Dr Kek Pung
President, LICADHO
Phnom Penh
Cambodia
23rd Dec 2014
Dear Dr Pung
The avalanche of material sent to me
regarding APLE continues apace, but what can I do with it? Is there anyone
interested in evidence of APLE’S unethical and criminal activities? It seems
not. APLE has a ‘get-out-of-jail-free’ card in Cambodia. No-one will say in
public what they freely say in private. This is the same dynamic that allowed
Somaly Mam to continue with her Foundation based on lies for so many years. Her
lies were common knowledge in Cambodia for many years before she was finally
exposed and had to stand down. How many years will it take for APLE to be
exposed as a result of the silence of NGOs such as LICADHO?
I have located one person whose testimony
regarding APLE you should hear in person. I think you would find it next to impossible,
having heard what this person has to say, to continue to associate with APLE
any longer. S/he is scared to speak out for fear of reprisals but will do so if
s/he can be provided with some guarantees that s/he will not be targeted in any
way by APLE.
This is a matter that needs to be dealt
with very diplomatically. I would suggest the following:
I come to Cambodia and arrange for a safe place
where this person could meet you and others. I would like there to be present a
highly placed representative of (a) both the Cambodian Ministries of Justice
and the Interior, (b) LICADHO and ADHOC, (c) SISHA, (d) the British Embassy and
(e) the media.
All on this list would be interested to
hear what this person has to say, decide on the veracity of what they hear and
make their own independent enquiries. And all would be in a position, one way
or another, to provide him/her with protection.
I have included below an email interchange
that took place in 2006 between Katherine Keane, James Dunmore and Thierry
Darnaudet. This interchange occurred at a time when Naly Pilorge was deeply
involved with APLE and before she felt it necessary to hide her association
with the NGO.
Whilst the whole interchange provides some
interesting insights into APLE’s modus operandi, it is Thierry Darnaudet’s
final contribution to the dialogue that reveals the most – both about Darnaudet
and APLE. (see below)
Finally, I have heard from three different
sources now that Naly Pilorge is telling anyone interested that she (and by
extension LICADHO) know much more about the David Fletcher case than I do and
that I am mistaken in my advocacy on his behalf. Some points that need to be
made about Naly’s quite public assertions:
(1) I have all the court documents
relating to Mr Fletcher’s case and believe that I am the only person who does.
(2) I am advocating on behalf of Mr
Fletcher’s right to a fair trial held in accordance with the Cambodian Code of
Criminal Procedure. Any and all people accused of crimes in Cambodia – be they
Khmer or non-Khmer – should be entitled to a fair trial. If the evidence
suggests that Mr Fletcher is guilty of rape, he should remain in jail.
(3) If Naly really does know more about
the David Fletcher case than I do (and, by extension the Phnom Penh Municipal Court)
the appropriate venue to present this information is in a properly constituted
court of law.
(4) I would be very surprised in Naly was
in possession of evidence that Mr Fletcher did rape Yang Dany given that she
has admitted he did not (to myself and two other journalists) and the
physiological evidence (her intact hymen) is very strongly supportive of this
fact. However, it is not for either Naly or myself (or anyone else) to weigh up
evidence such as this. It is up to a properly constituted court working in
accordance with the Cambodian Code of Criminal Procedure.
(5) It is clear from numerous sources now
that APLE has contempt for the Cambodian judiciary’s ability to arrive at judgments
based on evidence rather than on who can afford to pay the biggest bribe. In
order to obtain the verdicts it feels to be fair and just (and in order to keep
up its arrest and conviction rate) APLE has set itself up as investigator,
prosecutor, judge and jury and uses its influence to obtain the verdicts that
it wants. In so doing, APLE is not merely bypassing the Cambodian judicial
system but is actively corrupting it. If LICADHO is not aware of this, I can
only say that you and others who run LICAHDO (particularly the lawyers) are
either blind or have chosen to turn a blind eye.
