Cambodians watch as opposition party leader Sam Rainsy talks on a screen during a video conference in Phnom Penh
PHNOM PENH (AFP) — Cambodian opposition lawmakers have asked the king to pardon their exiled leader after he lost a final appeal against a two-year jail sentence, according to a letter seen by AFP on Monday.
Sam Rainsy, who has been living in France, was handed the prison term in his absence last year for inciting racial discrimination and uprooting border markings with neighbouring Vietnam in 2009.
His lawyer said the case was politically motivated, but after exhausting his appeals against the verdict, the outspoken politician was stripped of his parliamentary seat last week.
In a letter dated March 18, Sam Rainsy Party MPs urged King Norodom Sihamoni "to pardon Sam Rainsy... so that he can continue his role as a representative of the Cambodian people and fulfil his duties to serve the nation."
"The absence of Sam Rainsy in the leadership of the second biggest political party in the kingdom of Cambodia will affect the development of a democratic and multi-party system," they wrote.
Sam Rainsy faces a total of 12 years in prison if he returns to Cambodia, after a court late last year also sentenced him to 10 years for publishing a false map of the border with Vietnam in a separate case.
The opposition party and rights groups have in the past said the convictions were an attempt to keep Sam Rainsy from taking part in Cambodia's national election in 2013.
Sam Rainsy Party spokesman Yim Sovann told AFP the lawmakers were forced to seek "intervention from the king" because their leader had been "unfairly treated" by the judiciary and the parliament.
Sam Rainsy is seen as the main rival to Prime Minister Hun Sen, 59, who has ruled the country since 1985 and has vowed to remain in power until he is 90 years old.
In Cambodia, royal pardons are usually granted following a request from the premier, but Hun Sen said in a speech earlier this year that he would not support a pardon for Sam Rainsy.
Sam Rainsy, who has been living in France, was handed the prison term in his absence last year for inciting racial discrimination and uprooting border markings with neighbouring Vietnam in 2009.
His lawyer said the case was politically motivated, but after exhausting his appeals against the verdict, the outspoken politician was stripped of his parliamentary seat last week.
In a letter dated March 18, Sam Rainsy Party MPs urged King Norodom Sihamoni "to pardon Sam Rainsy... so that he can continue his role as a representative of the Cambodian people and fulfil his duties to serve the nation."
"The absence of Sam Rainsy in the leadership of the second biggest political party in the kingdom of Cambodia will affect the development of a democratic and multi-party system," they wrote.
Sam Rainsy faces a total of 12 years in prison if he returns to Cambodia, after a court late last year also sentenced him to 10 years for publishing a false map of the border with Vietnam in a separate case.
The opposition party and rights groups have in the past said the convictions were an attempt to keep Sam Rainsy from taking part in Cambodia's national election in 2013.
Sam Rainsy Party spokesman Yim Sovann told AFP the lawmakers were forced to seek "intervention from the king" because their leader had been "unfairly treated" by the judiciary and the parliament.
Sam Rainsy is seen as the main rival to Prime Minister Hun Sen, 59, who has ruled the country since 1985 and has vowed to remain in power until he is 90 years old.
In Cambodia, royal pardons are usually granted following a request from the premier, but Hun Sen said in a speech earlier this year that he would not support a pardon for Sam Rainsy.
6 comments:
"coalition of unwilling" you see the piont very clear Khmerization your op are very logical and absolutely right, I do agreed with you and appreciated your wisdom in seeing no future for any merger betweent HRP and SRP.In business Mr. Rainsy he must give, give and give to get some things, but the way I see I rainsy he want to get, get, and get befor he could giving that make no sense for making any adealt. Sam rainsy he can't even be able to close the windo how could he close the deal. wasn't he very weak, right? As I said SRP is a charity organization to collect money, they do not posses any business or political principle, stope suport money to hime he will close SRP down I assure you that and blieve me this selfish chinese lady boy are go after your money only. the merger will never happen as long as Rainsy stile head SRP charity. Mike
To Sam Rainsy Party,
PLEASE DO NOT UNITE WITH HUMAN RIGHT PARTY; THEY ARE YOUN ELEMENT TO BREAK SAM RAINSY PARTY. THE REAL EXPERIENCE WAS FUNCINPEC PARTY; THIS PARTY WAS BROKEN BY NGNEK BUN CHHAY WHO WAS BOUGHT BY CPP TO MAKE A COUP PARTY. KEM SOKHA, MOM SONANGDO ARE YOUN SPY. THE UNIFICATION BETWEEN SRP AND HRP IS A DEADLY GAME FOR SRP. KEM SOKHA IS BELONGING TO CPP WHO IS LOOKING TO ELEMINATE SRP.
