Mr. Sam Rainsy raised Mrs. Meas Srey in defiance during the uprooting of the border poles on 25th October 2009. She was latter arrested and is currently in prison.Sam Rainsy’s Letter to the Editor published in The Cambodia Daily, December 28, 2009
FARMERS BEING HELD “HOSTAGE” OVER VIETNAM BORDER CASE
At best scapegoats, at worst hostages
In your article “Defenders’ Project Lawyer Takes On Border Posts Case” (December 26-27, page 13), it’s good to learn that a courageous lawyer has accepted to defend two Svay Rieng province farmers who were charged and detained in prison over their alleged involvement in the uprooting of small border demarcation posts on the border with Vietnam. The charges against Meas Srey and Prum Chea are part of a larger case against SRP President Sam Rainsy.
As specified in previous statements “The Real Court Is in Hanoi” (December 21) http://tinyurl.com/y9p9vla and “Stop State Terrorism in Cambodia” (December 23) http://tinyurl.com/yj6lhll, I take full responsibility for uprooting the six wooden poles from villagers’ rice fields in Svay Rieng province on October 25.
I led villagers to their rice fields and got the controversial poles pulled out. Without my presence, my words and my act nothing would have happened in that village on that day. From a legal and judicial point of view I am the only person to be prosecuted.
Therefore, Meas Srey and Prum Chea are, at best, scapegoats given the authorities cannot reach me while I am abroad. At worst, they are just hostages because their arrest and detention are ways for the authorities to collectively punish the population for having complained about land confiscation associated with border encroachments to their elected representatives. It’s also a way to terrorize the population into stopping exposing an issue that is embarrassing for the government.
Sam Rainsy
Member of Parliament
Paris
2 comments:
I admire his outspoken style and ideas about situation in Cambodia, but SR has always barked on the wrong tree and get his spporters behind bar. ? Political immature or wrong tactic employed. May be it is time that he should listen to outsider rather than just his inside circle
Sam Rainsy might have miscalculated on many occasions but I don't think he barked at the wrong trees this time. Territorial encroachments by Cambodia's neighbors are a real problem, they are not fictions. What Mr. Rainsy did was to raise the awareness of the border encroachments. In hindsight, he should not pull out the border poles, he could just publicize the encroachments in the media and through public campaigning and debates in the parliament.
But I would not blame him for putting his supporters behind bars. The blame should be put squarely on the government for persecuting the defenders of Cambodian territorial integrity who are the victims who lost their farmlands through encroachments.
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