(6) If Naly really does believe that she
is in a better position to pass judgment on Mr Fletcher than the Phnom Penh
Municipal Court, she is setting herself up, as does APLE, as investigator,
prosecutor, judge and jury. And, having decided that Mr Fletcher must be guilty
of rape (based on evidence that she feels under no compunction to provide to
the court), she does not want to leave it to the Phnom Penh Municipal Court to
arrive at a verdict different from her own.
Difficult though it might be, given that
Naly is your daughter, I believe that you should ask her if she is in
possession of information and/or evidence of Mr Fletcher’s guilt of the charge
of rape that I am not aware of, that the Phnom Penh Municipal Court is not
aware of, that the media is not aware of. If she is in possession of such
evidence and is withholding it, Naly is herself perverting the course of
justice.
If the three correspondents who have contacted
me are wrong in their assertion that Naly knows more about this case than I do,
I fail to understand why it is that LICADHO does not publically call for Mr
Fletcher to be provided with a fair trial when it is blindingly obvious that he
has been denied one.
In the event that you are interested in
hearing, first hand, the testimony of someone who can provide first hand information
about APLE I will come to Cambodia in January and set up a meeting along the
lines I have outlined above.
best wishes
James Ricketson
2006 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN APLE AND JAMES
DUNMORE - a Canadian NGO who planned to set up his own organisation in
Sihanoukville.
From APLE's ex-Country Director Katherine
Keane to James Dunsmore after a mobile phone text message.
Dear James,
I
write in response to your text message of today:
'I am your informant putting myself and my future Charity work at risk by
helping you carry out your mandate. I call your management of sensitive
volunteer field assets into question and request an official appointment with
your agency's National Director at your earliest convenience. I will travel to
the capital to facilitate this if that is necessary. RSVP ASAP.'
I feel that it
is best that I reply to this text message via email.
First, no
appointment with our National Director is necessary as I personally am taking
over that position in two weeks and will be handling all such matters.
Second, myself
and other APLE staff are extremely busy handling a multitude of
responsibilities and tasks and as such must make time-management decisions
based on carefully considered priorities.
It is not practical that we respond
to every demand for an immediate appointment made by someone claiming to have
urgent information. Your insistence on meeting during my personal time on
Wednesday night for a matter which you claimed was urgent (but in fact was not)
is an example.
Third, as you
can imagine we do not hold meetings with people providing us with information
in our office as the location is best kept quiet and our office contains much
sensitive information. We have undercover staff working for us and as a result
must respect their privacy. Instead, we choose other options for communication:
- meeting in various locations in town which we know to be safe, friendly
places where we can discuss sensitive matters in private
(i.e.Starfish Cafe or
small Hotel)
- telephone
- email
APLE respects the confidential nature of
all information and the privacy of all those who provide us with that
information.
I must admit to
finding your insistence that a telephone is not a 'secure channel' for
discussion in Cambodia a little strange. Your refusal to email me the information
you claim to have today rather than meeting in person is also troubling
considering your apparent great concern for being seen in public with APLE
personnel.
Fourth, I find
it a troubling allegation and do not understand your claim that providing APLE
with information places your future charity work at risk. My understanding is
that you are working part-time as an English teacher at a school for Cambodian
children. APLE cooperates with many child-rights organizations working in
Sihanoukville and experiences no problem in this regard.
If your concerns of
our 'dedication' are indeed so great then I would recommend that you simply
choose in future not to contact APLE staff. APLE will of course maintain the
confidentiality of any information provided with you to this date.
Yours faithfully,
Katherine
Keane
Technical Advisor
Action Pour Les Enfants
Sihanoukville, Cambodia
James Dunsmore's reply:
ReplyDeleteDear Ms. Keane,
Thank you for your email reply and I apologize for the garbled text message you received, apparently it's a Khmer cell network issue. You must appreciate that by me acting on the children’s behalf by providing credible information on potential, imminent threats to their safety to your organization puts me in a position where people can get suspicious as I circulate in groups you could never circulate in as everyone knows you and your mandate.
To be seen more and more in your presence creates rumors and my well being can be compromised as a Snitch if word gets out. If my well being is compromised I will not be acting as a Volunteer for my charity here so my future plans will be compromised as well, to the detriment of the children we are both here to help.
