Media Environment Remains Unfair: Monitor

By Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Washington
24 June 2008

Persecution of opposition media remains an obstacle to free and fair elections, an election monitor said Thursday.

"Closure or prohibition of any media has an impact on free and fair elections," said Mar Sophal, an investigator with the independent Committee for Free and Fair Elections, as a guest on "Hello VOA."

Opposition editor Dam Sith was arrested earlier this month, facing a suit of defamation and disinformation. He was released last week, but his arrest and the recent closure of a provincial radio station have prompted worries over media freedom ahead of the election.

Government spokesman Khieu Kanharith said Dam Sith's arrest was an affair of the court and not related to the government.

Meanwhile, 40 media outlets nationwide support the ruling Cambodian People's Party, Mar Sophal said, adding that people in the provinces were not getting enough news about the impending election.

Journalists plan to hold a non-violent demonstration

Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

About 150 local and international journalists plan to hold a non-violent demonstration in front of the ministry of Justice and the Phnom Penh municipal court on 22 June to appeal for justice for journalists and other innocent people whose rights have been abused, The Mekong Times reported. The announcement for the demonstration plan by the journalists took place after Dam Sith, the editor-in-chief of the Moneaksekar Khmer newspaper and other journalists were jailed this year. Ek Visarakhun, the secretary-general of the Cambodian Press Council (CPC), said on 16 June that his group sent a request to the city hall and informed all the authorities involved to hold the peaceful and non-violent demonstration in front of the ministry of Justice and the Phnom Penh municipal court. Dr. Pung Chiv Kek, executive director of the Licadho human rights group, said that it is a good thing that journalists in Cambodia appeal to end the pressure and rights violations by those holding power.

An Institution of Injustice

Sunday, June 15, 2008
Op-Ed by Chanda Chhay

If there were such a thing as an Institution of Injustice, the Cambodian Municipal Court in Phnom Penh would certainly fit into this dubious distinction. The way Judge Chhay Kong handled the case of Mr. Dam Sith, the editor of Moneasekar Khmer newspaper, was not only a miscarriage of justice but also a brazen abuse of the laws as well as the institution (court), which he represented. The issues of miscarriages of justice or judicial abuses could have happened anywhere, but Mr. Dam Sith’s case certainly merit some discussion, for it is so blatantly mediocre even a non-lawyer like me could see the flaws.

A few days ago, amidst local and international condemnations, Judge Chhay Kong issued a firm refusal to a request from a dozen or so Members of Parliament for the release of Mr. Dam Sith on the ground that they (MP’s) had no “rights” or jurisdiction to meddle in judicial procedures (See Judge Chhay Kong’s letter in Khmer at the end of this article). However, two days after denying those MP’s request, Judge Chhay Kong has turned the integrity of his court and his noble principle of keeping outside influences away from judicial procedures upside down, when he suddenly bent backward to accept a lone Member of Parliament and head of the executive branch, Mr. Hun Sen’s request to release Mr. Dam Sith. Unbelievable! It is certainly counterintuitive to see any person, let alone a judge whose decision could take a person’s liberty or life away, making such an irrational decision.

One simple premise: If those other members of parliament had no rights to intervene in the judicial procedures, neither could Mr. Hun Sen, who is also a member of parliament. Therefore, Judge Chhay Kong should also firmly and confidently tell Mr. Hun Sen that he has no rights to interfere in the judicial procedures.

I know I am being harsh on this poor Judge Chhay Kong, who has possibly been pressured by powerful politicians to act according to their wicked whim. In a dictatorial democracy like Cambodia, it is not unusual to see a judge stuck between a rock and a hard place. But, that said, it doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t confront our predicaments and rise up to the challenges. After all, judges could not and should not afford to make mistakes or be reckless about their decisions because a person’s liberty or life depends very much on them. When a judge could not see this simple moral imperative, it is best for him or her to give up the law books and find a different career.

Chanda Chhay
Washington, DC.

Click on Judge Chhay Kong's letter to zoom in

Hun Sen asks the court to release Dam Sith, will the judge dare say no again?

