Meas Sokchea and Thomas Miller
The Phnom Penh Post
THE government has distributed what it calls an “apology” letter that Sam Rainsy wrote to Prime Minister Hun Sen in 2006, though the self-exiled opposition leader has disputed that characterisation.
Tith Sothea, a spokesman for the Council of Ministers’ Press and Quick Reaction Unit, said the government distributed the letter to local media last week so that “national and international public opinion know that Sam Rainsy has apologised”.
In his 2006 letter, Sam Rainsy wrote, “I am regretful for having conducted improper acts towards Samdech [Hun Sen] such as accusing Samdech of being the mastermind behind the grenade attack on the protesters on 30 March 1997 in front of the National Assembly”.
The attack, which targeted an opposition rally, left 16 dead and more than 100 wounded.
Sam Rainsy said in an email yesterday that his 2006 letter was not an apology.
“I might ‘regret’ the way I had ‘improperly’ acted as a tribunal in straightforwardly accusing Hun Sen and Norodom Ranariddh of various crimes because I actually was not a tribunal, whose role is to investigate first before coming to any conclusion and handing down any sentence,” Sam Rainsy wrote.
“However, I have preserved my right to believe, and I do and still believe, in the responsibility of Hun Sen and Norodom Ranariddh in the related crimes.”
Tith Sothea said, however, that the letter had “equal value to an apology”.
The letter was part of a political settlement that allowed Sam Rainsy to return to the Kingdom in February 2006. Sam Rainsy had fled the country the previous year after losing his parliamentary immunity in connection with a defamation complaint filed by Prince Norodom Ranariddh.
The SRP leader, a veteran of legal battles with the ruling Cambodian People’s Party, had accused Norodom Ranariddh and Hun Sen of corruption in the formation of their coalition government.
On Wednesday, the Appeal Court is set to hand down a ruling in relation to Sam Rainsy’s January conviction at the Svay Rieng provincial court for racial incitement and destruction of public property as part of a protest he staged near the Vietnamese border.
The opposition leader, currently living abroad, received a 10-year jail term at Phnom Penh Municipal Court last month for disinformation and falsification of public documents after he published maps and held a series of press conferences earlier this year to discuss alleged Vietnamese encroachment on Cambodian territory.
10 comments:
Sam Rainsy in his madate as representative of people he can act in his behalf to reconcile with government or its leader in the interest of democracy and national unity.
Other hand, Hun Sen and clique used such letter to advance, exploit,boast and promote their own personal hatred and prejudice toward the truth.
By now,people know Hun Sen is a backbiting individual who would pay back to his mentors first indirect boss Pol Pot then Pen Sovan,his direct boss, who had given him a chance to be civil and job after 1979.
Hun Sen is not about democratic value and civility in politics. All know his trade mark jungle rebellious and uneducated tongue.
No surprise to see here how he discredited and dishonored the integrity and political opponent/s while holding the prime minister office.
You can take a boy (HS) out of the jungle, but you cannot take the jungle out of the boy.
Where is that letter that SR sent to HS, why KI media do not post the letter in full for every to see.
To me it is full of bull shit that Mr. Sam Rainsy try to explain away apology and regret. In Khmer the word regret is even worst than apology.
apology and regret.
apology= som tos
regret= saok sdai
When Khmer cannot understand Khmer is a problem.
What can you say? When you fucked up, you fucked up.
There is no way Ah Sam Rainsy can beat Ah Khwak Hun Sen on the upcoming election.
this is a real fuck up of Ah Sam Rainsy in sending an "apology" letter to the dictator Hun Sen.
Do not crying "wolf" Ah SR.
ah Hun Sen kor vear niyeay peak "Ah", ah le ker supporters vear kor veary niyeay "ah". Jom mong veury ah heng oss niss. Hehehe. Don't be pointing your stinky fingers at me. I am only the observer of pouk ah sva le ker eng oss knear tae veuy. Hahaha. Ah svar le ker niss veuy. Jom mong veuy. Heheheh.
Ah doggy tit xothea, stop barking in vain, ah silly, ah stupid
Post a Comment