The Cambodian court has asked the National Assembly to temporarily suspend Mr. Sam Rainsy parliamentary immunity so that the court can summon him to answer questions related to a defamation suit lodged against him by Foreign Minster Hor Namhong.
The court has today forwarded the request to the National Assembly to request the National Assembly to convene a full session to suspend Mr. Sam Rainsy's parliamentary immunity.
But Mr. Nguon Nhel, First Vice-President of the National Assembly, said that the suspension of MP's parliamentary immunity only requires a meeting of the Permanent Executive Committee of the National Assembly. He added that such a suspension does not need to go through a full session of the parliament. Mr. Nguon Nhel said that the suspension of parliamentary immunity does not mean that Mr. Sam Rainsy will lose his parliamentary prevelige such as perks and salary etc.
In reactions to this issue, Mr. Sam Rainsy said that he is not surprised at all because it is an attempt to intimidate the Sam Rainsy Party. He added that this is not the first time such intimidation was directed at the Sam Rainsy Party. There were numerous attempts already, such as Mr. Dam Sith's case etc. Mr. Sam Rainsy also added that this sort of intimidation was made in order to divert the attention from the real issues facing the nation such as land disputes, corruption, price rises and other economic problems.
Civil society has expressed concerns about this new development. Mr. Ou Virak, president of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights, said that this new development is politically motivated. He said that, as election is nearing, it will affect the upcoming election. He said that such a defamation law suit should be left until after the election. //
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