MP mulls suing Hun Manet in US court

Hun Manet talks to the media at the Phnom Penh airport in April after returning from the US in April. Pha Lina

MP mulls suing Hun Manet in US court

Phnom Penh Post | 29 September 2016

One of two opposition lawmakers viciously beaten outside the National Assembly last year by troops from Prime Minister Hun Sen’s personal bodyguard unit says he’s considering lodging a lawsuit against the premier’s son, Hun Manet, in the US.

Nhay Chamroeun, a dual Cambodian and US citizen, posted on his Facebook page that he met with US-based lawyer Morton Sklar to discuss a potential case. The suit would be the second US case against Manet involving Sklar, who is also helping the family of jailed opposition activist Meach Sovannara sue the scion in a California court.

On October 26, Chamroeun and fellow CNRP lawmaker Kong Saphea were ripped from their cars and beaten by a mob of more than a dozen men who had been attending a rally by pro-government supporters outside the parliament. Only three of the group, all members of the premier’s bodyguard unit, were prosecuted, receiving reduced terms that will see them serve only a year in prison.

The victims have appealed the sentences.

Manet, the premier’s eldest son, heads the Defence Ministry’s anti-terrorism department but is also a deputy commander of the Bodyguard Unit.