I now understand the matters of security of meeting you or members of your staff, I'm sure you can appreciate mine. I don't have an organization protecting me. I have been approached and congratulated by unknown local Khmer that have intimate knowledge of the sensitive information I passed on to you so as far as you claiming to honor standards of confidentiality for information, I beg to differ.
The information provided to you the other night was dismissed as not “urgent” maybe so in hindsight but it was not irrelevant. I was surprised at your ignorance at hearing that the stretch of beach where the French national was murdered is a known pedophile child procurement zone. I thought the possible connections that were time sensitive at that time may have helped you in some way. Hopefully you can add that area to your watch list in the future as it is highly active.
The crux of what I was hoping for clarification on was involving the Oceans Hotel. When I heard you actively suspect the hotel of providing under-aged prostitution services and engaging in human trafficking, I wondered why you would not have alerted me earlier to that fact as you knew I was living there. I have a reputation that I take extra care to avoid even the presence of wrong doing and have gone out of my way to help you. Did you have designs for my possible Entrapment to boost your numbers in a raid? Absolutely callous by any moral standard and Illegal.
As far as your information, I have been living at the Hotel as the only resident besides the family and small staff for the last 7 weeks. It has never been used for the purposes of prostitution and there is no intention to do so now or in the future. It is an 8 room, full service hotel complete with restaurant and bar, no more no less. I know because upon hearing your allegations I investigated personally to determine if my patronage of the Hotel would continue or not. It has and it will. It seems in the instance of the Oceans Hotel, you have prejudged the owner and his business on what facts I won’t comment. I strongly call into question your “bush league” investigative techniques in verifying what information comes your way from what ever source, to ensure its validity.
You know as well as me that any allegation regardless of fact or fiction has the potential to destroy reputations no matter what the final outcome. You have a duty of Responsibility. A duty you are negligent of in at least this case. I'm on your side as a humanitarian Volunteer in the field of helping the children of Cambodia and I felt very slighted as I thought I had earned your trust with the information provided and the official documents for you to verify my identity. I've nothing to hide but feel that by my association as a guest at the hotel, I may have been put under scrutiny as well, for no legitimate reason, thus potentially violating my rights as well in your ongoing, baseless fishing campaign.
...to be continued...
.....
ReplyDeleteI have heard from local sources that your techniques are being perceived as increasingly unethical, unsound and in any first world country would be deemed illegal on the grounds of an illegitimate invasion of privacy. As far as your comments about the owner Ron Haswell, the use of the term Human Trafficker is malicious, spiteful and could open your Organization to increased public scrutiny and/or legal proceedings as your tactics are widely seen in the community as a vindictive smear campaign against mostly honest Caucasian men.
If your misdirected suspicions of activities going on in the Oceans Hotel are any indication, your allegations of Ron being a human trafficker are completely unsubstantiated and you're acting on pure, uninvestigated rumors and innuendo. Any amount of time spent in investigating your information related to Ron would confirm the fact he is not engaging in any wrong doing but you have obviously not even attempted to do this as your time in Sihanoukville is drawing to a close in favor of your promotion to the Capital and you seem to be more interested in accruing political brownie points than engaging in responsible investigative techniques.
Were you aware the Oceans Hotel is now possibly the only establishment in the Kingdom of Cambodia that voluntarily enforces a strict policy of verifying every Patron’s identification prior to admittance? Or that Mr. Haswell has also pledged a portion of the hotel’s profits directly to the Goodwill School Charity? I thought not.
The credibility of your organization and you and Zelda personally are now being openly questioned in the community and the benefit of the doubt in other investigations against others will equally lose merit due to your acknowledged tactics thus allowing genuine sexual predators a freer reign than if you had acted professionally from the outset instead of chasing honest shadows in the dark. Your credibility has been damaged in my eyes as well due to the cavalier attitude you both displayed the other night over your complete lack of respect for an innocent man’s personal and professional reputation.
