Opposition Leader Sam Rainsy's Accusation

ACCUSATION

My name is SAM RAINSY, a Member of Parliament of Cambodia. I publicly accuse Mrs. BUN RANY HUN SEN, the wife of Mr. HUN SEN, Prime Minister of Cambodia, of masterminding the assassination in 1999 of Ms. PISETH PILIKA, a renowned Cambodian artist. The assassination was perpetrated in Phnom Penh with the complicity of Mr. HUN SEN and the Police under his orders.

I invite Mr. and Mrs. HUN SEN to be courageous enough to dare file a defamation lawsuit against me before the French Court since it is from the French soil that I accuse them of murder.

Mr. HOR NAMHONG, Cambodia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, has already filed such a lawsuit against me before the French Court.

If Mr. and Mrs. HUN SEN do not dare to start a lawsuit against me, they would show up their cowardice and would implicitly recognize that they are effectively murderers.

This statement was published in Paris on October 23, 2011.

Sam Rainsy

_________________________

ACCUSATION

Je soussigné SAM RAINSY, Député du Cambodge, accuse publiquement Mme BUN RANY HUN SEN, épouse de Mr HUN SEN, Premier Ministre du Cambodge, d’avoir fait assassiner en 1999 Mme PISETH PILIKA, une artiste cambodgienne renommée. Cet assassinat a été perpétré à Phnom Penh avec la complicité de Mr HUN SEN et de son entourage policier.

J’invite Monsieur et Madame HUN SEN à faire preuve de suffisamment de courage pour oser porter plainte contre moi devant la justice française car c’est sur le sol français que je les accuse publiquement d’assassinat.

Mr HOR NAMHONG, Ministre des Affaires Etrangères du Cambodge, a déjà porté plainte contre moi devant la justice française.

Si Monsieur et Madame HUN SEN n’osent pas porter plainte contre moi, ils se comportent comme des lâches et reconnaissent implicitement qu’ils sont effectivement des assassins.

Fait à Paris, le 23 octobre 2011

Sam Rainsy

Heng Pov pens book lauding PM

Former municipal police chief Heng Pov’s new book is displayed for sale Tuesday along Street 51 near Sihanouk Boulevard. (Photo by: Pha Lina)

Wednesday, 21 April 2010
Cheang Sokha and James O'toole
The Phnom Penh Post

He also alleged that actress Piseth Pilika, who was shot and killed in 1999, was gunned down on orders from first lady Bun Rany, who he said had learned of an affair between the starlet and her husband, and accused local tycoon Mong Reththy of involvement in drug trafficking.

FORMER Phnom Penh municipal police chief Heng Pov has written a book from prison that offers effusive praise for Prime Minister Hun Sen, in what observers say is a marked turn from previous public comments and may be an attempt to secure a pardon.

The book was first distributed to stores in central Phnom Penh on Tuesday, with Heng Pov’s preface dated January 2010. In the 227-page volume, titled Strategy to Extinguish War in Cambodia, Heng Pov offers an analysis of recent Cambodian history and politics that describes Hun Sen as the Kingdom’s most skillful leader and refers to him by his full honorific.

“The special condition of the diplomatic strategy of Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen is not to consider any philosophy, country or religion as an enemy of Cambodia with whom we cannot compromise or reconcile,” Heng Pov writes, offering similar praise for the premier’s role in domestic politics.

“Samdech Techo never considered other Cambodian politicians as life-or-death enemies with whom he cannot compromise or reconcile,” he says.

Kao Soupha, Heng Pov’s lawyer, said he had proofread the book prior to publication. He said Heng Pov’s aim in writing it had been to demonstrate his patriotism and to describe Hun Sen’s political career.

“This book is not written simply to praise Hun Sen, but to show the facts of his leadership of the country,” Kao Soupha said.

Heng Pov, a widely feared leader during his time as police chief, was arrested in 2006 and sentenced last year to over 90 years in prison on a raft of charges including extortion, kidnapping and murder. He is scheduled to appear at the Appeal Court on April 30 to contest three of the cases against him, though Kao Soupha said that at this point, Heng Pov’s only hope is for the prime minister to come to his aid.

