Photo courtesy of the Sam Rainsy Party
Cambodian opposition leader Sam Rainsy (centre, in white shirt) helps villagers in Svay Rieng province's Chantrea district pull up border markers that he claims have been placed illegally by the Vietnamese. The incident, which took place on October 25, 2009, sparked a series of court actions that have resulted in Sam Rainsy being sentenced to a total of 12 years in prison.
Photo courtesy of the Sam Rainsy Party
Above: A map produced by the Sam Rainsy Party allegedly showing illegal border posts placed inside Cambodian territory by the Vietnamese. Below: A google map of the disputed area.View Larger Map
Cambodia’s opposition leader Sam Rainsy has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for manipulating a map of Cambodia's border with Vietnam in an attempt to show that the Kingdom's eastern neighbour was encroaching on its territory.
The embattled politician, who is in self-imposed exile in France, was also fined US$15,730 after being convicted of disinformation and falsifying public documents.
The charges were in connection with a series of press conferences that Sam Rainsy staged in an attempt to prove that the Vietnamese had been stealing land from Cambodian farmers in southeastern Svay Rieng province. Sam Rainsy has also been accused of posting the "fake" map on his party's website.
Court officials said the politician was trying to discredit the government. However, party members and rights advocates called the sentence a politically-motivated move aimed at preventing Sam Rainsy from returning to contest general elections to be held in 2013.
Thursday’s court decision is the latest in a protracted legal wrangle over Sam Rainsy’s allegations that Cambodia’s government is ceding land to its former political patron.
In January, Sam Rainsy was sentenced in absentia to two years in prison for a protest during which he uprooted border markers along the Vietnamese frontier last year.
Choung Choungy, Sam Rainsy’s lawyer, declined to comment at length on the sentence, saying he would consult with his client on whether to file an appeal. ...read the full story in tomorrow’s Phnom Penh Post or see the updating coverage throughout the day
The embattled politician, who is in self-imposed exile in France, was also fined US$15,730 after being convicted of disinformation and falsifying public documents.
The charges were in connection with a series of press conferences that Sam Rainsy staged in an attempt to prove that the Vietnamese had been stealing land from Cambodian farmers in southeastern Svay Rieng province. Sam Rainsy has also been accused of posting the "fake" map on his party's website.
Court officials said the politician was trying to discredit the government. However, party members and rights advocates called the sentence a politically-motivated move aimed at preventing Sam Rainsy from returning to contest general elections to be held in 2013.
Thursday’s court decision is the latest in a protracted legal wrangle over Sam Rainsy’s allegations that Cambodia’s government is ceding land to its former political patron.
In January, Sam Rainsy was sentenced in absentia to two years in prison for a protest during which he uprooted border markers along the Vietnamese frontier last year.
Choung Choungy, Sam Rainsy’s lawyer, declined to comment at length on the sentence, saying he would consult with his client on whether to file an appeal. ...read the full story in tomorrow’s Phnom Penh Post or see the updating coverage throughout the day
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