I thought about what you said and felt I had misunderstood you so I asked for clarification on Friday. Without clarification on these points, I can only speculate you have an agenda against American citizens from the Philippines (as you described at our meeting that that was your main reason for suspecting Ron) and are drawing parallels from the American from Tramps Palace who was recently exposed for debauchery for imprisoning minors by another NGO which I believe is one of your rivals.
It is slander to paint an innocent man with the same brush as a known felon but that fact seems to have no bearing on your agenda to score career points for yourselves. It’s called Defamation of Character which is Illegal in anyone’s books. Any allegations of impropriety targeting the Oceans Hotel would directly impact on me, being the sole guest, so indirectly, judgment would be passed by the court of popular opinion by your vicious gossip without proper investigation, charges laid or trial against me so I could defend my impeccably good name as a Volunteer.
...to be continued...
...
ReplyDeleteThe last point of which I sought clarification is the comments made about the Khmer Police and other Civic Authorities that will benefit from my volunteer teaching of English to facilitate liaisons with western law enforcement agencies currently being deployed to Cambodia to reduce the dependence on Non Police, Non Government Organization personnel who though their heart may be in the right place, have neither the training, diplomacy or tact to do any progressive work.
The comment put to me was "Why would you want to help the Police here?" My question as a law abiding citizen is “Why would I not volunteer to help the recognized authority of the land in combating pedophilia if I could?” What possible reasons could there be that Zelda does not want to entertain or foster cooperation with the Police by aiding in every possible way, unless she has a vested interest in her own position and the continued justification of your organization's operational budget?
It seems you have either poor or non existent relations with the authorities here, are seemingly trying to falsify evidence and are actively propagating rumors to justify your mandate and thus, your global budget. Or is it that you at Action Pour Enfants believe that you are above the law in Cambodia and elsewhere in the 3rd world? Very interesting, troubling and deeply thought provoking.
I believe more clarity is needed between your organization’s role and the public of your host countries in general, Sihanoukville’s community in particular as they have been repeatedly victimized with no basis during your tenures here. From my limited understanding, you are neither a Police Officer or a Government Organization so please help me understand the source of your authority here in Cambodia to target innocent, law abiding residents with unsubstantiated rumors. ?
It seems to many, you are operating with a pseudo Vigilante mentality that could be easily construed as nothing more than a orchestrated campaign of male harassment in the eyes of legal professionals anywhere there exists the rule of Law. I and others here would very be interested to formally examine your Organization’s mandate, mission statement and employee training standards prior to engagement for it’s Members because it either needs modification to comply with basic human rights or you are not acting in accordance to it's guidelines in the pursuit of your own hidden personal career agendas.
....to be continued...
....
ReplyDeleteThere is no way your current, unethical tactics are sanctioned by your headquarters but if they are, there is even more reason for public debate on who is allowed to operate in the 3rd world unchecked as the innocent of all walks need protection from foreign abusers operating beyond the reach of the law in their own opinions.
These are some of the reasons I made a legitimate request to arrange a meeting with your Director as it seems you have every intention of operating by your own rules unsupervised here in Sihanoukville and wish to keep this abuse of authority quiet until you assume your new position in the Capital where you will have more authority to continue the cover up your past improprieties in our community and possibly propagate more with your expanded powers throughout Cambodia.
I believe there should be an transparent, open to the public debate into the very legitimacy of your organization based on you and Zelda’s operating procedures and prejudiced belief system that I and other innocents have experienced firsthand.
Ma’am with all due respect, you two personally need more operational controls, checks, balances and accountability for your indiscretions, not more power. If your organization’s position is to not be forthcoming on these legitimate requests from the concerned, respected members of the Sihanoukville community, I'm utterly speechless. I ask again for there to be a meeting with your Director as it's even more important now as you seem to be actively blocking attempts to expose the truth by stipulating a meeting is not necessary. In your opinion, of course it’s not but there is a much more ominous, growing concern than your personal career enhancement goals.
...to be continued...
....