“For Heng Pov’s case, the court will never find justice for him, and only Hun Sen can save him,” Kao Soupha said.

Heng Pov’s praise for Hun Sen stands in stark contrast to previous public statements, including a 2006 interview with the French weekly L’Express in which he accused Hun Sen and former national police chief Hok Lundy of being behind the 1997 grenade attack on a Sam Rainsy Party rally and numerous other assassinations of opposition or political figures.

He also alleged that actress Piseth Pilika, who was shot and killed in 1999, was gunned down on orders from first lady Bun Rany, who he said had learned of an affair between the starlet and her husband, and accused local tycoon Mong Reththy of involvement in drug trafficking. These allegations have been denied.

Heng Pov has claimed innocence of the charges against him, alleging that they were engineered by Hok Lundy, his former rival.

Hok Lundy was killed in a helicopter crash in 2008, a fact that Cambodian Defenders Project director Sok Sam Oeun said may have played into Heng Pov’s decision to write the book.

“The enemy of Heng Pov, Hok Lundy, is dead, so maybe Heng Pov thinks he has a chance to be pardoned by the prime minister,” Sok Sam Oeun said. He added that for a case involving a high-profile political figure – Heng Pov is also a former adviser to Hun Sen – a pardon could indeed be possible.

Hang Chhaya, executive director of the Khmer Institute for Democracy, said the book might have been conceived as an attempt to “appease” Hun Sen. Though he said a pardon could be possible, he argued that given the severity of Heng Pov’s past statements, the premier may be unlikely to offer leniency.

“The fallout was so deep,” he said. “I know that sometimes the prime minister does have a change of heart over political-related court cases, but this one is a difficult one.”

Minister of Information Khieu Kanharith said that Heng Pov may indeed be angling for clemency, but declined to offer a response without first reviewing the book.

“He has the free time to write – that might be the intention – but because I didn’t see the book, it would be difficult for me to make any comment,” Khieu Kanharith said, adding that government staffers could “make excerpts” for Hun Sen if they were deemed of interest.

Nearly US$1 million in Heng Pov’s personal bank accounts has frozen following his arrest, and he wrote to Hun Sen last year in a bid to secure funding for family and legal expenses, asking the prime minister to “intervene to allow me to withdraw some money from the bank, with forgiveness”. This request, however, went unheeded.

Prey Sar prison director Mong Kim Heng said Tuesday that despite his former stature, Heng Pov has received no special treatment in jail.

“He has nothing to do each day besides exercise,” Mong Kim Heng said, “and I have observed that he likes reading and writing in his free time.”

When Samdech Si[hanouk] met Samdach Xen ... it's all in the family

Undated photos (most likely March/April 2010), originally posted on NorodomSihanouk.info

After the wife's morality squad, now comes the husband's 'natural' look fashion ... when does he have time to administer the country?

The "natural" look without toxic makeup, hair color and nail polish proposed by Hun Xen?

Hun Sen warns of toxic makeup, urges emphasis on ‘natural’ look

Wednesday, 03 March 2010
Cheang Sokha and Mom Kunthear
The Phnom Penh Post

PRIME Minister Hun Sen on Tuesday ordered the Ministry of Health to strictly monitor the use of toxic chemicals in cosmetics and urged Khmer women to project their “natural beauty”.

Speaking at the closing ceremony of the Health Ministry’s annual conference, the premier said the number of beauty salons in the Kingdom has grown significantly, and that many women are probably using beauty products without knowing what chemicals they contain.

He also suggested that cosmetics containing harmful chemicals could cause cancer.

“They have to clearly inspect [the products] before using them in order to make sure that people who use makeup for beauty are not in danger of cancer,” Hun Sen said.

Hun Sen also ordered health officials to penalise those who “cause damage to public health” by selling dangerous products or cosmetic services.

He concluded his remarks with a request that women shy away from the excessive use of cosmetics. “I would like to take this opportunity to appeal to all women – single, married or widowed. It’s better to keep your natural beauty,” he said.

Kim Nimol, who owns the Seara Beauty Salon in Phnom Penh, said Tuesday evening that her shop often sells weight-loss and skin-whitening products to customers, but added that it would make no business sense to sell dangerous products.

