Sam Rainsy calls on the court and the government to release the two jailed Cambodian villagers in Svay Rieng

Video press conference held by opposition leader Sam Rainsy and presented at the SRP party headquarters (Photo: SRP)

25 March 2010
By Sok Serey
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy
Click here to read the article in Khmer

On 25 March, opposition leader Sam Rainsy demanded that the court and the government drop the lawsuit against two villagers, Mr. Prum Chea and Mrs. Meas Srey, and release them in addition to returning their rice fields back to them.

The declaration was made by Sam Rainsy during a presentation and revelation of new proof documents confirming that Cambodia did lose between 300 and 500-meter of territory in Koh Kban Kandal village, Samrong commune, Chantrea district, Svay Rieng province, due to the planting of border stakes between Cambodia and Vietnam based on the 1985 treaty.

Sam Rainsy indicated during a video press conference from France and presented at the SRP party headquarters in Phnom Penh that: “After seeing such document, [the government] should drop the lawsuit against the two farmers, Mrs. Meas Srey and Mr. Prum Chea, so that they can be freed from today on, because those who are jailed right now, they did not commit any fault. Suing them is wrong!”

The new documents that Sam Rainsy showed during the press conference on Thursday included satellite photos from Google Earth confirming that stakes for border post no. 184 was planted 368-meter into Cambodia by Vietnam, and stakes at border post no. 185 which Sam Rainsy uprooted was planted 319-meter into Cambodia by Vietnam. Border posts no. 186 and 187 are planted 493-meter and 483-meter into Cambodia by the Vietnamese, respectively. All these border posts are located in Samrong commune, Chantrea district, Svay Rieng province, next to the Cambodia-Viet border.

Sam Rainsy indicated that these documents were obtained from research performed by Swiss and European experts in digital cartography and history. Regarding this issue, Cambodian government officials refused to recognize this revelation.

Tith Sothea, the government advisor and spokesman for the Press and Quick Reaction Unit of the Council of Ministers, reacted by saying that the release or not of the two jailed Cambodian villagers is the duty of the court.

Tith Sothea said: “The sentence on these two villagers was because the court had sufficient proofs to charge them. Therefore, this is a legal matter of the court and the government is not interfering in this work. I believe that Mr. Sam Rainsy cannot pressure the government in this case. [He] cannot take the government as hostage.”

The two Cambodian villagers, Mr. Prum Chea and Mrs. Meas Srey, whom Sam Rainsy demanded for their release, were sentenced to 1-year of jail time each by the Svay Rieng provincial court on 27 January. They were charged of willingly destruction of public properties because they participated in the uprooting of border stakes at post no. 185 on 25 October 2009 alongside Sam Rainsy. These stakes were planted in the middle of rice fields belonging to these villagers, in Koh Kban Kandal village, Samrong commune, Chantrea district, Svay Rieng province.

Opposition leader Sam Rainsy was also sentenced in absentia to 2-year of jail time for destruction of public properties and for incitation of racial discrimination.

On 26 February 2010, Sam Rainsy faced additional lawsuit from the government which accused him of falsifying public documents and distribution of false information.