Prime Minister Hun Sen (pictured) on Wednesday again admitted publicly to breaking the law when he helped opposition leader Kem Sokha escape
arrest for an alleged sexual encounter with a 15-year-old girl.
Mr. Hun Sen first leveled the accusation against the Cambodia
National Rescue Party (CNRP) acting president last week, claiming that
Mr. Sokha had paid the girl $500 for sex, and that he himself broke the
law by preventing his arrest for fear of being accused of interfering in
Mr. Sokha’s personal affairs.
Mr. Sokha has denied the claim and his party has dismissed it as political mudslinging ahead of next month’s national election.
According to legal experts, Mr. Hun Sen’s public admission should
lead to a police investigation into whether the prime minister has
placed himself above the law of the land.
“Some people said I broke the law. Yes, it is true. I did say I broke
the law because I stopped police from arresting you [Kem Sokha] before
you had sex with her,” Mr. Hun Sen said Wednesday at a high school
inauguration in Kandal province.
“Today they broadcast that I violated the law. I acknowledge that I broke the law,” the prime minister continued.
Mr. Hun Sen then defended his decision to break the law, claiming that it was the best move for all involved.
“I told them [the police] don’t do it [arrest Kem Sokha], just scare him away,” the prime minister said.
“Once he runs away, we don’t need to arrest him. This was not
win-win, it’s equal-equal. The girl did not lose her virginity, we don’t
need to have trouble with accusations and he wasn’t punished,” the
prime minister continued.
Despite Mr. Hun Sen’s public admissions of wrongdoing, senior police
and court officials declined Wednesday to say whether the prime
minister’s claims would be investigated.
Kirth Chantharith, national police spokesman, said the matter was “out of my capacity.”
Mr. Chantharith also said that he could not comment because he had
not heard the prime minister’s admissions, which were broadcast over
national radio both last week and Wednesday.
“Let me watch the TV program first, then I can answer what is the competence of the national police. Right now, I have no idea.”
Brigadier General Kheng Tito, spokesman for the military police, said an investigation would need a court order.
“We haven’t received any official letter from the government or the courts to do anything about it,” he said.
Phnom Penh Municipal Court deputy director Kor Vandy said he was unfamiliar with the matter and declined to comment.
Sok Sam Oeun, a lawyer who heads the Cambodian Defenders Project, a
legal aid NGO, said police were required to investigate the prime
minister if they believed a crime was credible.
“The law says that if police believe it is a crime, police can take
action…they must. It is their duty if they believe a crime happened,” he
said.
But admitting to a crime was not the same as evidence of one, Mr. Sam Oeun added, noting that police did have some discretion.
“The problem isn’t admit or not admit,” he said. “The police must [make an] investigation, if it is a real crime or not.”
There’s also the matter of the legal immunity the prime minister enjoys as an elected lawmaker.
Before being able to investigate the prime minister or even demand
that he honor a court summons, Mr. Sam Oeun said, the National Assembly
would have to take his parliamentary immunity away.
Mr. Sam Oeun said police could move against a lawmaker even with
immunity if the alleged crime qualified as “serious or flagrant,” but he
was not sure if Mr. Hun Sen’s professed wrongdoing qualified.
According to the law, people with a criminal conviction cannot run
for office in Cambodia. That is exactly what has happened to CNRP
president Sam Rainsy, who faces 11 years in jail on charges including
defamation and damage to public property.
Yeng Virak, who heads the Community Legal Aid Center, another legal
aid NGO, said the prime minister’s public admission ought to be
investigated.
“It should be possible, but in reality I don’t know,” he added, noting the cautionary example of opposition lawmaker Mu Sochua.
When Ms. Sochua attempted to sue the prime minister in 2009 for
defamation, the Phnom Penh Municipal Court dismissed the case claiming a
lack of evidence but accepted a countersuit Mr. Hun Sen filed against
her in retaliation for her having the temerity to sue him in the first
place.
The National Assembly then stripped Ms. Sochua of her parliamentary
immunity to allow the court to investigate, judge and convict her for
defaming the prime minister.
10 comments:
Double standard,the laws protected one side of the party,three laws only protects Hun sen's Cpp clans,the rest of three populations are subject to investigation and prosecution whether crime commit or not.The KEW! Prosecutes the innocent and let thugs,thieves,robbers,killers roam free,all Hun's clans were above all laws in the KEW!
Prahok
Hun Sen confessed to breaking the law, so the police and the court must take action against Hun Sen. Please convict him and jail him for breaking the laws.
ហ៊ុន សែន បានសារភាពថាលោកបានរំលោភច្បាប់ ដូច្នេះប៉ូលិសនិងតុលាកាត្រូវតែចាត់វិធានការប្រឆាំង នឺងលោក ហ៊ុន សែន។ សូមកាត់ទោសគាត់ ហើយដាក់គុកគាត់ពីបទរំលោភច្បាប់។
រាស្ត្រខ្មែរកំពុងតែស្រែកយំ ហុ៊ន សែន យករឿង គ្រុំ មកនិយាយលេង មានទាំងពួកអាមុីអាថោង ជួយបន្ទរទៀតផង ។ អ្នកដឹកនាំ សុី ភីភី
ដូចជាគាំងគំនិត និយាយអីលែងចេញ ។ ពីមុនចេះតែអួតប្រាប់រាស្ត្រ ថាកសាងនេះកសាងនោះ ដល់ឥឡូវខ្មែរដឹងថាជំពាក់គេរុំកោះ មច្ឆា និង
ព្រៃឈើអស់ អួតលែងចេញ តាំងប្រឌិតរឿងរ៉ាវ សំអុយអ្នកដទៃ រហូតដល់វ័ណ្ឌ ក ខ្លួនឯង ក្លាយទៅជាគំរង់ទៅវិញ ។
Stupid prime minister the world ever known in the universe! Committed all kinds of crimes against his own people and admitted the acted afterward to proof that he is a strongman alive...
The girl did not lose her virginity, we don’t need to have trouble with accusations and he wasn’t punished,” the prime minister continued.
so in fact, it is false accusation. nothing was really happened to the girl. police and hun sen just made it up.
what a crock!
This is so dumb!!!
I'm ashamed to have such a dumb ass person as PM.
Who's not!?whole khmer's nation so ashamed of this stupid criminal Hai Phuc as well....His sons&daughters were ashamed of him too!
Hun has revealed further of how much brain cells he has.Now he end up shooting his own foot,Yet he doesn't realize that he is wrong,for Cambodia is his one horse race/ property,but that can not be blamed on him alone,for he was Hanoi's best clown for Cambodia.It 's Hanoi's delight.
You can take Hun out of the wood,but you can't take the wood out of him.Hun is a man that cost us the history, We all got to get out of Hanoi's water.See how much land he gave away to his master and sold for 99 years?
True Khmer
Kem Sokha should sue Hun Sen for defamation if everything is not true. He also should put all hun sen's misbehavior(dirty laundries)on the table to show to the public that hun sen is not as golden as he thinks. This is call dirty politic. Do not stand there and take all the punches, punch back word for word. By the time the campaign is over, people will have different view of hun sen and perhaps the opposition party will win with this strategy.
Post a Comment