Defamation case

The Appeal Court yesterday upheld a lower court decision from 2009 which convicted the president of the Cambodian Independent Teachers’ Association in Prey Veng province of defamation.

In November 2009, Prey Veng provincial court ruled that 42-year-old Chin Rithy, who is also a teacher at Neak Loeung Secondary School, was guilty of defaming school director Yin Sovuthy and ordered him to pay 10 million riel (US$2,438) in compensation.

Yin Sovuthy had accused Chin Rithy of telling reporters that he conspired with fellow teachers to sell a 6-by-21 metre plot of school land to private businessmen.

Chin Rithy said in court last month that he had evidence to prove that Yin Sovuthy had built a fence in order to reduce the size of the school grounds, but denied that he had told the information to reporters.

“I tried to protect school land from being sold through a conspiracy between the school director and other teachers so I decided to complain against that decision,” Chin Rithy said yesterday.

Appeal Court presiding judge Sam Rith Saphal said in court that Chin Rithy could appeal the decision to the Supreme Court.