Update on the HM Case

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juansweetpotato
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Update on the HM Case

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US Lawyer Seeks a ‘Default’ Decision Against HM

BY ALEX WILLEMYNS | MAY 16, 2016

An American attorney representing opposition official Meach Sovannara in his “wrongful imprisonment” lawsuit filed against Prime Minister HE’s eldest son in the U.S. last month said on Sunday he is now pushing for a “default” decision in his favor.

Morton Sklar is representing Mr. Sovannara—a U.S. citizen—in his case against HM and the Cambodian government over the 20-year prison sentence he is serving in Phnom Penh for his presence at a protest that turned into a street brawl in July 2014.


HM speaks during a press conference at Phnom Penh International Airport on April 25. (Siv Channa/The Cambodia Daily)
HM speaks during a press conference at Phnom Penh International Airport on April 25. (Siv Channa/The Cambodia Daily)
Mr. Sklar claims that Lieutenant General Manet was served a subpoena while in Long Beach, California, on April 9 for the case brought in a U.S. federal court, but that he susequently failed to respond to the court within the required 30 days to indicate what his plea would be.

“That means that we will indeed shortly be filing a new set of pleadings with the Federal District Court in California aimed at securing what is called ‘an order of default,’” Mr. Sklar said in an email.

Such a court order, Mr. Sklar explained, “is the first stage of the process designed to secure an enforceable order against a defendant that fails to respond to the Court’s summons in a timely manner.”

It is not in fact clear if Lt. Gen. Manet was legally served with the summons on April 9 by Paul Hayes, a private investigator who was hospitalized after trying to serve the summons.

Mr. Hayes—who says he was dropped onto his head by one of Lt. Gen. Manet’s bodyguards—moved to press charges in the incident last month.

A spokeswoman for the Long Beach Police Department said on Saturday she could not comment on the case until later this week.

Mr. Sklar claims the fact that Mr. Hayes was within reach of Lt. Gen. Manet and in the act of serving the subpoena when assaulted legally counts as its execution.

Lt. Gen. Manet did not respond to a request for comment. Yet upon his return from the U.S. last month, he indicated he would do what is legally necessary in the case despite dismissing it as frivolous.

“If they want to sue, they should choose a reasonable issue,” Lt. Gen. Manet said at a press conference on April 25.
https://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/lawy ... et-112612/

Lets see if he thinks its frivolous when he is banged up for 20 years in one of his prisons. Nobody will be fighting for him after the revolution has burnt his house, murdered his family and taken back all the stolen money.
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Re: Update on the HM Case

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Juansweettater wrote, "112612/

Lets see if he thinks its frivolous when he is banged up for 20 years in one of his prisons. Nobody will be fighting for him after the revolution has burnt his house, murdered his family and taken back all the stolen money."

Wow Juan, that is a leftist wet dream. He isn't going to prison and there won't be a revolution. The oknyas can't afford it and the Chinese don't want one in their backyard.
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Re: Update on the HM Case

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My half-baked assessment and prediction: A publicity stunt that will ultimately amount to much ado about nothing, and actually not even that much ado.
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Re: Update on the HM Case

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I agree with you LTO, everyone has extracted as much mileage as they can. The curtain will fall way before the fat lady sings.
I try not to let my mouth say nothin my mind can't stand. Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong. Or

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Re: Update on the HM Case

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LTO wrote:My half-baked assessment and prediction: A publicity stunt that will ultimately amount to much ado about nothing, and actually not even that much ado.
Which goes to show what? That it's not a good idea to be a member of an opposition party in Cambodia?
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Re: Update on the HM Case

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juansweetpotato wrote:
LTO wrote:My half-baked assessment and prediction: A publicity stunt that will ultimately amount to much ado about nothing, and actually not even that much ado.
Which goes to show what? That it's not a good idea to be a member of an opposition party in Cambodia?
Not sure what it "goes to show," but if I was going to try to name something, that would not have occured to me. I guess, among other things, it goes to show that CNRP still looks to foreigners and foreign powers to save them.
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Re: Update on the HM Case

