Meato Phoum Publisher Sued for Defamation

Meato Phoum publisher Chea Chan Prakot and editor-in-chief Sun Sophal were summoned by Phnom Penh prosecutor Heang Sopheak on Jun 3, 2009 due to a complaint sued by Meas Sopheap, 204 Unit chief for the newspaper had issued a Meas Sopheap relevant article on April 27-30, 2009 that, “Illegal Timber Transportation in Svay Chras Village Not Arrested.”

In the article wrote that, “(It is reported that) there is an illegal location in Svay Chras village, Svay Chras commune, Snoul district, Kratie province for timber cut, stocked and transported, which is known, belongs to Meas Sophea, Unit 204 chief. The timber has been freely transported through Steong Treng and Kratie to sell by Cambodian-Vietnam border.”

However, it was first carried to place at a home, owned by a man, named Nang in Svay Chras village, Svay Chras commune, Snoul district and then shipped by trucks to sell through a joint-border Cambodian and Vietnamese, Daung Prampi Deum in Dar commune; and the forest wardens did not dare to appear solving the problem.

Based on local villagers, the timbers were transported nearly everyday. There were some check points, but the authority never took action against this illegal action at all. The villagers continued that a forest warden Mr. Peng Visalnarith was patrolling there, but did not do anything. He was staying there only to count the number of trucks for money.

The article resulted in the lawsuit against the writer.

It has been seen that the lawsuit against the above newspaper publisher is the way of seriously restricting on freedom of expression and information. Illegal logging is considered as the criminal act, according to the 2002 Camabodian Forest Law. Then the role of the journalist is to disseminate the information to the provincial and national levels to take immediate measure in order to stop it in time; otherwise the act will not only distinct the natural resource, but also affect wild lives and the local people who daily depend on sub-forest products for their living.