Religion ministry mulls lawsuit against activist monk But Buntenh under lèse majesté

But Buntenh (right) speaks to Radio Free Asia on Tuesday night, for which he was later accused of insulting the King by suggesting he, and other Cambodians, drink contaminated water. RFA

Leonie Kijewski and Niem Chheng | The Phnom Penh Post
Publication date 05 March 2018 | 10:28 ICT

The Ministry of Cults and Religion has said it will consider lodging a complaint against activist monk But Buntenh following his remarks that Cambodians, including the King, drink contaminated water.

Cambodian Youth Party President Pich Sros, who initially had said he was thinking about lodging a lawsuit for a breach of the newly introduced lèse majesté law, yesterday said he had turned to the Ministry of Cults and Religions to file it.

Seng Somony, spokesperson for the ministry, said he believed the case would be discussed in today’s annual meeting, along with “other wrongdoings” the monk had committed. The response could include legal action, he said.

In an interview with Radio Free Asia, published Tuesday night, Buntenh said that Prime Minister Hun Sen had granted Vietnamese settlers the right to live on the Tonle Sap river in exchange for the neighbour’s help in overthrowing the Khmer Rouge in 1979, and that they in turn had contaminated the water Cambodians drink with the waste from their floating settlements.

Carl Thayer, of the University of New South Wales, while condemning Buntenh’s comments for being derogatory toward the Vietnamese, said the new law “can be used as a legal weapon to go after opponents of the Hun Sen regime”.

Comments

Bhutan showcase: Film fest to feature flicks from over the hills and far away

A screenshot from The Prophecy, which will screen this evening at the Cambodia International Film Festival. Photo supplied Alessandro Marazzi Sassoon | The Phnom Penh Post Publication date 07 March 2018 | 07:44 ICT With three feature films at this year’s Cambodia International Film Festival, the Buddhist mountain Kingdom of Bhutan this week gets a rare moment in the spotlight for Phnom Penh’s audiences. In town for the screenings, actor Loday Chophel breaks into a smile when asked how he came to play the leading role in The Prophecy, one of just a handful of movies produced by his country each year. “Can I tell you?” he asks tentatively before launching into an explanation. Born in an eastern roadside village called Wamrong, consisting of no more than 15 houses perched on a mountainside, the 38-year-old recalls that there was just one television set in the whole town, at a local convenience store. “I would go sneak in and watch films,” he says. TV and film was a novelty at the time...

kethya sean «គុកត្រពាំងផ្លុង»និពន្ធទំនុកច្រៀងដោយអ្នកស្រី ជិនលី

#Kethya.sean 07 03 18 សួស្តីប្រិយមិត្តជាទីរាប់អាន!! សូមជូនបទ«គុកត្រពាំងផ្លុង» និពន្ធទំនុកច្រៀងដោយអ្នកស្រី ជិនលី ច្រៀងដោយនាងខ្ញុំ កេត្យាស៊ាន នាងខ្ញុំសូមថ្លែងអំណរគុណដល់ការគាំទ្ររបស់លោកអ្នក សូមឲ្យលោកអ្នកនឹងក្រុមគ្រួសារជួបតែសំណាងល្អ នឹងសេចក្តីសុខសេចក្តីចំរើនតរៀងទៅ នាងខ្ញុំស៊ាន កេត្យាសូមអរគុណនឹងសូមគោរពលា ជួបគ្នានូវវិដេអូក្រោយៗទៀត៕

Rainsy’s vow of ‘autonomy’ for ethnic group sets off treason probe

A screenshot of a video showing former opposition leader Sam Rainsy (right) at an event in the United States in 2013 with Degar activist Kok Ksor. Photo supplied Niem Chheng and Ananth Baliga | The Phnom Penh Post Publication date 08 March 2018 | 06:45 ICT The Interior Ministry said it will investigate documents and a video from 2013 that resurfaced yesterday showing former opposition leader Sam Rainsy committing to upholding the rights of ethnic minorities in four northeastern Cambodian provinces, with a Justice Ministry spokesman saying it qualified as “treason”. The material was released on government mouthpiece Fresh News and pertains to an April 2013 meeting in the United States between Rainsy, at the time the exiled president of the Cambodia National Rescue Party, and Kok Ksor, the head of the Montagnard Foundation Inc. Ksor started the foundation to oppose discrimination faced by the Degar community in Vietnam, who are also known as the Montagnards. Degar is an umbrella term for...

NewsAsianSport

Search This Blog