Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Cambodia ready to send witnesses to attend US court hearing in Chhun Yasith case

17 June 2007
By Sok Serei
Radio Free Asia

Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy

A high-ranking Cambodian police official claimed that Cambodia is ready to send 13 witnesses to the US to attend the court hearing of Chhun Yasith’s case which will be held on 31 July. Chhun Yasith’s CFF movement is accused by the Cambodian government of terrorist attack in 2000.

An anonymous 3-star police general revealed to RFA on Sunday that the Cambodian authority recently received the information from the FBI saying that the US court plan to hold a hearing in Chhun Yasith’s case on 31 July.

He added that the Cambodian government is ready to send the witnesses to attend the court hearing as soon as Cambodia receives the official letter (from the US) asking to send over these witnesses.

Regarding this issue, Khieu Sopheak, Ministry of Interior (MoI) spokesman, said that, in addition, Cambodia will also send over a number of evidence to the US such as the CFF flag, and explosives used etc…

Khieu Sopheak said: “Our witnesses include the victims, as well as evidence. The evidence has been sent already, including flags, we sent them all the dozen of evidence. If the court needs it, we have them all and we will also send over the witnesses who are still alive. The evidence should put him (Chhun Yasith) in jail.”

Jeff Daigle, the US embassy spokesman in Cambodia, said that when there is an official invitation for Cambodia to send over the witnesses to the US, there wouldn’t be any problem. He said that he knows that this is issue is currently being taken care of.

Chhun Yasith is the leader of the Cambodian Freedom Fighters (CFF) movement based in Long Beach, California, USA. The CFF led an attack in the middle of Phnom Penh on 24 November 2000 in order to topple the government of Prime Minister Hun Sen who was accused of corruption, of being a dictator, and of being a puppet of the Vietnam.

Eight people died from the attack and 14 people were injured. A building at the Ministry of Defense was slightly damaged during the attack.

After the failure of the attack to topple the Cambodian government, Chhun Yasith was sentenced in absentia to life in prison for terrorism. During that sentencing, Richard Kiri Kim, and a number of his accomplices were arrested in the province of Siem Reap, and they were also sentenced to life in prison by the Cambodian court.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

see i told you so.
the US is just follow the law. but if you are the US citizen n' you sworn under the law. As far the CPP hun sen 's court the US don't give a damn about that. the important is the US prosecutor, and the evidences that point out that he broke the law, if not, he will go free.

Anonymous said...

Let the Group Phkay Chor watch the proceedings of the US court. The US court and the police are completely independant, contrasting with the Cambodian court, the Cambodian prosecutor and the Cambodian police.
And In the US the perjury is a crime, while in Cambodia, the perjury is nothing.
The judges who comdemned injustly Born Samnang and Sok Sam Oeun are CRIMINELS!