BREAKING: Cambodia Court Orders Arrest of Opposition Leader Sam Rainsy

[geovalin]

A Cambodian court has ordered the arrest of opposition leader Sam Rainsy, who is locked in a bitter political fight with the prime minister.

The court ordered the arrest of Rainsy in connection with a defamation and incitement case brought by Foreign Minister Hor Namhong in 2008, which resulted in a conviction and a two-year jail sentence. Rainsy appealed the verdict in 2013 but lost. The conviction was never enforced and he continued to live freely in Cambodia, serving as the leader of his party in Parliament.

In issuing the arrest warrant Friday, the court ordered "all public forces to search for and arrest" Rainsy.

The opposition leader is currently on a trip to Japan and South Korea. He is scheduled to return on Nov. 16.

source AP

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/cambodia-court-orders-arrest-opposition-leader-sam-rainsy-35173302

more details soon

[geovalin]

Arrest warrant issued for Rainsy

Fri, 13 November 2015

Phak Seangly and Shaun Turton

Phnom Penh Municipal Court today issued an arrest warrant for Cambodia National Rescue Party president Sam Rainsy over a defamation case that is now seven years old.

The arrest warrant came less than 24 hours after Prime Minister Hun Sen threatened the opposition leader, who is currently on route to South Korea from Japan, with legal action for comments he made in Tokyo this week questioning the ruling Cambodian People’s Party’s commitment to holding elections.

But, signed by deputy Phnom Penh Municipal Court prosecutor Seu Vanny and dated today, the document orders the opposition leader’s arrest over his 2011 conviction in absentia for defaming Foreign Minister Hor Namhong in 2008.

read more: http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/arrest-warrant-issued-rainsy

[geovalin]

Cambodia opposition leader faces arrest over old defamation case

Phnom Penh (AFP) - A Cambodian court on Friday issued an arrest warrant for opposition leader Sam Rainsy over an old defamation sentence which he never served, in a new surge of political tension in the kingdom.

The order comes a day after strongman premier Hun Sen blasted Rainsy for urging him to move towards a peaceful exit from office after more than three decades of rule.

Phnom Penh Municipal Court has ordered police "to arrest and bring the convict Sam Rainsy to serve the (two-year defamation) sentence in jail", according to a copy of the arrest warrant seen by AFP.

Rainsy was sentenced for defamation in this 2011 case while in self-exile from Cambodia for accusing the country's foreign minister of being a former Khmer Rouge member.

It was one of a string of convictions against the opposition leader, the main rival to Hun Sen.

Rainsy has always claimed the convictions were politically motivated and only returned to Cambodia ahead of 2013 elections after a royal pardon for criminal convictions.

Following the warrant being issued on Friday, it was not immediately clear if Rainsy had already been pardoned in the case.

Up to two million people died of overwork, starvation or execution under the brutal Khmer Rouge, which outlawed religion, property rights, currency and schools during its 1975-1979 rule.

Hun Sen was a Khmer Rouge cadre before he turned against the regime.

During his visit to Japan on Tuesday Rainsy called for a peaceful transfer of power in the country's next elections, urging the international community to pressure Hun Sen to move towards a peaceful exit from office after accusing his party of widespread fraud in the last polls.

The opposition leader is currently in South Korea, according to local media reports.

source: http://news.yahoo.com/cambodia-opposition-leader-faces-arrest-over-old-defamation-110522228.html

[geovalin]

A Cambodian court Friday issued an arrest warrant for prominent opposition leader Sam Rainsy over a defamation case brought against him seven years ago.

The warrant is likely to be seen by many as politically motivated, since it comes as Rainsy's longtime rivalry with Prime Minister Hun Sen intensified this week.

The prime minister Thursday threatened legal action after Rainsy suggested the Cambodian People's Party was not committed to holding democratic elections.

Rainsy, who heads the Cambodia National Rescue Party, made the comments during a trip to Japan and South Korea. He had been set to return to Cambodia Monday.

It is not clear whether Rainsy will now come home and face arrest, or flee to self-imposed exile, as he has done in the past when facing long prison sentences.

FILE - Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong.

Defamation case

The defamation case was brought against Rainsy in 2008 by Foreign Minister Hor Namhong, who was upset the opposition leader accused him of being an ex-prison chief for the Khmer Rouge.

That case resulted in a conviction and a two-year jail term. Separately, Rainsy had been sentenced to jail on charges related to the uprooting of border markers on the frontier with Vietnam.

Rainsy never served the jail terms. He later returned home and received an official pardon, allowing him to reenter the political scene. It is not clear what effect, if any, the pardon will have on the current arrest warrant.

The dispute is likely to increase ongoing political tension between the ruling party and the opposition, which are preparing for elections in 2017 and 2018.

The CPP and CNRP agreed in May to stop insulting each other as part of a so called "culture of dialogue," which has been shaken in recent months, in part by violence against opposition lawmakers.

The agreement had represented a rare political concession from Prime Minister Hun Sen, who has ruled the country since 1985.

source: http://www.voanews.com/content/cambodia-issues-arrest-warrant-for-oppostion-leader-rainsy/3056200.html

[jobsworth]

the americans will not like this since having an opposition party is essential for democracy without which the americans will not give financial support.

[prakhonchai nick]

This could mean big trouble in Cambodia, if Sam Rainsy is arrested and imprisoned upon his return to the country. Might have to cancel my trip to Cambodia next month.

[fvw53]

No true democracy can exist if the same person (or his cronies) rule the country for more than 20 years : the first signs of oppression start usually already at the second election cycle (after about 10 years)

Sam Rainsy and his wife Saumura Tioulung had well paid top jobs in the French financial sector but for the first - UN sponsored - elections in 1993 they decided to return and serve the country where they grew up : they are great people !

[ALLSEEINGEYE]

the americans will not like this since having an opposition party is essential for democracy without which the americans will not give financial support.

haha you are so funny, or is that just sarcasm?

Tell me that you really don't believe the US does not financially support dictators that they feel they can control?

[The Deerhunter]

the americans will not like this since having an opposition party is essential for democracy without which the americans will not give financial support.

You are absolutely dreaming. The book "Getting away with Genocide" details exactly the opposite. The donor countries threatened to cease or reduce aid if the government did not make democratic, political & humanitarian (etc) changes and they ignored the warnings. Result? Increased funding, not once but repeatedly.

America like every superpower looks after its own interests and views a broader picture. They will of course complain and try to threaten, but at the end of the day they cannot allow Cambodia to be forced into the hands of opposition international influences.

[Sheryl]

The US does not give any financial assistance to the Cambodian government. Their foreign aid program in Cambodia is implemented through NGOs and private sector.

The big backers are all Asian, starting with China.