Dam Sith (Photo: RFA)

Cambodian prime minister requests release of jailed news editor

Sat, 14 Jun 2008
DPA

Phnom Penh - Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen wrote late Saturday to the Phnom Penh Municipal Court requesting the release of an imprisoned opposition newspaper editor on bail, journalists' representatives said. The Cambodian Club of Journalists, which lobbied the prime minister personally Friday, said by telephone that the letter had been prepared and sent to the court at around 9 pm local time.

Dam Sith, an opposition candidate for the Sam Rainsy Party in elections scheduled next month and editor of pro-opposition Moneaksekar Kampuchea newspaper, was arrested last Sunday and detained on charges of disinformation, "insult" and defamation.

He is charged with printing allegedly defamatory comments made by opposition leader Sam Rainsy about Foreign Minister Hor Namhong.

If Sith is released almost immediately, as expected after the prime minister's intervention, it will add to claims by rights groups that the judiciary is not independent of government influence.

However, it is likely to please Sith and his family after his detention in one of the region's most notorious jails, Prey Sar prison, for almost exactly one week.

His detention on civil charges is unheard of, but the court ruled he was a risk to witnesses - something which has infuriated rights and media advocates, who claim his imprisonment is a prime example of the Cambodian courts being used for political ends.

The ruling Cambodian People's Party of Hun Sen has repeatedly claimed Sith's detention was a personal matter between Hor Namhong, who also serves as deputy prime minister and a party politbureau member, the court and Sith and was in no way linked to the party.

Opposition MP's Demand That The Judge Who Issued An Arrest Warrant For Mr. Dam Sith Be Punished

12 June 2008
By San Suwith
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Khmerization
On the web at http://khmerization.blogspot.com

On Wednesday the 11th of June, 12 opposition MP's have sent a request through president of the National Assembly, Mr. Heng Samrin, to Mr. Dith Munty, president of the Council of Magistracy, to punish Mr. Chhay Kong, president of the First Court of Phnom Penh, because he has violated the law by issuing a warrant for the arrest of Mr. Dam Sith illegally.

A letter signed by 12 opposition MP's has detailed 4 errors committed by Investigating Judge Chhay Kong, including issuing a hasty arrest warrant on Sunday and Mr. Dam Sith's name was not even written on the arrest warrant.

Radio Free Asia was unable to obtain any comment from Mr. Dith Munty regarding the 12 MPs' request.

Rainsy's Bravery Might Produce Devastating Consequences

Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Editorial by Khmerization
On the web at http://khmerization.blogspot.com

Read previous Khmerization editorial about Dam Sith's arrest (The Hor Namhong Factor: Double Perpetration vs. Double Victimisation?) here.

Sam Rainsy's offer to swap jail term with Mr. Dam Sith, an editor of the Moneaksekar Khmer newspaper, who was arrested on the 8th of June on charges of defamation, has sent shiver down my spine. My worry has not so much focussed only on his brave offer, but much on the possibility that his offer might be accepted. I admired his courage and bravery but I also feel that his offer will result in devastating consequences for his political career and the survival of his party, if it is accepted.

First, let's look at the real scenario that might come out of this deal. And let's look at the negative side first. Rainsy must realise that he is dealing with a brutal regime and a dictatorial prime minister. Should Rainsy's offer be accepted by the Cambodian court, aided and abetted by Hor Namhong, Rainsy could be sent to jail in no time. In retrospect, Rainsy should look at the Aung San Suu Kyi's case in Burma very closely. Suu Kyi is a classic case. She has been in jail for over 18 years. And even with strong protest and sanctions from the international community, the junta regime in Burma refused to budge.

The worst case scenario that would come out of this daring deal would be the future of his political party. If he is jailed , and after international outcry Hun Sen still refuse to budge, what would the future hold for his party? A possible scenario would be that, if Rainsy is jailed for as long as Suu Kyi then his party would surely be weakened and disintegrate to the point of not being salvageable. And that would be the end of his party and his political career. No one, myself in particular, wants to see this scenario happen.

Now, let's look at a positive scenario. If the offer is accepted and Rainsy is imprisoned and he is released immediately after the international outcry, then Rainsy and his party can claim to have won a moral victory over evil. If this scenario occurred, Rainsy and his party surely has achieved public and voters' sympathy that would translate to increased electoral chances for the upcoming election. And Rainsy would be hailed a hero upon releasing from jail.