“I think about my clients’ health more than I think about money because I am afraid of losing my business and clients,” she said

“If we use cheap products to make skin white, it can make our skin itchy, get pimples, and sometimes it can become skin cancer,” she said.

“I think all beauty store owners should not earn money by destroying other people’s health.”

Bun Rany to receive UN award for reducing HIV/AIDS stigma and discrimination ... while her husband regime is promoting just the opposite

HIV patient Touch Sokhak, 45, speaks to reporters about the inadequate facilities of his families home at the Tuol Sambo relocation site on Friday. (Photo by: Rick Valenzuela)

Cambodian first lady Bun Rany attends last year’s World AIDS Day celebrations in Phnom Penh. (Photo by: Heng Chivoan)

AIDS award spurs questions

Monday, 16 November 2009
Robbie Corey Boulet
The Phnom Penh Post

“This award is a slap in the face for Cambodians living with HIV and those most at risk, especially sex workers, homeless people and people who use drugs” - Joe Amon, director of health and human rights for Human Rights Watch

A UN special envoy is scheduled to present first lady Bun Rany with an award recognising her role in combating HIV/AIDS and in reducing stigma and discrimination against people living with the disease, a move that has raised some eyebrows among human rights groups, one of which called it “a slap in the face”.

The Asia-Pacific Leadership Forum on HIV/AIDS and Development Award will be presented by Dr Nafis Sadik, the UN secretary general’s special envoy on HIV/AIDS in Asia and the Pacific, during a ceremony Tuesday at the headquarters of the Cambodian Red Cross, which Bun Rany heads.

UNAIDS Country Director Tony Lisle said Sunday that the decision to present the award to Bun Rany had been prompted by her “very, very, very active” role in HIV/AIDS issues.

“Her focus has been very specific,” he said. “It’s been particularly focused on orphans and vulnerable children, the rights of people to access anti-retroviral therapy and also engaging communities at the local level in reducing stigma and discrimination.”

He added: “I know that in cases where children have been excluded from school, she’s intervened and sent very clear messages about the inappropriateness of exclusion on the basis of one’s HIV status,” he said.

The adult HIV prevalence rate stood at 0.9 percent in 2006, far below the 2015 Millennium Development Goal of 1.8 percent, though the baseline used to set that goal was later revised downward.

Award questionable: NGOs

This accomplishment aside, several human rights workers said the government’s record on HIV/AIDS issues was blemished at best.

“This award is a slap in the face for Cambodians living with HIV and those most at risk, especially sex workers, homeless people and people who use drugs,” said Joe Amon, director of health and human rights for Human Rights Watch. “Rather than uncritical praise, UNAIDS should be speaking out about this government’s discrimination, stigmatisation and neglect of Cambodia’s most marginalised communities.”

Amon cited this year’s Borei Keila eviction as an example of poor treatment of HIV/AIDS patients. City Hall forcibly relocated 40 HIV-affected Borei Keila families to the Tuol Sambo relocation site in June and July. Rights groups have regularly criticised conditions at the site, which have included a lack of food and oppressive heat.

Though she was less critical of the decision to give the award, Pung Chhiv Kek, founder of the rights group Licadho, said she hoped it would prompt Bun Rany to take action in preventing Borei Keila-style evictions in the future.

“I would like to take this opportunity to appeal to her that recently, there have been some families that have HIV/AIDS, and the government put them in a special place,” she said. “I hope that she will do something so that these people have the possibility to live with the rest of the population. It’s a kind of discrimination.”

In response to civil society criticism, Lisle said he agreed that Tuol Sambo was “a big mistake”, but he argued that the award was justified.

Tuol Sambo, he said, “does not in any way take away from Cambodia’s excellent track record in reducing stigma and discrimination.”

Sacrava's Political Cartoon: The Pig-h-D Crashers

Cartoon by Sacrava (on the web at http://sacrava.blogspot.com)

Hanoi PhD couple to receive Seoul PhDs: The Seoulless PhDs?

