Thursday, 11 June 2009
Written by Chrann Chamroeun
The Phnom Penh Post
"The government shouldn't have sued Moeung Sonn for his concern over the lights at Angkor Wat - which surely damaged the temple, but the government rejected the truth and sued him ... Government officials are now using the court system to discourage all critics" - Rong Chunn.KCF President Moeung Sonn, who has fled to France, maintains that the government is to blame for public outcry over installation work.
Government lawyer Pal Chan Dara answered questions in Phnom Penh Municipal Court Tuesday regarding his June 2 complaint accusing the president of the Khmer Civilisation Foundation (KCF) of inciting the public and spreading false information.
Moeung Sonn, the KCF president, held a press conference in Siem Reap last month during which he claimed that the installation of new light fixtures had damaged Angkor Wat.
Pal Chan Dara said Tuesday that he asked the court to make Moeung Sonn pay 10 million riels (US$2,400) for severely damaging the government's reputation.
The lawyer criticised Moeung Sonn's "rubbish press conference in Siem Reap", which he said "was absolutely wrong ... and made tourists fearful and unwilling to visit the temple".
Moeung Sonn, who fled to France to avoid arrest, defended his actions in an interview with the Post, saying much of the blame for the outcry over Angkor Wat's new lights lies with the government.
"Government officials [should have] informed the public in advance that the installation of the lights designed to attract more visitors at night ... will not cause damage," he said from France, adding that he had asked Prime Minister Hun Sen, King Sihamoni and King Father Norodom Sihanouk to intervene on his behalf.
The Cambodia Watchdog Council (CWC) condemned the government's use of the judiciary to silence critics in a June 9 press release, and the CWC representative singled out Moeung Sonn's case as typical of the government's attacks on free speech.
"The government shouldn't have sued Moeung Sonn for his concern over the lights at Angkor Wat - which surely damaged the temple, but the government rejected the truth and sued him," Rong Chunn, the CWC representative said. "Government officials are now using the court system to discourage all critics."
10 comments:
This land roll with decracy why can no one critizyse the leaders of this country? That is absurd!
Why kind of the denmocracy in this land?
In Srok Khmer aien't have democracy, she is still communism with capitalism?
Ah Kwack democrazy!!!
We had been warned by the constitutional scholars from the outset that Cambodian constitution would not have independent judicial system but Sihanouk signed it into law any way. If I remember correctly, Sihanouk said we can always make change to the constitution later. Cambodian had the greatest opportunity to create an ideal constitution that would solidly support the true democracy but we blew it.
The only way for this hun sen hanoi regime to un-wrong itself is to rid of the root of evil- youns and hun sen.
May that time come soon plz. For the khmer civil war and pol pot expired 30 years ago. And all that is wrong still wrong. Enough is enough already. May all the evil and roots of evil parishes from cambodia.
Khmer people need to rise up and put pressure and shame on all these acts of evil. No demand, no justice!
that is very heavy..........goverment is retarded....................after seeing how those idiots installed the lights who wouldnt critisized the goverment.............its looks so ghetto........alll thease modfuckers just think about is money money money in there pocket....... all this money that they get from tourist that go to angkorwat goes to one greedy bastard.......and it aint even HUNSEN.................this modafucker...........
For 6 months ago I remember what the Khmer leader said that the Cambodia will hit only a small impact from the world economic crises but now we can see what is up in this country? For instance, look at garment industries, tourism, parchasing lands, ... Alle of them are suffering. Many of people who lend the money from Bank are pushed in debt,.... Please talk the trust, we are as predited economists are not blind.
12:22 AM
Ah Jkuot Jruok!
PPU
PPU11:34 AM, ah ot kour
let aquak pm for pig and dogs pussy, because he keep borrowing china money and other country else money he give land to viet and thai also give land to china 365 thousand and thousand hecta and china will continue asked more land for them to controle and because aquake owe money to china and he will give more land to china to controle in ther future also korean will be like china because aquake to money pay them back and russia will also do like china so all cambodia land will be gone and aquake pm of puss pig and dogs. or may be not probably pm of the his wife ka dor rot moy only.
ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha aquake pm of pig pussy and dogs pussy no land and people fot him to controle any more
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