But one has to admit that Rainsy is dealing with a brutally undemocratic regime that is facing electoral defeat in the upcoming election. It will take any opportunity to sabotage Rainsy's chances of an electoral victory. And the ruling Cambodian People's Party, especially Mr. Hun Sen, would see Rainsy's offer of going to jail on behalf of Mr. Dam Sith as a great opportunity to thwart Rainsy's chances.

Lastly, I wish that this defamation suit would be resolved in a civilised manner, with Dam Sith and Rainsy exonerated unharmed.

Judge Chhay Kong refuses to release Dam Sith on bail

Click to zoom in

13 June 2008
Source: SRP

JUDGE REFUSES TO RELEASE DAM SITH ON BAIL

Today the Judge issued a decision not to release newspaper editor Dam Sith on bail.

The decision is officially based on three reasons:

• To respect judicial proceedings.
• To prevent the accused from committing other crimes.
• To prevent social chaos.

Editor’s arrest bodes ill for upcoming election: HRW

Dam Sith, editor of Sam Rainsy Party-affiliated newspaper Moneaksekar Khmer, is escorted by military police to a car at Phnom Penh Municipal Court on June 8. (Photo: TANG CHHIN SOTHY/ AFP)

Thursday, 12 June 2008
Written by Cheang Sokha and Vong Sokheng
The Phnom Penh Post

International rights groups have blasted the arrest of Sam Rainsy Party newspaper editor and parliamentary candidate Dam Sith as part of a systematic pattern of intimidation by the government against opposition members ahead of next month's general election.

Sith, the editor-in-chief of Moneaksekar Khmer, was arrested on June 8 and charged with defamation and disinformation over an April 18 article that quoted opposition leader Sam Rainsy as linking senior leaders of the ruling Cambodian People's Party, including Foreign Minister Hor Namhong, to the Khmer Rouge.

"Dam Sith's arrest demonstrates how the criminal justice system is used and abused to silence government critics," said Brittis Edman, a researcher for Amnesty International, which issued a joint statement with Human Rights Watch on June 11 demanding better press freedoms.

"His arrest sends a message of fear to journalists and other media workers in the lead-up to national elections next month," she added.

The statement adds to a growing chorus of outrage over Sith's arrest, with critics accusing the government of using out of date legislation against journalists.

The 1995 Press Law provides for some protection of journalists but is rarely used.

Instead, the so-called 1992 UNTAC Law, Cambodia's current penal code, is used in most legal cases against journalists or media representatives. These cases, according to rights groups, often violate the right to freedom of expression.

"Arrests and other politically motivated legal actions are being used to intimidate, coerce and silence opposition members and journalists," said Sara Colm, a senior researcher at Human Rights Watch.

"With elections pending, it's crucial that Cambodians are able to receive information from a variety of news sources, and that opposition candidates are able to campaign without fear of reprisals," she added.

Shortly after Sith's arrest, Information Minister Khieu Kanharith questioned whether Sith should be held pending trial, pointing out that defamation had been decriminalized and requesting his release by Phnom Penh Municipal Court.

Kanharith's undersecretary of state, Thieng Vandarong, said June 11 that the Ministry of Information had received no reply from the court and did not expect to.

"Our letter was just to pave the way for the victim and his lawyer to work toward his freedom," Vandarong said.

Lawyer Sok Sam Oeun, the executive director of the Cambodian Defender's Project, also said that Sith should be released pending trial because of the confusion over which law he should be charged under.

"If we look at the UNTAC law, with which the government is taking legal action, there is a loophole that allows for different interpretations," Sam Oeun said.

"In a democratic country, when there is a legal loophole, the benefit of the doubt should go to the accused."

Nam Hong's attorney Ka Savuth declined to comment.

Journalists to Visit Jailed Opposition Editor

Dam Sith (Photo: RFA)

By Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
12 June 2008

Members of the Club of Cambodian Journalists on Friday will visit jailed opposition editor Dam Sith, who remains in Prey Sar prison despite calls for his release.

Seven members of the club will visit Dam Sith in his cell at Prey Sar prison, Pan Samitik, chairman of the association, said. The courts had granted permission for the meeting, he said.

The purpose of the visit is to see Dam Sith's conditions in jail, he said.

Phnom Penhn Municipal Court Judge Chhay Kong said had agreed to allow the visit.

