Stung Treng court urged to apply press law over libel suit against reporter
THE Union of Journa list Federations of Cambodia (UJFC) on Wednesday called on the Stung Treng Prov incia l Court to apply the Press Law in a case involv ing a Ratanak k iri prov ince parliamentarian and a TV journa list.
Lawmaker Bou Lam has sued PNN reporter Lorn Vanna for defamation, demanding $160,000 in compensation, in relation to a land dispute in Ratanak k iri prov ince’s Veun Sai district.
He referred his complaint to t he Stung Treng Prov incia l Court after t he Ratanak k iri Prov incia l Court rejected it.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the UJFC said t he lega l tussle stemmed from a lack of understanding of the Press Law and urged t he court to use it as t he basis when proceeding with t he case.
UJFC president Huy Vannak told The Post on Thursday t hat t he case was triv ia l and could easily be solved should t he Press Law be applied.
“It would be a relief if t he court refers to t he Press Law. If both sides understand the Press Law, they could reach a compromise easily. End of stor y,” he said.
The court issued a summons dated September 16 ordering Vanna to appear for questioning on Wednesday. Deputy prosecutor Kim Hongsan said he was unaware of the case.
Vanna confirmed to The Post on Thursday that he had testified before a court clerk on Wednesday.
He echoed UJFC’s calls for the court to apply the Press Law, saying his news report was based on an interview with Veun Sai district governor Heng Savoeun and a field visit to the site where Lam was accused of clearing 114ha of community forest land.
“We broadcast our interv iew with t he district governor. He is not an ordinar y v illager but the one who governs t he entire dist rict.
“What he told us was a news stor y, so t here’s nothing wrong with our broadcast. The complaint a lso has no lega l substance because we are reporters. A libel suit is uncalled for,” he said.
In his letter to the UJFC on Tuesday, Vanna said he had a lready broadcast Lam’s clarification and denia l of his involvement in the land dispute on his request.
But he said the law maker later demanded he broadcast an apolog y for seven consecutive days. Vanna ref used, prompting t he lawmaker to file a lawsuit demanding $160,000 in compensation.
Lam declined to prov ide a comment on Thursday.
The Press Law, enacted in 1995, requires a news inst itut ion to make a cor rect ion or cla r ificat ion i f it should publish wrong infor mat ion due to conf usion or unintent iona l ly.