Sam Rainsy Rejects Cambodian Conviction

23 September 2010
Sarah Williams, VOA

"This is actually the third or the fourth time that the court is being used as a political tool by the ruling party to crack down on the minority" -- Sam Rainsy, Cambodian opposition leader

Cambodia’s main opposition leader is rejecting a Phnom Penh court’s decision to sentence him to 10 years in prison for altering documents and spreading disinformation involving a border dispute with Vietnam.

The court convicted Sam Rainsy of altering a map to show that Vietnam’s border is encroaching onto Cambodian land. The judge, declaring that the actions would have discredited the government, fined the opposition leader more than $1,000 and ordered him to pay at least $14,000 to cover the government's legal fees.

In an interview with VOA Thursday, Sam Rainsy called the charges politically motivated.
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