Rights groups and an international journalist organization on Thursday condemned the arrest as an assault on press freedom and an act of intimidation ahead of general elections in July.

Foreign Minister Hor Namhong filed suit against the editor April 25, claiming a story he published in Moneaksekar Khmer, a daily newspaper, defamed him by quoting accusations from opposition leader Sam Rainsy the minister was a member of the Khmer Rouge.

International rights groups call for Cambodia to release editor

Jun 12, 2008
DPA

Phnom Penh - Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International on Thursday called for the release of a jailed opposition newspaper editor, but prison authorities said there was no indication his release would come soon.

Dam Sith, 39, is editor of the Moneaksekar Kampuchea newspaper and a candidate for the opposition Sam Rainsy Party in national elections scheduled for next month.

He is charged with defamation, 'insult' and disinformation over remarks his newspaper published by party leader Sam Rainsy regarding Foreign Minister Hor Namhong.

'Dam Sith's arrest demonstrates how the criminal justice system is used and abused to silence government critics,' Brittis Edman, researcher for London-based Amnesty International, said in a press release.

'His arrest sends a message of fear to journalists and other media workers in the lead-up to national elections next month,' Edman added.

His detention on civil charges is unprecedented, and the court said it was because of fears he would interfere with witnesses - a reason that has not satisfied rights and journalist groups.

'There's little room for critical or opposition journalists in Cambodia, and those who express dissent risk harassment, intimidation and, at times, imprisonment,' Sara Colm, senior researcher at New York-based Human Rights Watch, said in the same press release.

Although the Information Ministry has sent an appeal for Sith's release to the Phnom Penh Municipal Court, there has been silence since his arrest Sunday, ministry officials said.

And Mong Kim Heng, the director of Prey Sar prison, where Sith is being held, said Thursday that he had received no hints of Sith's release.

'We have heard nothing at all,' he said.

Political Cartoon: The Free ... Press

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

Cambodia Intimidates Media, Opposition Before Vote, Groups Say

By Michael Heath

"There's little room for critical or opposition journalists in Cambodia, and those who express dissent risk harassment, intimidation and, at times, imprisonment'' - Sara Colm, senior researcher at New York-based Human Rights Watch

June 12 (Bloomberg) -- Cambodia's government, led by Prime Minister Hun Sen, is using the justice system to intimidate journalists and the opposition before next month's general elections, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch said.

Dam Sith, a candidate of the Sam Rainsy Party and editor of the Khmer Conscience newspaper, was arrested for questioning the role of Hor Namhong, the foreign minister, during the rule of the Khmer Rouge movement, the groups said in a statement.

The arrest ``demonstrates how the criminal justice system is used and abused to silence government critics,'' said Brittis Edman, a researcher at London-based Amnesty. It ``sends a message of fear to journalists and other media workers in the lead-up to national elections.''

The ruling Cambodian People's Party will repeat its victory of 2003 when elections are held July 27 in the South Asian country of 14 million people, Hun Sen said earlier this week. Sam Rainsy spent a year in exile in France from February 2005, during which he was jailed for 18 months in absentia for defaming the prime minister.

Cambodia's economy expanded 9.6 percent in 2007, after growing by at least 10 percent during the previous three years, according to data compiled by the World Bank.

Hun Sen wants to develop oil and mineral resources to attract international investment and reduce Cambodia's dependence on clothing exports and tourism for growth. About a third of the population live on less than 50 cents a day and 90 percent live in rural areas.

Intimidation Pattern

Dam Sith's arrest is part of a pattern of intimidation against the opposition and independent media in the run-up to the election, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch said.

On May 21, Hun Sen threatened the independent Beehive radio station after it broadcast programming from opposition parties, according to the groups. A week later, independent radio station Angkor Ratha had its license, issued less than six months earlier, revoked after it sold air time to opposition parties, the groups said.

Hun Sen said his party may win two-thirds of seats in the 123-member parliament, the Mekong Times reported yesterday.

The party will probably win at least 81 seats, up from 73, and receive 73 percent of the vote versus 64 percent in the 2003 election, the Phnom Penh-based English-language daily cited him as saying. The Sam Rainsy Party won 24 seats in the last ballot.

Hun Sen formed a coalition government in July 2004 with the royalist Funcinpec party, which won 26 seats in 2003.