Chumteav Thom Bun Rany and her Strongman husband

01 June 2009
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

Based on the invitation of South Korea president Lee Myung Bak, in the morning of 30 May, Hun Xen led a government delegation to visit South Korea between 30 May to 05 June. The visit is also to attend the 20th ASEAN-Korea relation summit, as well as for an official visit. Sri Thamarong, who accompanied Hun Sen on the trip, said that during the stay in Seoul, besides attending various meetings, Hun Xen will also receive an honorary doctorate degree in political science from a Korean university because Cambodia’s Strongman has the talent to lead the country out of war and bring in peace to the people all over the country, end the fight without a drop of blood, and also for bringing political stability. At the same time, Chumteav Thom Bun Rany Hun Xen, Hun Xen’s wife, will also receive an honorary doctorate degree in economy from the Seoul Women University.

Celebration of Cambodian Red Cross ... or is it "Red-Cambodian" Cross?

A beaming Hun Sen and Bun Rany, his red-clad wife, receive a $10,000 red check from Red Communist China ambassador to Cambodia on 08 May 2009 (Photo: dap-news)

Hun Sen ordered to personally attend WRC anniversary by his big boss

Cambodian Red Cross to mark 146th anniversary of WRC

PHNOM PENH, May 6 (Xinhua) -- The Cambodian Red Cross (CRC) will carry out serial programs to mark the 146th anniversary of the establishment of the World Red Cross (WRC), which falls on May 8, national media said on Wednesday.

These programs, with the theme of "For Our World," aim to motivate people to participate in humanitarian work, help prevent and alleviate disasters, enhance public managerial capability and provide aid for accident victims, Chinese-language newspaper the Jian Hua Daily quoted CRC officials as telling a press conference here on Tuesday.

During the recent days, CRC will also commemorate the 54th anniversary of its own establishment and accession to WRC, the official said.

For example, a grand ceremony will be held in this regard on May 8 at the CRC headquarters in Phnom Penh, which Prime Minister Hun Sen himself will attend to highlight the organization's merit, they added.

Currently, CRC mainly undertakes various tasks for humanitarian salvation, such as containing bird flu and influenza A/H1N1, as well as poverty reduction and natural disaster alleviation, according to a CRC statement.

Bun Rany recommends abstinence [-Would she please tell this message to her husband and his gov't colleagues first?]

Lok Chumteav Thom PhD Bun Rany Hun Xen

Thursday, 04 December 2008
Written by Khoun Leakhana
The Phnom Penh Post

Prime minister's wife says individual self-control is a crucial factor in the fight against HIV/Aids

CAMBODIA's first lady, Bun Rany Hun Sen, has warned HIV/Aids campaigners that distributing free condoms may stimulate the nation's sexual appetite, claiming traditional moral practices, such as abstaining from sex until marriage, are more useful tools in the global fight against Aids.

"In my opinion, condom handouts should not be done too much as individuals need to be able to think for themselves," the prime minister's wife told participants at a World Aids Day event on Monday held in Hun Sen Park.

"Even if the government calls for a fight against Aids, it is not the most important factor - the spread of HIV/Aids is greatly reliant on the self- control of the individual.

"People who like sex must use condoms, but I think they must also consider reducing the number of sexual partners they engage with to reduce the risk," said Bun Rany, who is also president of the Cambodian Red Cross.

Chhay Sophal, communication consultant for the local NGO Khana, said the purpose of NGOs is not to stimulate sexual desire, but that this may, unintentionally, be a result of their efforts to reduce HIV/Aids in the Kingdom.

"[Stimulating sexual desire] is not our objective. As NGOs we always check with the social environment before doing anything," Chhay Sophal said.

Opposition parliamentarian Mu Sochua says NGOs should not reduce handouts of condoms, as there is still much work to be done to combat the threat of HIV/Aids in the Kingdom. As of 2006, infection rates stood at 0.9 percent of the population, according to UNAids figures.

"It is [the NGOs'] responsibility to expand the knowledge of Aids and HIV for people in the whole country," she said.

Sacrava's Political Cartoon: AIDS & AID

Cartoon by Sacrava (on the web at http://sacrava.blogspot.com)