ReplyDeleteI believe the community you serve should have some say. Would the National Director's office not be suitable forum to start? I mean no personal ill will in this letter and hope we can work productively to continue serving the community but there seem to be too many questionable practices ranging from my confidentiality being breached by you directly or someone in your organization, your vigilante like zeal to harass legitimate business owners without proof, a non cooperative attitude toward the legitimate Authorities of Cambodia right up to the feeling that the possibility of any allegations of wrong doing not be brought to the attention of your outgoing National Director.
As your Director is ultimately accountable for all of your actions, I'm sure he/she wouldn't be adverse to a meeting to address the misunderstandings your ladies unfounded and malicious allegations have raised and to help quell the furor simmering in the community against your organization’s indiscretions before he/she leaves Cambodia charging you to suppress the fall out of the folly of their rein as Director here in the Kingdom of Cambodia.
There is no reason at this point not to keep this all in house, but if attempts are made to shirk your responsibilities to the community you’ve repeatedly and recklessly attempted to violate, I'm sure there are other organizations that would be happy to bring this to a broader arena, one that you yourselves are so adept at manipulating for your organization’s continuing budget… the court of popular opinion.
I seek confirmation of the receipt of this correspondence by someone senior to yourself for obvious reasons to discuss when these issues can be addressed. If the Cambodian head office’s position is to continue to operate in bad faith, we will have no option but to advise the recognized authorities in Bolivia, Columbia, Guatemala, India, Nepal, Nicaragua, and Peru that your organization operates outside the realm of ethical, accountable, law abiding behavior in Cambodia and should be fully investigated in these impoverished, open to exploitation areas of the world as well.
I’m sure your collaborating companies, organizations and donor base would appreciate knowing who they have affiliated themselves with so they, like I at the Oceans Hotel can make an informed decision whether to continue affiliations with your organization or not. You, unlike the Oceans Hotel and Ron Haswell have engaged in activities of which a cover up we believe will go ahead the moment you assume your new, expanded duties in Phnom Penh in less than two weeks.
Thank you for your time. Myself and many others involved parties eagerly await your Organization's official reply in this matter with ever increasing interest. Regards, James Dunsmore BSSc Tech SP, Volunteer Educator
...to be continued...
THIERRY DARNAUDET'S RESPONSE
ReplyDeleteThierry Darnaudet, APLE Founder & President writes back in Sept 2006
Let me use whatever email address I feel convenient to, and let me decide if I have time to make the effort to follow all your conditions and decision. Please, go and find other people to disturb. I have no time with all your madness. I am just not interested to talk and communicate with you. Do not reply to this email and in any case know that I am blocking your email address.
Mr. Thierry Darnaudet President Action Pour Les Enfants.-APLE
From: James Dunsmore To: Darnaudet Thierry president APLE
Monsier Damaudet,
Please be advised due to the sensitive nature of this situation, I will not respond to someone claiming to be the President of an International NGO using a personal Yahoo email account. If you have something to say, an official email address that can be verified as belonging to APLE or Global Humanitaria will be needed for further correspondence. I am interested in hearing from you officially as I have received what I perceive to be an extremely threatening letter from your outgoing Director for the Cambodia region which I can only interpret as a direct provocation for an escalation of official action against your Organization. I await your official reply.
Sincerely, James Dunsmore BSSC, Tech SP
Darnaudet Thierry wrote: > Mr Dunsmore, > >
Thank you for all you very interesting emails. But, please, take note that we have no interest, whatsoever to be in touch with you or to recieve any intelligence from your part. I am requesting you to stop harrassing us as we are enough busy and we have no time to waste. Feel free to take any step you want and we will re-act accordingly, but for god sake, give us a break.
Sincerely, MR Darnaudet Thierry. President
This "Barang" is married to a Thai Woman and has a child with her. When he went to Sihanoukville's Central Market to buy his son a toy and assemble it just outside the market he was rounded up by several Khmer Men in white shirts and black pants (looking official - or typical for APLE's/Mlop Tapang local Agents) he had to explain to these strangers what he was doing there and if this was his son. The Kid is almost white and apart from his slanted eyes obviously his son, for everyone to see.
ReplyDeleteIn Cambodia's NGO infested world you have to endure total strangers approaching you to give an explanation and proof of how you are related to your own child and married to a local Khmer woman that brought children into their marriage. These Barangs are always suspected of marrying the woman to get access to the Child. In NGO Terms this is called "Grooming".
