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| Opposition Leader Sam Rainsy speaks to reporters in Phnom Penh in March 2009. (Photo by: Sovan Philong) |
Wednesday, 23 February 2011
Meas Sokchea
The Phnom Penh Post
Chan Sok Yeang [Hun Sen's gov't lawyer] also said that until the demarcation process was complete, land titles could not be granted to local residents.
The Supreme Court today heard an appeal in the case against opposition leader Sam Rainsy and two Svay Rieng villagers, convicted last year of uprooting demarcation posts on the border with Vietnam.
The charges stemmed from an October 2009 incident in which the Sam Rainsy Party president led villagers in uprooting six wooden stakes that were being used to demarcate the border between Vietnam and Chantrea district in Svay Rieng province.
In January last year, Phnom Penh Municipal Court sentenced Sam Rainsy to two years’ jail in connection with the case, while the villagers were jailed for one year each, before being released in October.
During the three-hour-long hearing, a court clerk read out a statement from Sam Rainsy, who defended his decision to uproot the posts.
“The border issue is a political issue, it is not a penal issue,” his statement said, adding that the authorities had proven unresponsive to local concerns about the loss of land to Vietnam.
“As a people’s representative, I have the right to help people to resolve national problems,” he added.
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