Youn in Khmer in Cambodia
I would like to notice to all Khmer that Mr. Men Kim Seng at VOA is a Youn grown up in Cambodia. That kind of Youn since they was a kid, they have Khmer name, they learn Khmer language, speak Khmer with Youn accent or sometimes we could recognize with detailed attention; BUT THEY HAVE YOUN BRAIN. They do anything to favor the CPP party. If you verify at the VOA video you will notice that they have cut Mr. Sam Rainsy speech during the interview with Men Kin Seng from VOA. There are many of this kind in our society. They avoid the subject; they challenge the question to the opposition party or anything else upon the circumstances. This type of Youn is the parasite of Khmer society because they are the Youn’s element to steal Khmer land. They do anything to protect Hun Sen’s regime. We must be conscious that they are everywhere, and also they infiltrate in the opposition party as spy or to do the sabotage in order to weaken the opposition party. The news center is a strategic element in politic, therefore you will see a lot of them in VOA or RFA without counting the TV and Radio station in Cambodia. This guy is the same Youn named Sok Touch political analyst in Cambodia. Sok Touch has the Khmer accent clearer than Youn Men Kim Seng at VOA. Our Khmer nation is facing a particular case which is cause from long term Youn infiltration and or/ immigrant in Cambodia since 1954. Today, many of them are in the high ranking in Hun Sen’s regime. I ask to all Khmers to believe me because I grew up with Youn kid when I was very young age. One kid that I grew up with is now a colonel two stars in Hun Sen’s regime; He came back from Vietnam to Cambodia in 1979 in Youn soldier uniform, we found out letter that his father was a general five straps infiltrated to Cambodia since the years 60’. Therefore, in any level of our Khmer politic organization we have to pay attention do not having them infiltrate into the organization because it is a parasite; as we know that parasite is the enemy of the immune system, it renders us weak or sometime kill us. In the Khmer republican regime we had a deadly experience with Youn spy. One of the big mistakes of Khmer with Youn Spy was Sosten Fernandez, who was the commander in Chef during Khmer republican. He has a Philippine father and Vietnamese mother, his brother was Emmanuel Fernandez, a doctor in Cambodia. If you want to know if he is a Youn spy or not, please search his name in YouTube and analyze it yourself. Old Khmer generation must remember that most of the time, Marecharle Lon Nol 's soldier was in the ambush of the Khmer rouge; in that time the Khmer rouge was backed by the Vietcong. Every time Lon Nol's soldiers went to the battlefield, the information was already passed to Vietcong to ambush Khmer soldiers.
To take back our country from Youn, we need to be aware about Youn spy.
Bravo Mr. Sam Rainsy and his team.
Khmer must be united, BUT NOT WITH KEM SOKHA WHO A CPP’S ELEMENT.
6 to 7 million Youn in Cambodia means the clock start kicking!
Kem Sokha is bought by CPP to dissolve SRP. The real example was Gnek bun Chhay was bought by CPP TO MAKE A COUP PARTY of FUNCINPEC. What did happen with Rannaridh ?, and what have FUNCINPEC become today ? . This is a real classical Youn trick. Please pay attention, Youn are infiltrated everywhere. Each person we need to analyze his word, action and root. The real example is in the comment page at KI-Media; everyone can identify, who is Youn and who is real Khmer. All Khmer must understand that, Khmer have been foolish by Youn since many generations. Sihanouk’s, Lon Nol’s, Pol Pot’s, Hun Sen’s regime, Youn has been infiltrated since 1954. It is enough, we must pay attention! SRP to MERGE with HRP is very dangerous. Today HRP is smaller than SRP; if they merged together, HRP will flow their member in the new united party for becoming majority. Where those members will they come from? They are simply CPP's spy. Kem Sokha is belonging to CPP.
THIS IS A DEADLY GAME FOR SRP.
Viet/Youn folks were born in Cambodia and then they can speak and write Khmer very well. They are still hidden Youn/Viet faces who try to create chaos and stir the situation in Khmer/Cambodian society, trying to make Khmer hate their Khmer people. Remember, just watch out each other for what they do. If they do create such situation in Khmer communities and anywhere, they are considered Youn/Vietcong/Vietnamese hiding among Khmer society. Please Khmer/Cambodian people just watch out for those Youn folks living in Cambodia pretending to be Khmer/Cambodian citizens and who live in Cambodia illegally under Hun Sen's open legs. Youn/Viet hidden faces have been here since 1954 when Sihanouk let those Youn folks live or hide in Cambodia. Khmer/Cambodian people need to wake up!!!
We, Khmer Nationalists, all support Sam Rainsy against the Neo-Colonialist Vietnam which has annexed a great portion of Cambodian territory from Kampuchea-Krom (southern part of today’s Vietnam).
They are very clever and sneaky in encroaching into Cambodian border land. First they installed a puppet government to handle day to day operations in Cambodia. Then, they made many unequal treaties since 1980 t0 adjust Cambodian landline and maritime to enlarge their control over the South China Sea. Mr. Sean Peng Se, expert in Cambodian Border disputed the Vietnamese claim on Cambodian Island of Koh Troal near the Kamport Province.
They instruct the current Cambodian Puppet Government and the Cambodian Supreme Court to remove by all means, Sam Rainsy, a Cambodian patriot from congress and to shut up any voice against Neo-Colonialist Vietnam. In doing so, Vietnam will be able to control Cambodia without opposition.
Long Live Sam Rainsy!
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