Moneaksekar Khmer newspaper Editor-In-Chief Dam Sith acknowledged in a letter to Minister of Foreign Affairs Hor Namhong, that he had been careless when he published an article quoting a Sam Rainsy comment linking the minister to the Khmer Rouge.
Dam Sith, who is also an SRP lawmaker candidate, had been in a weeklong detention earlier this month after being charged with defamation and disinformation, following a lawsuit filed by Hor Namhong over the article.
In his letter, which was published in Koh Santepheap newspaper Saturday, Dam Sith expressed his “disappointment” over the article.
“I clearly understand that my article, implicating His Excellency…was a mistake as a professional [journalist] in a democratic society. I am very disappointed,” he wrote. “I do hope His Excellency will understand and forgive me,” the letter dated Friday continued. That same day, Hor Namhong announced he had withdrawn the lawsuit against Dam Sith.
On Friday, before the letter was published, Dam Sith had said he had not apologized to Hor Namhong and stood by his article.
Dam Sith declined to comment in detail on his letter Sunday, saying it was written in his capacity as editor-in-chief, not as an SRP candidate.
“It is [a] short letter for forgiveness; it does not affect [the SRP] during election,” he said.
