Moeung Sonn asked journalists to help him

Saturday, October 10, 2009
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy

Moeung Sonn, President of the Khmer Civilization Foundation (KCF) who fled to live in France, sent emails to several local news media, asking them to help publish documents and letter he sent to Hun Xen. The content of Moeung Sonn’s letter to Hun Xen is to ask the latter to push for a new trial in his case. Moeung Sonn was sued by the government for misinformation and incitation because he talked about the installation of light bulbs to illuminate the Angkor Wat temple. Moeung Sonn expressed his confidence that if a new trial is conducted in his case, Judge Chhay Kong will rethink his case. Moeung Sonn also asked the journalists to cooperate with the KCF to call on Heng Samrin, the president of the National Assembly, to change Article 62 of the UNTAC era criminal code so that this article of the law will no longer be used to prevent the freedom of expression of Cambodians.

Border Families Should Ask Thailand For Compensation

PHNOM PENH, April 23 (Bernama) -- Border families in Cambodia should ask for US$9 million from Thailand to compensate for their damaged houses and markets as a result of recent bilateral armed clashes, China's Xinhua news agency said quoting a national media report Thursday.

Direct asset loss was estimated at US$1.2 million, but Thailand should pay much more for the trauma of the residents, so the total amount of Thai compensation should top US$9 million, Chinese-language daily newspaper the Commercial News quoted the Khmer Civilisation Fund (KCF) as saying.

KCF and other non-governmental organisations had visited the border area to study the residents' loss, and a report has been lodged to country leaders and officials at various levels, said KCF which represented the compensation seekers.

On Tuesday, KCF told reporters that 147 Cambodian families near the 900-year-old Preah Vihear temple had asked Thailand to pay for the damage of their properties.

The houses with 260 inhabitants were burnt down, as two rounds of heavy gunfire exchange occurred on April 3 near the temple, according to KCF.

Rocket bombs hit their houses and then led to total damage, it said, adding that the house owners were strongly dissatisfied with such behavior and demanded that Thailand should pay for the loss.

The April 3 military confrontations took place after well-armed Thai troops intruded on Cambodian lands.

"It is very regrettable that Thai armed intrusions continue to occur repeatedly in the same areas" near the border, and "these acts of violation have compelled the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) to exercise their rights to self-defence and to protect the Cambodian territorial integrity," said a statement issued by the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation right after the accidents.

Since July 2008, troops from both sides have stationed near the Preah Vihear temple, a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) World Heritage Site, and two armed confrontations last year sparked brief concerns of war.

The two neighbouring countries have never fully demarcated their disputed 800-km-long border, mainly due to their different interpretations of historical maps and the landmines left over from decades of civil war in Cambodia.