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LTO wrote:
juansweetpotato wrote:
LTO wrote:My half-baked assessment and prediction: A publicity stunt that will ultimately amount to much ado about nothing, and actually not even that much ado.
Which goes to show what? That it's not a good idea to be a member of an opposition party in Cambodia?
Not sure what it "goes to show," but if I was going to try to name something, that would not have occured to me. I guess, among other things, it goes to show that CNRP still looks to foreigners and foreign powers to save them.
Good point, but don't all opposition parties often appeal to outside powers? Often only when the shit hits the fan, and then with limited success.
Are the CNRP/ Funcipec really so rare in its/ their appeals to outside powers?

In this case the party in question is a US citizen and as such this sort of thing would be standard procedure wouldn't it? I mean for any US citizen imprisoned on spurious charges? Or does the fact that he's involved in Cambodian' politics cancel all that out?
Last edited by juansweetpotato on Mon May 16, 2016 5:17 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Update on the HM Case

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table42 wrote:Juansweettater wrote, "112612/

Lets see if he thinks its frivolous when he is banged up for 20 years in one of his prisons. Nobody will be fighting for him after the revolution has burnt his house, murdered his family and taken back all the stolen money."

Wow Juan, that is a leftist wet dream. He isn't going to prison and there won't be a revolution. The oknyas can't afford it and the Chinese don't want one in their backyard.
When the shit goes down, the shit goes down. Nothing to do with being Left or Right, or even right. What happens up till that point is anybody's guess, But when it happens, and it undoubtedly will, maybe not this election but quite probably the next, then ...

These places aren't like the UK or US where everybody just goes " HMMmmmmm" and carries on as normal. Not when things go past a certain point that is. There are too many things wrapped up in the power structure for it not all to go to pot [sic].
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Re: Update on the HM Case

Post by LTO »

juansweetpotato wrote:
LTO wrote:
juansweetpotato wrote:
LTO wrote:My half-baked assessment and prediction: A publicity stunt that will ultimately amount to much ado about nothing, and actually not even that much ado.
Which goes to show what? That it's not a good idea to be a member of an opposition party in Cambodia?
Not sure what it "goes to show," but if I was going to try to name something, that would not have occured to me. I guess, among other things, it goes to show that CNRP still looks to foreigners and foreign powers to save them.
Good point, but don't all opposition parties often appeal to outside powers? Often only when the shit hits the fan, and then with limited success.
Are the CNRP/ Funcipec really so rare in its/ their appeals to outside powers?
No, not rare at all. Pretty SOP for Cambodia for the last 400 years or so. It's not like the ruling party doesn't also have its foreign backers, but CNRP, or at least the SRP wing of it, seems to be taking it to new heights. I sometimes wonder if Rainsy does someday win whether the Cambodian PM's office will be in Phnom Penh or Paris.
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Re: Update on the HM Case

Post by juansweetpotato »

LTO wrote:
juansweetpotato wrote:
LTO wrote:
juansweetpotato wrote:
LTO wrote:My half-baked assessment and prediction: A publicity stunt that will ultimately amount to much ado about nothing, and actually not even that much ado.
Which goes to show what? That it's not a good idea to be a member of an opposition party in Cambodia?
Not sure what it "goes to show," but if I was going to try to name something, that would not have occured to me. I guess, among other things, it goes to show that CNRP still looks to foreigners and foreign powers to save them.
Good point, but don't all opposition parties often appeal to outside powers? Often only when the shit hits the fan, and then with limited success.
Are the CNRP/ Funcipec really so rare in its/ their appeals to outside powers?
No, not rare at all. Pretty SOP for Cambodia for the last 400 years or so. It's not like the ruling party doesn't also have its foreign backers, but CNRP, or at least the SRP wing of it, seems to be taking it to new heights. I sometimes wonder if Rainsy does someday win whether the Cambodian PM's office will be in Phnom Penh or Paris.
Yes, that's very true here historically. Even the French were invited. I wasn't very clear in my question, re-read it as other foreign countries appealing to outside forces for support.
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