Opposition Members

Dam Sith, who is running for election in Phnom Penh, was arrested as Hun Sen's CPP presses opposition members to join the party and punishes those who refuse, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch said.

In March, police detained local Sam Rainsy Party leader Tuot Saron in Kampong Thom. Tuot Saron is still in detention and faces charges of illegal confinement after seeking to assist a former party colleague following her alleged defection to the CPP, according to the groups.

The court issued arrest warrants against three other local Sam Rainsy Party leaders, who are in hiding after avoiding arrest, the groups said.

Cambodia's attention has been focused on five former leaders of the Khmer Rouge who are facing trial this year at a United Nations-backed genocide tribunal for crimes allegedly committed during the regime's 1975-1979 rule.

The Khmer Rouge forced the population out of cities as it tried to establish an agrarian state, killing an estimated 1.7 million people through starvation, disease or execution.

The regime was ousted when Vietnamese forces invaded Cambodia, plunging the country into civil war. Most fighting stopped after the 1991 Paris Peace Accords that called for a cease-fire and democratic elections, which were held in 1993.

Penal Code

Two years after the elections, Cambodia passed a Press Law that provides some protection to journalists, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty said. It's rarely used. Instead, the so-called 1992 UNTAC Law, Cambodia's current penal code, is used in most legal cases against journalists or media representatives.

``There's little room for critical or opposition journalists in Cambodia, and those who express dissent risk harassment, intimidation and, at times, imprisonment,'' Sara Colm, senior researcher at New York-based Human Rights Watch, said in the statement.

Dam Sith has been charged with violating articles 62 and 63 of the UNTAC Law. His newspaper, Khmer Conscience, is one of the few in Cambodia that is not affiliated with the government or the CPP, which controls all television and most radio stations.

To contact the reporter on this story: Michael Heath in Sydney at mheath1@bloomberg.net.

Sam Rainsy visits Dam Sith in jail

Opposition Leader Visits Editor in Jail

By Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
11 June 2008

Click here to listen to the audio program in Khmer

Opposition leader Sam Rainsy saw jailed opposition editor Dam Sith Wednesday, finding him in good health and without signs of abuse.

Dam Sith, the longtime editor of Moneaksekar Khmer, an opposition paper, has been jailed since Sunday, charged with defamation and disinformation, after his paper ran a story that quoted Sam Rainsy comments linking Foreign Minister Hor Namhong to the Khmer Rouge.

Dam Sith is sharing his cell with 20 other prisoners, Sam Rainsy said , adding that he wanted authorities to jail him instead.

The opposition leader said he expected Dam Sith to be released soon, but he gave no specifics.

The Hor Nam Hong’s Affairs

Tue, Jun 10, 2008
Op-Ed by Chanda Chhay

Watching the fallouts resulted from Mr. Hor Nam Hong’s (Cambodian foreign minister) lawsuits against people who made statements, quoted, or pointed out that he was the jailer at Boeung Trabek re-education camp during the Khmer Rouge’s era makes me both amused and appalled at how ignorance and misunderstanding could spiral out of hand. With due respects to all parties involved, I would like to point out that this is a classic case of talking pass each other, which stems from the neglect to correct each other’s mistakes.

According to Searching for the Truth Magazines, a publication of the Document Center of Cambodia, it appeared that Mr. Hor Nam Hong was part of the Khmer Rouge’s diplomatic corps being recalled to Cambodia to be re-trained in 1976-77. Boeung Trabek was the center or prison in which those diplomats and their families were held.

