Cambodian MP Countersued

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Mu Sochua (pictured), a senior MP in Cambodia's opposition Sam Rainsy Party, the largest opposition party in the country, is facing legal action and a possible suspension of her parliamentary immunity. This is in response to her announcement last week that she is suing Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen for defamation and insults.

Sochua is suing Sen for calling her cheung klang, or "strong leg"--a term that she says is especially offensive towards women--during an April 4 speech, the Phnom Penh Post reported. The comments made by the prime minister didn't name Sochua directly, but she says she was clearly the target.

"This is the first time, and I do this on behalf of Cambodian women. I do it on behalf of women in general, because women who are raped, who are assaulted--verbally, sexually, physically and so on--who don't have a voice, cry in silence, are ruined inside. This is a symbolic case and also an unprecedented case," Sochua, who was previously the minister for women's affairs in the coalition government, told ABC Radio Australia.

The prime minister struck back this week by filing a lawsuit against Sochua for defaming him during the news conference where she announced her legal intentions.