizenship and lives in France, and he returns back to visit Cambodia once every four or five years only. Mr. Say Bory also has French citizenship just like Mr. Sean Pengse, but he is the adviser of the former monarch, and as such, he must permanently attend to his duty in the Royal Palace. Furthermore, Mr. Say Bory is a famous university professor in several universities in Cambodia, the question is why Mr. Say Bory did not soften his attitude and send a letter asking the pardon from the prime minister so that his lawsuit case can be withdrawn and he be pardoned…? If it remains this way, when the court will judge in secret the defamation case, the honor of the former monarch will be affected. Mr. Say Bory should take example from Prince Sisowath Thomico who asked for the drop of his lawsuit from the prime minister to end the case.

This is the first time that the personal secretary of the former monarch, and his adviser are both facing the lawsuits from the prime minister.