Cambodian-Americans praise Mu Sochua

SRP MP Mu Sochua at her arrival at the Phnom Penh airport on 05 July 2010 (Photo: Yun Samean, RFA)

10 July 2010
By Taing Sarada
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy
Click here to read the article in Khmer

“Cambodia is lucky to have a brave daughter like her. I hope that there will be a lot of other women who will stand up like her. All the other men should be ashamed by her bravery.”

Overseas Cambodians praise the decision made by SRP MP Mu Sochua not to pay her fine. The Phnom Penh municipal court ordered her to pay a compensation to Hun Xen regarding the defamation lawsuit brought up by the latter.

Cambodian-Americans are calling Mrs. Mu Sochua a “famous heroic woman” who dared fight against the Cambodian justice system which is well known for being under the whim of the ruling party.

Im Sinith, a Cambodian-American living in Alabama, said that Mu Sochua’s struggle is undertaken to seek justice for herself and to set an example to the entire country: “They [the CPP regime] violated her rights, and she is the one who is sentenced instead. If there is arrangement made, then there would be no justice at all. To have justice, there should be no arrangement made. Therefore justice requires justice, so I want her to maintain her strong position in spite of the circumstances, we cannot just stand and watch.”

Saro Sivutha, the former president of the Student Movement for Democracy, said from Long Beach, California, that he praises Mu Sochua’s courage to dare bring reform to improve the justice system: “Cambodia is lucky to have a brave daughter like her. I hope that there will be a lot of other women who will stand up like her. All the other men should be ashamed by her bravery.”

The Phnom Penh municipal court and the Phnom Penh treasury issued an ultimatum for her to pay 16.5 million riels in fine because she lost her case in the defamation lawsuit brought up by Hun Xen.

On 06 July, the Phnom Penh court of first instance issued an order telling Mu Sochua to pay the entire amount of her fine within a period of 10 days starting from 06 July, otherwise, the police will arrest her and send her to jail.

However, Mrs. Mu Sochua used to indicate that she will not even pay one single riel and that she is ready to face her arrest.

Cambodian-Americans living in several US states announced that they will push their US congressmen and senators to put pressure on the Cambodian government should the police arrest Mrs. Mu Sochua.