Most men such as this are too afraid to speak out after they have been attacked, out fear of retribution.
Last week I was with shopping my partner and her son. I was trying to get my money back on a DVD box set (96 discs of the Simpsons) that was short by about 10 discs. I was getting nowhere in English so my girlfriend suggested I go get a bite to eat with her son whilst she argued for me. Her son is 7 years old and as I went with him on the escalator and walked to the food hall I noticed a few people looking at us. By the time I bought the food coupons I was feeling very aware of being a Barang holding a young Khmers hand. When we were choosing the food I was so uncomfortable I started to distance myself from him. I walked in front whilst he trotted behind. By the time we sat down to eat, I could not take the looks from the people around us any more and was very uncomfortable I left the food and went to find my girl friend, the little guy following a few steps behind.
ReplyDeleteDoes this mean that a Barang step dad to Khmer children can never take the kids out without the wife. What about holidays in S,ville, do I have to be accompanied every time I take her kids to the beach, go swimming? Cant I hold their hand when we cross the road without some fuck thinking “pedophile"?
Perhaps this issue needs to be incorporated into the ethos of those who look out for pedophiles. It's never mentioned outside of forums like this and it is sad indeed. On my second trip to Cambodia I met my girlfriend's four year old son, a lovely lad. He wasn't in my room often but sometimes they would both arrive and he loved to play a simple block-breaking game on my laptop. The staff at the hotel I stayed in all loved him, and got used to him over a four month period. One night my girlfriend asked if they could both stay the night and I let them. It did cross my mind that this might look dodgy and she knew I felt uncomfortable with the situation, not least of all because I would be squashed up at the end of the bed and wouldn't be able to get it on with my girl, but they didn't want to go home. The next day I went for coffee and when the owner of the shop heard what I had done he told me to be very careful. 'But he's only four!' I cried. 'Watch yourself!'. Since then I have never let it happen again. In retrospect if the police had of arrested me it would look bad and you guys would be saying I must have been very stupid or I'm guilty. I don't want him in my room at night so it's no problem for me but it has coloured everything since. It disgusts me actually that I have to even think this way. The whole business is sordid and even worse when you consider having to mix this revolting thought with the innocence of a child. Now I don't even like to be around him in case people start thinking suspiciously of me. If I were to one day marry this girl then surely I would be wanting to form some bond with her son and she would want the same. This is denied and I'm angry. Newspaper articles should be written and the public's attention drawn to this insidious side effect. Yes, I was stupid I admit that. But everything's okay now. I simply removed him from my life. What a result! Not one person or one organization is to blame for this state of affairs so what do you do?
ReplyDeleteWhilst regularly visiting a bar in Ho Chi Minh City on holiday a young disabled girl say 5 or 6 used to be dropped off by her parents/guardian/whatever as part of the evening route selling chewing gum and basically appealing to the soft spot of tourists for a bit of cash. The bar girls used to treat her like their own and give her something to eat or drink. I innocently gave her the equivalent of 10p whilst sitting at the bar and thought nothing more of it until an Irish backpacker/tourist girl came up to me and said that if I didn't get out immediately her two male companions would kick the sh*t out of me, as they thought I was procuring her for whatever. It wasn't until my girlfriend came in that they realised their mistake. What can one do when someone straight off the plane thinks that anyone in asia talking to children is a paedophile?
ReplyDeleteWhat a loud of bullshit. Bar girls? so you were in a quality establishment to start with. I have traveled the world and have never been questioned or looked down upon for talking to children. I think your actions were slightly more questionable - why else would two guys divert from their drinking to take time to watch you closely and then tell you to get out of the pub. You are either full of shit or a dirty prick who was acting incorrectly around this child.
