[Vietnamization] Cambodian opposition senator faces up to 17 years in prison for Facebook post

Cambodian opposition senator faces up to 17 years in prison for Facebook post

The Cambodian prime minister accused Hong Sok Hour of committing treason by posting a "doctored" version of an old treaty about the border with Vietnam

Opposition senator Hong Sok Hour is escorted by riot police officers at Phnom Penh Municipal Court, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia Photo: AP

 

Telegraph | 16 Aug 2015

 

A Cambodian opposition senator could be jailed for 17 years after a court charged him on Sunday over the posting of a disputed document on social media about the border with Vietnam.

Anti-Vietnamese sentiment is strong in parts of Cambodia and is often used by the opposition as a touchstone issue to rally support.

Senator Hong Sok Hour was arrested on Saturday days after Hun Sen, Cambodian prime minister, accused him of committing treason by posting a "doctored" version of an old treaty about the border on his Facebook page.

The legal move follows an uptick in the campaign by the kingdom's main opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) to combat alleged encroachment by Vietnam.

Hong Sok Hour belongs to a CNRP-affliated party active in the Cambodian Senate.

Sam Rainsy (centre) leader of the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), greets his party supporters upon his arrival at Phnom Penh International Airport in Phnom Penh, Cambodia  Photo: AP
In a rare Sunday sitting a Phnom Penh court charged the senator with "falsifying public documents, using fake public documents, incitement causing unrest," according to a letter from the prosecution seen by AFP.
"He faces up to 10 years in jail for the first charge, up to five for the second and up to two for the third," defence lawyer Sam Sokong told AFP.
The neighbours have shared a testy relationship since Vietnam's troops invaded to oust Cambodia's genocidal Khmer Rouge regime in 1979 before withdrawing a decade later.
The prime minister, who has ruled Cambodia for three decades, is highly sensitive to criticism that he is too soft on Vietnam over the disputed areas of the shared border.