In the August 12 edition of this newspaper, you published a very gloomy article, beginning with distorting the truth and slandering me with the headline “Hor Namhong Was Khmer Rouge Prison Chief, Tribunal Told.”
—Letter to the Editor—
I have attached herewith a copy of a series of judgments from the French high courts regarding three accusations that Mr. Sam Rainsy brought against me, Hor Namhong.
1) Final judgment of 23 January 1991 of the Paris civil court concerning the accusations brought by the Journal du Dimanche, a French newspaper, against me. The Paris civil court held that such allegations were defamatory.
2)Final judgment of 27 January 2009 of the Paris civil court concerning the accusations written in the book “Des racines dans la pierre—mon combat pour la renaissance du Cambodge” brought by Mr. Sam Rainsy against me. The court held that Mr. Hor Namhong was himself a prisoner.
On appeal filed by Mr. Sam Rainsy, the court confirmed the “defamatory nature of the allegation” because Mr. Sam Rainsy was omitting to indicate that Mr. Hor Namhong “was detained in the Boeng Trabek camp.”
The French Supreme Court decided that the Paris court of appeal had “rightfully pointed out the defamatory nature of the assertion challenged by Mr. Hor Namhong but held that Mr. Sam Rainsy should benefit from a bona fide excuse” and that charges against him should be dismissed.
3) Judgment of the Paris court of appeal concerning the accusation brought against me by Ms. Un Boun-Hor (Ung Billon). The Paris Court held that Mr. Hor Namhong was defamed and the Mr. Hor Namhong was himself a detainee.
Please, kindly publish this attached document with the same style of the title as the one you published last week in your newspaper. If not, I will seek legal procedures to once again clarify my status of prisoner of the Boeng Trabek re-education camp, during which I lost five brothers and sisters. My two sisters, Hor Kim San and Hor Kim An, came from France and were also imprisoned in the Boeng Trabek camp and killed by the Khmer Rouge.
Some people, the survivors from Boeng Trabek, can confirm that they met my two sisters who returned from France and were in the Boeng Trabek camp, at the B32 section.
Hor Namhong
Deputy Prime Minister
