Dear Editor,

After having read the outrageous article "EU media guru says Ranariddh guilty" by Matthew Grainger in

the January 30-February 2 edition of the Phnom Penh Post, I can't understand how you let that supposed journalist

work any longer for your newspaper. If Matthew Grainger, Matthew Lee, Robin McDowell and Joe Cochrane were graduated

in law and journalism for an university as I am, they would have some knowledge of basic ethics imposed in their

job and would certainly not have spoken as they have. In any North American or Western European country (not to

mention other ones), they would immediately lose a trial, should Mr Raoul Jennar wish to sue them for insult to

his widely recognized integrity of scientific analyst. Raoul Jennar has explained to me that he has been trapped

by Matthew Grainger on the same way as prince Norodom Sirivudh had been in 1995: Grainger came to have an open

discussion with him, hiding his intention to publish a (highly partial) report of this private conversation under

the form of an article, which represents only a little - and therefor biased - part of the entire discussion.

Grainger behaved thus like the Cambodian journalists who were justly criticized for that scandalous behaviour that

finally cost prince Sirivudh exile.

On page 21 of the January 30 issue of the Cambodia Daily ("Irresponsible journalists seek to establish right

to insult"), Raoul Jennar expressed an opinion shared by all real professional journalists toward unprofessional

self-called journalists.

Having expressed their opinion as they have done according to the Post, Matthew Grainger, Matthew Lee, Robin McDowell

and Joe Cochrane have discredited themselves and joined in the garbage of the profession the Cambodian journalists

aimed by Raoul Jennar's opinion published in his Cambodia Daily article and those who treacherously trapped Norodom

Sirivudh in 1995! Shame on them! They should head back to their country of origin as Cambodia really doesn't need

foreign amateur journalists unable to give profitable example of ethics to local colleagues. The professional failure

in their country of origin has dumped too many amateurs in the area...

I have known Raoul Jennar since 1992, when I first arrived in Cambodia as editor-in-chief of the international

magazine Defense 2001. At that time already, he was the unanimously recognized political analyst of the country,

continually consulted by most of the hundreds of journalists who had come to cover the UNTAC operation and the

election. Having accumulated both university graduations and numerous publications used by all international newspapers

published in Cambodia as well as many international instances, Raoul Jennar's integrity as a pure political analyst

had never been questioned until those four self-called and unprofessional journalists, along with a "EU coward"

whom I mention later in this letter, insulted him with the most stupid lack of professionalism.

Having published namely the book "The Constitutions of Cambodia", Raoul Jennar is certainly the most

able expert to publish an analyze of wether Prince Ranariddh violated the present constitution while negotiating

with the KR or not. And this analyze doesn't express ANY siding with or against prince Ranariddh! Raoul Jennar's

scientific profile and current activities act like strong safeties against any drift from rigorous behaviour. Only

from his analyze about the political future of Cambodia and solutions to be adopted can one have diverging opinions.

This point marks the border between analyze and opinion. The four self-called journalists have obviously missed

the step...

Due to his deep knowledge of the political framework and actors of the country, and the publishing of his not-compromising

book about the Cambodian press, no one is more qualified than Raoul Jennar to lead the EU program teaching professional

integrity and ethics to Cambodian journalists. And since the article published in January 30-Febraury 12 edition

of the Phnom Penh Post, I add: "and to some foreign amateur journalists"! Matthew Grainger, Matthew Lee,

Robin McDowell and Joe Cochrane should attend his courses to discover the enlightenment of real professionalism

and ethics...

Beside the four unprofessional and mentally deficient self-called journalists who outrageously attacked Raoul Jennar,

the person referred in Grainger's article as "a European donor" cowardly sheltered under anonymity should

be dumped out of Cambodia for being either mentally unable to recognize a pure scientific analyze or for being

being Ranariddh-aligned, and then not neutral in violation of his status.

I do really hope that the scandalous calumnies expressed by the four amateur-journalists and the coward "EU

Donor" won't deprive Cambodia of the highly competent expert that Mr Jennar is in the leading of the scheduled

EU media training program. His wide experience gathered in Cambodia since 1992 and his publications already successively

attracted him smiles then hostility from almost all local political parties and actors, but never self-called journalists

had fallen in the easy trap of stupidity and lack of ability to make the distinction between analyze and opinion!

It is done now. What a pity. Not an example for Cambodian journalists!

As foreigners living in Cambodia, none of us, even (self-called) journalists!, is - or should be - allowed to openly

support or fight any actor of the Cambodian political life, except the (former) KRs! I personally firmly respect

this conduct, which is not the case of the four amateur-journalists and the "EU donor" mentioned in the

Phnom Penh Post article. They have expressed their dissimulated support to one actor of the local political life.

Good to know...

I do hope that you will at least offer Raoul Jennar an opportunity to publish an answer on page 2 of the Phnom

Penh Post's next issue, respecting - too late! - a point of basic ethics of the press violated in your January

30-February 12 issue.

Please forward a copy of the present letter to all the persons here mentioned above! At the opposite of thousands

of people in this country, including foreigners working here, I dare openly express my opinions under my real name!

- Alain Henry de Frahan, Phnom Penh.

(Editor's note: the Post reporter clearly interviewed Mr Jennar for a story. It is difficult to claim that

Mr Jennar had been "trapped", given that the interview was openly taped on a recorder, with Mr Jennar's

prior permission.)