One must know that some jails have two tiers of jailers (people who were appointed to supervise and/or persecute the prisoners). The first tier jailer is someone whom the authority puts in charge of the overall prisoners. The second tier jailer is a prisoner or prisoners whom the authority, or first tier jailer, appointed to oversee his or her fellow prisoners. We should note that the second tier jailer is also A PRISONER. To the best of my knowledge, Boeung Trabek was this kind of jail, and Mr. Hor Nam Hong was the second tier jailer who had no real authority to determine who should be sent to Toul Sleng or to their death. From what I have learned so far through reading the sketchy history of Boeng Trabek, the first SECOND TIER jailers at Boeung Trabek were Chao Seng and Vann Piny. When Chao Seng and Vann Piny were sent to Toul Sleng and subsequently executed by Duch and company, Hor Nam Hong was appointed to take their place. Given the fact that, like Chao Seng and Vann Piny, Mr. Hor Nam Hong was also a member of the KR diplomatic corps, it was very likely that he would be next in line to go to Toul Sleng should the KR Angkar decide to eliminate the rest of the diplomatic corps at Boeung Trabek. One could perhaps make a plausible argument that Mr. Hor Nam Hong’s, along with about half of the prisoners at Boeung Trabek, survival to these days was a courtesy of the Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia. Without this critical event, Hor Nam Hong might not be around to sue everyone all over the world. Again, I think it is incumbent upon Mr. Hor Nam Hong, as a public figure and a survivor of Boeung Trabek, to clarify this mess so that this ambiguous issue is put to rest once and for all. Also, those other Boeung Trabek survivors should speak up so that we all could benefit from learning the truth. Believe it or not, nothing is harder than finding the truth.

And by the way, I think it is reflecting badly on your integrity, Mr. Foreign Minister, to sue journalist on the ground of defamation and disinformation. As a public figure and a veteran diplomat, you should know better that journalists only report what they learned and heard from their sources. If you think that the information, which affected your honor, is incorrect, tell them to correct it. Period! To take any action beyond that is despicable!!!

Chanda Chhay
Washington, D.C. (USA)

Phnom Penh accused of cracking down on dissent

Wed Jun 11, 2008
ABC Radio Australia

Cambodia's opposition leader has accused the government of having a newspaper publisher arrested to crack down on dissent ahead of next month's elections.

Dam Sith, the publisher of a daily Khmer-language newspaper and a parliamentary candidate in the upcoming poll, was arrested on Sunday.

Opposition leader Sam Rainsy says Dam Sith quoted him as saying that the country's deputy prime minister and foreign minister had a Khmer Rouge past.

Sam Rainsy says Dam Sith did nothing wrong in reporting a speech he made at a Khmer Rouge victims' commemoration in April.

Hor Namhong is “very angry”: Lawyer

Dam Sith’s lawyer calls on the court to question Ieng Sary

10 June 2008
By Duong Sokha
Ka-set
Unofficial translation from French by Tola Ek
Click here to read the original article in French
Click here to read the original article in Khmer

The defense lawyer for Dam Sith, the Editor-in-chief of the Moneaksekar Khmer (Khmer Conscience) newspaper who is temporarily detained since Sunday 08 June, following a lawsuit brought up by Hor Namhong for defamation and disinformation, does not want to stop there. The origin of his client’s arrest stemmed from his quoting of a speech given by opposition leader Sam Rainsy who declared that the government still includes former KR leaders, and Sam Rainsy went on to say that a minister of Foreign Affairs was the former leader of the Boeng Trabek camp under Pol pot. On Tuesday 10 June, lawyer Choung Choungy wrote to the prosecutor of the Phnom Penh municipal court, asking the latter to “summon Ieng Sary” to verify Hor Namhong’s statement given to the Rasmei Kampuchea newspaper on 23 April 2008, in which Hor Namhong claimed that he maintained close relationships with Ieng Sary, KR Brother No. 3, during the KR regime. In his letter, Choung Choungy said that, Ieng Sary being a former KR leader, will be able to clarify about Hor Namhong’s role in the Boeng Trabek detention camp between 1975 and 1979.

In a press conference held at his party headquarters on Tuesday 10 June, Sam Rainsy claimed Dam Sith’s innocence, and he also indicated his optimism about the upcoming release of his colleague “through numerous reactions from foreign countries, human rights organizations, and journalists associations in Cambodia.” The Cambodian Human Rights League deplored once again that justice in Cambodia makes use of the criminal code rather than the civil code in order to rain down on a journalist, and it is also concerned about the hostile atmosphere towards the opposition parties during this pre-election period.

Sam Rainsy insisted during the press conference that Dam Sith did not commit any error, he was only “reporting in his newspaper my words.” “Dam Sith should not be the one pursued, they should come after me!” Sam Rainsy said. He also said that it was “a political affair invented by the ruling party with the aim of distracting the attention of the voters from real pressing problems, such as land disputes and the current price inflation.” Sam Rainsy concluded by saying: “I accept to be sent to jail in exchange for Dam Sith’s release!”

