Cambodian minister wins $7,000 suit

Sat, 15 Sep 2001, 00:00 WIB | Source: AP

PHNOM PENH (AP): A Cambodian reporter and two former American
colleagues were found guilty on Friday of defaming the foreign
minister in articles that implicated him in the deaths of
prisoners during the Khmer Rouge's 1975-79 rule.

Judge Bunning Bunary ordered the reporters to pay Foreign
Minister Hor Namhong a total of $6,500 in compensation and also a
$1,280 fine to the state. The plaintiff had demanded $1 million
in compensation.

Both sides said they would appeal the verdict.

The only defendant in court was Kay Kimsong, a reporter for
The Cambodia Daily. The other defendants, Brian Mockenhaupt, 26,
and Gina Chon, 25, left Cambodia two months ago and now live in
South Korea. The three-hour trial took place Tuesday.

Mockenhaupt was the paper's chief editor at the time the two
articles were written in January.

View JSON | Print