Proleung Khmer

Wednesday, April 27, 2005

Defamation suit

Strongman Hun Sen of Cambodia filed a defamation lawsuit against the King-Father's official biographer Ambassador Julio Jeldres. If the justice system is fair, it's quite normal to settle differences in court. People can sue each other with any problem. In Cambodia, there are cases of corrupt judges and unfairness in the judiciary.

posted by Proleung at 9:11 AM

1 Comments:

  • Wednesday April 27, 2005
    Cambodian PM sues former king's biographer for slander


    PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) - Cambodia's prime minister is suing the
    official biographer of former King Norodom Sihanouk after the writer
    accused the premier of using violence to silence his critics, an official
    said Wednesday.

    Prime Minister Hun Sen filed the defamation suit at the Phnom Penh
    prosecutor's office several weeks ago against Julio Jeldres, a Chilean-born
    Australian who runs the nonprofit Khmer Institute of Democracy, said Om
    Yentieng, a senior adviser to Hun Sen.

    The legal action was prompted after Jeldres was quoted in the April 7
    edition of The Cambodia Daily, an English-language newspaper, as saying
    that, "As you know, every time Prime Minister Hun Sen makes a threat,
    someone gets killed or wounded by unknown gangsters.''

    The comments were apparently in response to criticism Hun Sen leveled
    against the biographer, a frequent government critic, in an earlier
    speech.

    Om Yentieng said Jeldres' comments were false and malicious, and that
    Hun Sen had filed the suit "to seek justice for himself.''

    He said the prosecutor's office had already issued a warrant summoning
    Jeldres for questioning.

    The warrant was taken to Jeldres' office in Phnom Penh last week, but
    was brought back to the court after the defendant was not available to
    receive it, a court official said on condition of anonymity.

    Jeldres, whose whereabouts are unclear, has previously accused Hun Sen
    of limiting civil liberties and increasing poverty and corruption.

    In a speech delivered at a workshop in Malaysia and posted earlier this
    month on Sihanouk's Web site, Jeldres said Hun Sen is "a violent man
    and his survival depends very much on how many guns he is able to
    command.''

    Yet Chakriya, a prosecutor in the case, was not immediately available
    for comment.
    It was unclear what penalty Jeldres might face. - AP

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 9:16 AM  

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