DeleteI have had my own experiences being followed, being photographed and harassed by high-minded men and women who believe that any man who takes an interest in, hangs out with, children must by definition be a predator. As the father of a 32 year old son, the uncle to many nieces and nephews, the ‘grandpa’ to various kids and the ‘Papa’ to a variety of Cambodian kids, it annoys me greatly that I have to be careful (in Cambodia) when I am with young kids. I love kids. Actually, I love adults also. Indeed, I love most of my fellow human beings and if I can, as a comparatively wealthy ‘Westerner’, help them in any way, I will do so and will enjoy doing so. Thierry Darnaudet and Samleing Seila (and those who provide their tacit approval to APLE’s vigilante modus operandi (including LICADHO, alas) can prey on men like me (just as they prey on materially poor Cambodians) to keep their arrest and conviction rates up. And they need these to be ‘up’ in order to convince gullible sponsors and donors that men such as myself pose a significant threat to children. Any sensible person knows that this is nonsense but, alas, the Emperor’s New Clothes syndrome kicks in here. No-one, LICADHO included, wants to admit to the truth of what is going on here for fear of being accused of being ‘soft’ on pedophiles; of supporting pedophiles. What a travesty of justice. What a shame that LICADHO buys into this Emperor’s New Clothes nonsense!
ReplyDeleteMr. Ricketson,
ReplyDeleteI once had respect for your blogs. I found them informative and believable. But seriously, how many people do you want to put into this so called conspiracy against David Fletcher? Your accusations of a so called cover up and fabrication of evidence between many of the child protection NGO's has become a Harry Potter series. Do you really expect us to believe that the British Police, the Cambodian Police, the Cambodian Courts, SISHA, APLE, CCF, Licahdo and all the other suspects you have defamed, have sat around a table conspiring to prosecute one dirty old man, who had a prior conviction for statutory rape of a child before coming to Cambodia. Please! The concept is so unbelievable.
Have you heard of the term vexatious complainant?
Please bring back some credibility to yourself before its too late and stop these obvious personal rants of world conspiracy - most can see that they are just driven by your personal hatred of people who have achieved more than yourself.
All I can see happening from your rants is that you are going to end up in some massive civil suits as I am sure the NGO's and in particular the likes of Scott Neeson, Steve Morrish and members of the British Police arent going to allow you to continue defaming them with baseless rubbish.
Dear Anonymous
DeleteFrom the tone & style of your writing it seems you are the one who delivered a similar (dare I say) rant last week – to which I responded in some detail. I will do so again, though in perhaps a little less detail as I do not wish to repeat myself too often and, it being Christmas eve, would like to relax a little this afternoon.
Firstly, I am presuming that I do not know you and that you do not know me. I am presuming that we have never met. And yet you have determined that I am “driven by personal hatred of people who have achieved more” than myself. On what evidence do you base this assessment?
An alternative way of looking at this is that, as documentary filmmaker, I stumbled upon a case in which the evidence of Mr Fletcher’s guilt simply does not add up. And, as any documentary filmmaker and/or journalist should do, I started to ask a few questions. Not too many at the outset, but more when I came upon the doctor’s report that makes it quite clear that Yang Dany was a virgin after she had allegedly been raped; that her hymen was intact. As I mentioned to you when last I responded, I am more than happy to send you a copy of the entire report if you believe that I have lifted one small part of it from a report that does not relate to this case. And this applies to anyone else reading this.
You are not interested in such evidence. You have decided that Mr Fletcher is a ‘dirty old man’ and are not going to let yourself be persuaded otherwise by evidence of his innocence. I am not sure how you define a ‘dirty old man’ but do you believe that ‘dirty old men’ should be jailed for 10 years without a trial?
What is telling here, however, is that not one of those organizations, agencies, individuals you have mentioned above, has shown the slightest interest in having a look at this particular piece of quite significant evidence – the doctor’s report. Why do you think this might be? This is not a rhetorical question. Please do feel free to provide me with a logical reason why none of those mentioned in your list has requested copies of this or any other evidence that I could quite easily provide them with if they bothered to ask!
...to be continued...
....
DeleteAs for ‘conspiracy theories’ I have no time for them myself. However, this does not mean that conspiracies do not happen. They do. We learn of this time and time again. More often than not conspiracies happen after the event, not before or during. In the case if Watergate, for instance, the original offence (a simple break and enter) was comparatively trivial. A common and garden cock-up. It was the subsequent cover-up that constituted the conspiracy that eventually brought down Richard Nixon.
