Reporter: Brendan Trembath
Australian Boradcasting Corporation
ELEANOR HALL: A former Cambodian police chief who says he tried to apply for political asylum at the Australian High Commission in Singapore last week but was turned away is now waiting to see if another country will help him.
Heng Peov says he applied for asylum after he defied orders to kill dissidents.
Now his lawyers have written to Australia's Foreign Minister Alexander Downer asking the Minister to intervene.
This report from Brendan Trembath.
BRENDAN TREMBATH: The former Cambodian police chief Heng Peov has gone into hiding, fearing he will be tracked down and punished for speaking out against the Cambodian Government.
One of his lawyers is David Chen.
DAVID CHEN: He served the Government for a long period of time, had been the police commissioner of Phnom Penh for quite a number of years and in July 2005 he was promoted to be the Undersecretary (inaudible) of the state, Minister of Interior, and personal advisor to Prime Minister Hun Sen.
Because of his political opinions, because of his support for democracy, promotion of democracy, because of his endeavour to eradicate the very rampant corruption in Cambodia he got himself into a bit of trouble.
BRENDAN TREMBATH: Mr Chen says Heng Peov was told to eliminate dissidents but would make excuses for not following orders.
DAVID CHEN: At one stage of their life they offended Hun Sen in one way or another.
BRENDAN TREMBATH: Do you have any way of corroborating what he has claimed about what he was asked to do by the Cambodian Government?
DAVID CHEN: I have not as yet personally verified the story that he has, but I believe his words. And he said, he told me that he has evidence in support of what he said but the evidence is unfortunately of course in Cambodia
BRENDAN TREMBATH: The former Cambodian general slipped out of his country using an old injury as an excuse.
Lawyer David Chen explains.
DAVID CHEN: The reason he got permission to leave Cambodia from Hun Sen were two reasons; firstly he wanted to go to Malaysia to have his leg checked. He's a handicapped person and he lost his left leg in his execution of duties as a police officer back in 1992.
And because he did not get enough good treatment and the delay in obtaining treatment his left leg had to be... there was a gunshot wound and because of the delay in getting treatment, it got infected and all that and his leg was eventually amputated.
BRENDAN TREMBATH: Heng Peov is relying on another country to grant him protection but so far has heard nothing.
His lawyer David Chen says Heng Peov initially approached Australia's High Commission in Singapore, then the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
DAVID CHEN: My understanding was that he was briefly seen by a junior officer who directed him straight away to the UNHCR.
BRENDAN TREMBATH: The World Today contacted the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, which has issued a short statement.
It says the Foreign Minister Alexander Downer is aware of reports that a Cambodian citizen has presented at the Australian High Commission in Singapore to lodge an application for political asylum.
He says all applications for visas are considered on their merits.
ELEANOR HALL: Brendan Trembath with that report.
Heng Peov says he applied for asylum after he defied orders to kill dissidents.
Now his lawyers have written to Australia's Foreign Minister Alexander Downer asking the Minister to intervene.
This report from Brendan Trembath.
BRENDAN TREMBATH: The former Cambodian police chief Heng Peov has gone into hiding, fearing he will be tracked down and punished for speaking out against the Cambodian Government.
One of his lawyers is David Chen.
DAVID CHEN: He served the Government for a long period of time, had been the police commissioner of Phnom Penh for quite a number of years and in July 2005 he was promoted to be the Undersecretary (inaudible) of the state, Minister of Interior, and personal advisor to Prime Minister Hun Sen.
Because of his political opinions, because of his support for democracy, promotion of democracy, because of his endeavour to eradicate the very rampant corruption in Cambodia he got himself into a bit of trouble.
BRENDAN TREMBATH: Mr Chen says Heng Peov was told to eliminate dissidents but would make excuses for not following orders.
DAVID CHEN: At one stage of their life they offended Hun Sen in one way or another.
BRENDAN TREMBATH: Do you have any way of corroborating what he has claimed about what he was asked to do by the Cambodian Government?
DAVID CHEN: I have not as yet personally verified the story that he has, but I believe his words. And he said, he told me that he has evidence in support of what he said but the evidence is unfortunately of course in Cambodia
BRENDAN TREMBATH: The former Cambodian general slipped out of his country using an old injury as an excuse.
Lawyer David Chen explains.
DAVID CHEN: The reason he got permission to leave Cambodia from Hun Sen were two reasons; firstly he wanted to go to Malaysia to have his leg checked. He's a handicapped person and he lost his left leg in his execution of duties as a police officer back in 1992.
And because he did not get enough good treatment and the delay in obtaining treatment his left leg had to be... there was a gunshot wound and because of the delay in getting treatment, it got infected and all that and his leg was eventually amputated.
BRENDAN TREMBATH: Heng Peov is relying on another country to grant him protection but so far has heard nothing.
His lawyer David Chen says Heng Peov initially approached Australia's High Commission in Singapore, then the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
DAVID CHEN: My understanding was that he was briefly seen by a junior officer who directed him straight away to the UNHCR.
BRENDAN TREMBATH: The World Today contacted the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, which has issued a short statement.
It says the Foreign Minister Alexander Downer is aware of reports that a Cambodian citizen has presented at the Australian High Commission in Singapore to lodge an application for political asylum.
He says all applications for visas are considered on their merits.
ELEANOR HALL: Brendan Trembath with that report.
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