Cambodian dissident cleared in defamation trial in France

PARIS - A French court on Monday cleared veteran Cambodian opposition figure Sam Rainsy of all charges in defamation cases brought by the prime minister and a top police official of his home country. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and his son-in-law and deputy national police chief, Mr Dy Vichea, had filed complaints against France-based Rainsy, 73, over Facebook posts dating back to 2019.

Mr Hun Sen contested Rainsy's allegation that he was behind the 2008 death in a helicopter crash of national police chief Hok Lundy, who was Mr Dy Vichea's father. "Hun Sen killed Hok Lundy using a bomb placed inside his helicopter," Rainsy claimed on Facebook.

The leader of Cambodia's government "decided to murder Hok Lundy because he knew too much about Hun Sen's misdeeds", he added. Rainsy is the co-founder of the Cambodia National Rescue Party, the South-east Asian nation's main opposition movement.

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