Logo of Phnom Penh Post newspaper Phnom Penh Post - KNLF member asks for reduced sentence

KNLF member asks for reduced sentence

Content image - Phnom Penh Post
Hin Chan, a member of the Khmer National Liberation Front, is led into the Supreme Court on Wednesday. Pha Lina

KNLF member asks for reduced sentence

A member of the banned Khmer National Liberation Front (KNLF) asked the Supreme Court on Wednesday to reduce his jail term to five years from seven, claiming he did not know that the KNLF was a terrorist group.

Hin Chan, 36, told the court he was not aware the group had been labelled a terrorist organisation by the government.

“I joined the KNLF in Thailand because I learned new things and wanted to implement them and contribute something to the nation. I did not know what I did went against the government,” Chan said in testimony to the court panel, presided by Judge Kong Srim.

Chan was arrested in Cambodia while distributing KNLF booklets and other material. He had travelled from Thailand with a forged passport. He was sentenced to seven years for conspiracy to overthrow the government and forgery of a public document.

“I brought the booklets along because I wanted to share the information in them. But the government said this activity is wrong. I would like the court to lower my sentence to five years because the people I so believed in had ‘ill-intended minds’.

“If I had known that before, I would not have gone against the heroic achievements of Samdech Hun Sen,” Chan said.

His lawyers, Sam Sokong and Sous Vannak, said because their client did not know the KNLF was a terrorist organisation, he couldn’t have intended to overthrow the government.

Nevertheless, the prosecutor, Uk Kimsith, said Chan had participated in several seminars in Bangkok organised by Sam Serey, the KNLF leader who was sentenced in 2016 to nine years in prison for conspiracy.

The verdict is due to be delivered next Monday.

MOST VIEWED

  • Five-year-old Hanuman dances his way into hearts of Cambodia

    A young talent from a new-established settlement has emerged, captivating the online world with his mesmerising performances of the traditional Cambodian monkey dance. Roeun Kakada is a five-year-old prodigy who has taken the social media sphere by storm with his exceptional dance skills and dedication

  • Fresh Covid warnings as Thai hospital fills

    A senior health official reminds the public to remain vigilant, as neighbouring countries experience an increase in Covid-19 cases, with the latest surge appearing to be a result of the Omicron XBB.1.5 sub-variant. Or Vandine, secretary of state and spokeswoman for the Ministry of Health,

  • Honda shutters Siem Reap football club

    Japanese football legend Keisuke Honda, the owner of Siem Reap football club Soltilo Angkor FC, has been forced to shut the club down, after it failed to attract sponsorship for the upcoming season. Honda, the former manager of the Cambodia men's national football team, said

  • Hun Sen warns of regional tensions

    ASIA is becoming a dangerous geopolitical hotspot, with several countries announcing that they intend to send naval vessels towards Southeast Asia and on to the South China Sea, warned Prime Minister Hun Sen. “Heated geopolitical issues can easily escalate, namely to war. I am not

  • PM declares ASEAN Para Games open

    The 12th ASEAN Para Games officially kicked off on the evening of June 3 at Morodok Techo National Stadium in Phnom Penh, with a spectacular opening ceremony featuring fireworks and performances by some of the Kingdom’s most accomplished talents. Tens of thousands of sports fans

  • Waterway job still pending for Kampot tourism port’s opening

    The search is still on for a contractor to expand and deepen the Kampot International Tourism Port’s waterway and deliver additional enhancements allowing safe access for larger vessels, nearly a year after the main construction work on the 4.25ha site was completed on June 30, 2022.