In most instances if the choice is between a ‘conspiracy’ and a ‘cock-up’, it is more like to be a ‘cock-up’. However, when all sorts of people try to cover up the ‘cock-up’, the need to cover up requires small lies. Then, to cover these small lies (when they are uncovered) bigger lies are required. And so on.
I will say no more right here about the role that I believe the bodies, organizations and individuals you list have played in the denial to Mr Fletcher of his right to a fair trial. I will be going into some detail about this in due course. Suffice it to say that just as those charged with a crime as heinous as genocide are entitled to a fair trial (Khmer Rouge cadres) so too are men like Mr Fletcher, Matt Harland and others who are either serving long sentences or who have had their lives destroyed in the absence of any fair trial in Cambodia.
As I have written ad nauseum, if there is strong evidence that Mr Fletcher raped Yang Dany, despite the very strong evidence that he did not, his 10 year jail sentence is justified. Not one of those you have listed above has said in public that Mr Fletcher is entitled to a fair trial. Perhaps this is because they believe that they have such acute insight into what occurred in March 2009 that no trial is necessary. If so, from whence comes this insight? Are any of those on your list in possession of all the court documents relating to this case? Or is it that some (or all) believe themselves to be in possession of evidence of Mr Fletcher’s guilt that was not presented to the Phnom Penh Municipal Court? If so, why did they not present it?
To come at this from a slightly different angle. Imagine this scenario playing itself out in Australia or the UK or in any democracy that adheres to the rule of law. NGOs and government bodies denying an accused person the right to a fair trial and stating, after that person has been sentenced, that their reasons for withholding evidence is that they have arrived, as Naly Pilorge says, at ‘different findings.’
I am sure that any one who has respect for the law, for due legal process, is horrified not just by Mr Fletcher being denied his right to a trial conducted in accordance with the Cambodian Code of Criminal Procedure but all those (Khmer and non-Khmer alike) who appear before Cambodian courts.
Whilst the focus of my attention is, by chance and not design, David Fletcher, I am much more interested in he principles at stake here. Cambodia cannot progress to become the country I think we would all like it to become unless and until there is genuine rule of law. Each and every case in which those accused of crimes in Cambodia (be they Khmer or non-Khmer) should attract the attention of human rights organizations and the embassies of all those countries which contribute large amounts of money to the development of Cambodia.
PS
Whilst you do not have the courage to reveal your identity you have, in fact, revealed who you are through your own carelessness.
Ricketson, you clearly are only looking for evidence or suggestions that Fletcher is not guilty. Why is that? It seems to me that you are getting more and more delusional as time passes by. As a person convicted for defamation in the past, would it no be smarter to only say things you can actually prove?
DeleteMs. Naly Pilorge or Licahdo - could you please take civil action against this idiot for defamation and make a lot of people happy.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a good idea.
DeleteDear Anonymous
ReplyDeleteI think, from your writing style, that you are a different 'Anonymous' to the one I have just responded to above.
Now that would be a very interesting case to follow - LICADHO suing for defamation a journalist/documentary filmmaker guilty of (a) asking questions and (b) searching for evidence to explain why it is that LICADHO does not believe men like Mr Fletcher are entitled to the presumption of innocence; to a fair trial.
In my latest blog entry (please do read it) I have quoted verbatim an email in which Naly Pilorge makes her position quite clear - though perhaps not in the way she intended.
If I do not respond to any comments such as this over the next few days it is because it is Christmas and I am having a few days off. I trust that your Christmas is a merry one.
cheers
James
Could somebody explain why at least two of the anecdotes above which have been portrayed as happening recently seem to have been lifted word for word from Khmer440 user posts over the last few years.
ReplyDeleteI don't mind you stealing the 440 name to get more traffic to your site, but please leave our material alone.
Its because the only people commenting on these blogs are Ricketson himself and David Fletcher - who has access to internet and a phone whilst in prison.
ReplyDelete