The Borneo Post

Filmmaker apologises to Cambodia PM ahead of espionage trial

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PHNOM PENH: Jailed Australian filmmaker James Ricketson has apologised for disrespect­ful comments about Cambodia’s long serving Prime Minister Hun Sen ahead of a trial in which he stands accused of espionage and faces 10 years in jail if convicted.

James Ricketson, 69, was arrested last June after he was photograph­ed f lying a drone above a political rally organised by the now- dissolved opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party ( CNRP).

In a letter to Hun Sen, which was published in full in the Khmer Times newspaper yesterday, Ricketson offered his “sincerest apologies” for statements to local media that were “disruptive and ill-informed.”

“These statements were made from a place of foreign naivety and ignorance about the complexiti­es and difficulti­es of governing Cambodia,” Ricketson said.

“I sincerely regret having made any disrespect­ful comments and I unreserved­ly apologise in this regards to yourself and your government,” he said.

Ricketson said that he now realised how much stability Hun Sen’s government brought to Cambodia.

Ricketson’s defence lawyer Peung Yok Hiep confirmed the authentici­ty of the letter to Reuters and said it would be filed in court yesterday ahead of a trial scheduled for July 16.

Ricketson’s arrest came amid a wider crackdown on freedom of expression by the government of Hun Sen, who has ruled for 33 years.

Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has said that it was providing consular assistance to Ricketson.

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