2 May 2011

IMPLICATIONS OF FRENCH SUPREME COURT'S DECISION ON HOR NAMHONG'S CASE FOR THE KHMER ROUGE TRIBUNAL AND CAMBODIA'S DIPLOMACY

In a recent radio-broadcast interview, opposition leader Sam Rainsy elaborated on the decision by the French Supreme Court related to the most recent defamation lawsuit filed by Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong in Paris. There have been a series of similar defamation lawsuits initiated by Mr. Hor Namhong against his political opponents before the French tribunal.

Twenty years ago, on 23 January 1991, Mr. Hor Namhong won such a lawsuit against former King Norodom Sihanouk. But in 2011 he finally and definitely lost his lawsuit against Sam Rainsy.

How the controversial past of Mr. Hor Namhong would affect the ongoing work of the Khmer Rouge Tribunal in Phnom Penh? Will more light be shed by the Tribunal on Mr. Hor Namhong and other CPP leaders' association with the Pol Pot regime? Could Mr. Hor Namhong decently continue to represent Cambodia in vital negotiations with neighboring countries? Has Mr. Hor Namhong become a dangerous liability for Cambodia?

Some of these issues are addressed in the interview available at
http://tinyurl.com/3lxfwpq

SRP Cabinet