When asked about this issue, Kar Savuth, Hor Namhong’s defense lawyer, stressed that his client is “very angry.” He said that: “To this day, no amicable negotiation took place. Now, [these accusations] dishonor my client, whom I am reminding, won a lawsuit [on the same issue] in France against former king Norodom Sihanouk. He has proofs of his innocence and also witnesses.”

Opposition Editor Remains in Jail

By Reporters, VOA Khmer
Original reports from Phnom Penh and Washington
10 June 2008

Click here to listen to the audio program in Khmer

Opposition newspaper editor Dam Sith was still in jail Tuesday, despite a request from the Ministry of Information Monday he be released and hopes for international intervention by local rights groups and the opposition.

A Phnom Penh Municipal Court judge said Tuesday he was considering the ministry's letter.

Opposition leader Sam Rainsy called the arrest "very unjust and illegal."

He placed a call to US Ambassador Joseph Mussomeli on Sunday, after the arrest of Dam Sith, editor of Moneaksekar Khmer, Sam Rainsy said. The ambassador said he would intervene, Sam Rainsy said.

The US has not written a letter to Phnom Penh Municipal Court to intervene, US Embassy spokesman Jeff Daigle said Tuesday.

"I can say that the embassy is concerned about the case, and we are following it, and we feel that it is regrettable that Dam Sith was detained," Daigle said.

Sam Rainsy: Dam Sith’s arrest affect the election

Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

Opposition leader Sam Rainsy said that the arrest of Dam Sith, the editor-in-chief of the Moneaksekar Khmer newspaper which supports the SRP, will affect the upcoming 27 July 2008 election. Sam Rainsy added that this will affect the diffusion of information which will be biased towards the ruling CPP party because the CPP has all the means to broadcast its information, whereas the opposition only has limited access to information broadcast and publication, and now the opposition’s voice is further silenced. Sam Rainsy said that the government must release Dam Sith because he is blameless. Sam Rainsy said that Dam Sith’s arrest is unjust, and it violates the law. Sam Rainsy also considers the CPP as not doing anything nowadays besides buying out the hearts of SRP party members, and when the CPP cannot buy SRP members, it resorted to sending them to jail.

Licadho's Kek Galabru discusses about Dam Sith's arrest and the threat to the 2008 General Election

Newspaper publisher arrested in Cambodia

Tuesday, 10 June 2008
ABC Radio Australia

Presenter: Corinne Podger
Speaker: Licadho spokeswoman Kek Galabru

Click here to listen to the audio program in English

Cambodia's human rights group Licadho says the publisher of a newspaper known to support the main opposition Sam Rainsy Party is in custody after his surprise arrest on Sunday.

Dam Sith publishes the newspaper Moneakseka Khmer, or Khmer Conscience. He's been charged with printing allegations that Cambodia's foreign minister had ties to the Khmer Rouge regime. Cambodia watchers say Prime Minister Hun Sen's used a mix of guile and threat to turn the July 27 polls into an undemocratic one horse race.

Dam Sith was apprehensive following his questioning by the court last week ... his apprehension was justified with his arrest

Moneakseka Khmer Director Gives Clarification

06 Jun 08
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Anonymous

The director of Moneakseka Khmer newspaper, Dam Sit, already gave clarification to Phnom Penh Municipal Court on 5 June over the lawsuit filed by [Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister] Hor Namhong against him for defamation and disinformation, after he published the opposition leader's comments in his newspaper.

Following his court appearance, Dam Sit told reporters that when the court had asked him if the comments publication comments was done as told by Sam Rainsy or it was his own idea, he said he had extracted the comments made by Sam Rainsy at Cheung Ek Monastery. Dam Sit added, "Although I have already given the clarification to the court, I still feel fear. I am afraid that after my court appearance, power will be used against me contrary to the legal principles. I think that I have done nothing wrong because the article I published was not exaggerated. It was the whole truth, because Sam Rainsy said so."

Dam Sit also said, "I understand that Hor Namhong's lawsuit is a threat to break up the spirit of newspapers that do not support him. This action is also a violation of the rights of journalists. "

Lawyer Chea Chu-ngi, who defended Dam Sit at the court, said his client had done nothing wrong, as he only reported what Sam Rainsy mentioned at the genocide center of Boeng Cheung Ek on 17 April 2008.