Logo of Phnom Penh Post newspaper Phnom Penh Post - Sovantha suit opens door for probe of Sokha

Sovantha suit opens door for probe of Sokha

Social media celebrity (left) Thy Sovantha appears on stage at a CNRP rally in Phnom Penh’s Freedom Park after the 2013 national elections.
Social media celebrity (left) Thy Sovantha appears on stage at a CNRP rally in Phnom Penh’s Freedom Park after the 2013 national elections. Hong Menea

Sovantha suit opens door for probe of Sokha

As a defamation lawsuit filed by Thy Sovantha triggers a government investigation into the Kem Sokha infidelity accusations, the social media celebrity yesterday dismissed any suggestions political influence or lust for fame motivated her pursuit of the charges.

Sovantha, who was once a prominent opposition supporter, filed a defamation suit to the court last week when recordings of flirtatious conversations between a man alleged to be deputy CNRP president Kem Sokha and a mistress began to emerge.

In one of the recordings, the man is heard denying having a relationship with Sovantha or buying her a car. The man asserts that the former prominent opposition supporter is merely using the CNRP “to do politics and get money”.

With the audio recordings unable to be validated, Sovantha called on the authorities to investigate so she had someone to sue, a move that has opened the door for the Interior Ministry’s involvement.

This has prompted some analysts to suggest she may have been unknowingly lured into a political ploy or that she may simply be seeking to raise her profile through a defamation case. “Through the law, I have done the right thing, because they violated and defamed me and I have right to file a lawsuit,” Sovantha said yesterday, denying she was either a pawn or seeking notoriety.

In response to Sovantha’s claim, the Ministry of Interior’s anti-terrorism and overseas crime unit has identified a woman named Khem Chandaraty who they believe may be “Mon Srey”, the woman identified as Sokha’s mistress in the audio recordings.

Chandaraty, who on Wednesday approached rights group Adhoc for legal support, is due to meet with officials on Saturday at the ministry.

“We need to find evidence to restore my reputation and theirs,” Sovantha said, referring to Sokha and Chandaraty.

Ear Sophal, an associate professor of diplomacy and world affairs at Occidental College in Los Angeles, described the entire scandal as “dirty tricks”. “I hope she hasn’t willingly or unwillingly become a political pawn,” he said, of Sovantha’s involvement.

He added that with Sovantha’s popularity among Cambodian youth, she had the potential to be a future leader. “This is legitimacy that the ruling party cannot buy for itself, but if they can co-opt her, she would bring her followers to them,” he said.

Ou Virak, founder of the Future Forum political think tank, said yesterday, that the defamation case appeared baseless and Sovantha had other motivations for entering the fray. “She wants to be back in the news; wants to be back in the limelight; wants to be talked about,” he said.

Virak said serious questions over the legality of phone tapping or whether or not the recordings had been fabricated were being pushed to the side.

Contacted yesterday, independent legal expert Sok Sam Oeun, said that regardless of whether the recordings are fake or not, legally, the person who leaked the tapes into the public arena “becomes responsible for the defamation charge”.

However, Sovantha, under the advice of her lawyer, said whoever was speaking on the tapes should also be held responsible.

Y Sok Khy, director of the anti-terrorism and overseas crime unit, said the unit was focusing on discovering whose voice was in the recordings. Khy would not comment on any action against those who leaked the recordings.

MOST VIEWED

  • Wing Bank opens new branch in front of Orkide The Royal along Street 2004

    Wing Bank celebrates first anniversary as commercial bank with launch of brand-new branch. One year since officially launching with a commercial banking licence, Wing Bank on March 14 launched a new branch in front of Orkide The Royal along Street 2004. The launch was presided over by

  • Girl from Stung Meanchey dump now college grad living in Australia

    After finishing her foundational studies at Trinity College and earning a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Melbourne in 2022, Ron Sophy, a girl who once lived at the Stung Meanchey garbage dump and scavenged for things to sell, is now working at a private

  • Ministry using ChatGPT AI to ‘ease workload’; Khmer version planned

    The Digital Government Committee is planning to make a Khmer language version of popular artificial intelligence (AI) technology ChatGPT available to the public in the near future, following extensive testing. On March 9, the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications revealed that it has been using the

  • Wat Phnom hornbills attract tourists, locals

    Thanks to the arrival of a friendly flock of great hornbills, Hour Rithy, a former aviculturist – or raiser of birds – in Kratie province turned Phnom Penh tuk tuk driver, has seen a partial return to his former profession. He has become something of a guide

  • Ministry orders all schools, public and private, to close for SEA Games

    From April 20 to May 18, all public and private educational institutions will be closed to maintain order and support Cambodia's hosting of the 32nd SEA Games and 12th ASEAN Para Games, said a directive from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport. Cambodia will host the

  • Almost 9K tourists see equinox sunrise at Angkor Wat

    Nearly 9,000 visitors – including 2,226 international tourists – gathered at Angkor Wat on March 21 to view the spring equinox sunrise, according to a senior official of the Siem Reap provinical tourism department. Ngov Seng Kak, director of the department, said a total of 8,726 people visited Angkor Wat to