Payment Clears Police Officer of Man's Killing
By Kuch Naren
THE CAMBODIA DAILY
A policeman at large since shooting dead a 23-year-old in Phnom Penh's Daun Penh district will return to duty after paying his victim's family $3,000, senior officers confirmed Friday.
Phsar Chas commune deputy police chief Nuth Cheatra, 41, shot Hang Ban, a goldsmith, at point blank range in the neck and killed him at 1:30 am on Monday morning.
According to police, Hang Ban was drunk and behaving disorderly at the time and had refused Nuth Cheatra's order to go home.
When the goldsmith allegedly became abusive, Nuth Cheatra allegedly pistol-whipped him with a loaded K-59 handgun, which discharged. After the killing, Nuth Cheatra fled on a motorcycle with his weapon.
"The suspect will not be fired or removed from his position," Daun Penh district police Chief Phan Pheng said on Friday.
"The families of the suspect and the victim have a mutual understanding, which is why they accepted compensation to end the matter as it will only waste time lodging a complaint at the court," he said. "It was an accident."
Phnom Penh Police Commissioner Touch Naruth said the compensation amounted to $3,000.
Nuth Cheatra will not face arrest or criminal charges because the victim's family has not lodged a complaint the city's police chief added.
"The family of the victim accepted $3,000 compensation from the family of the police officer to end the matter because the victim was accidentally shot to death," he said.
Touch Naruth said that Nuth Cheatra did not deserve to be jailed as he was "a good police officer," though he will be punished the "administrative way."
Chan Soveth, investigator for local rights group Adhoc, said all police officers involved in negotiating the $3,000 payment to Hang Ban's family should be prosecuted.
"Officials who try to help criminals by negotiating with the victim's family or threatening them to accept compensation to drop charges or not complain to the court must all be prosecuted," he said.
"Unfortunately, our authorities are absolutely weak in taking action or arresting any criminals who are senior government officials and rich people."
Phsar Chas commune deputy police chief Nuth Cheatra, 41, shot Hang Ban, a goldsmith, at point blank range in the neck and killed him at 1:30 am on Monday morning.
According to police, Hang Ban was drunk and behaving disorderly at the time and had refused Nuth Cheatra's order to go home.
When the goldsmith allegedly became abusive, Nuth Cheatra allegedly pistol-whipped him with a loaded K-59 handgun, which discharged. After the killing, Nuth Cheatra fled on a motorcycle with his weapon.
"The suspect will not be fired or removed from his position," Daun Penh district police Chief Phan Pheng said on Friday.
"The families of the suspect and the victim have a mutual understanding, which is why they accepted compensation to end the matter as it will only waste time lodging a complaint at the court," he said. "It was an accident."
Phnom Penh Police Commissioner Touch Naruth said the compensation amounted to $3,000.
Nuth Cheatra will not face arrest or criminal charges because the victim's family has not lodged a complaint the city's police chief added.
"The family of the victim accepted $3,000 compensation from the family of the police officer to end the matter because the victim was accidentally shot to death," he said.
Touch Naruth said that Nuth Cheatra did not deserve to be jailed as he was "a good police officer," though he will be punished the "administrative way."
Chan Soveth, investigator for local rights group Adhoc, said all police officers involved in negotiating the $3,000 payment to Hang Ban's family should be prosecuted.
"Officials who try to help criminals by negotiating with the victim's family or threatening them to accept compensation to drop charges or not complain to the court must all be prosecuted," he said.
"Unfortunately, our authorities are absolutely weak in taking action or arresting any criminals who are senior government officials and rich people."
3 comments:
THis is a kind of Hun Sen regime. If you are getting killed by his police, your family will get US$3,000.00. THe Police is always right and cannot be arrested. If you are going to complain, your remainning family will not be at peace. Take monies or nothing !!!!
This Hun Sen'country !!!!! He is above the laws. He can make the King !!!!!!! Come on invest your monies in CAmbodia.
Nuth cheatra is a police officer and killing innocence. In Cambodia, Polices are the criminals, robbing, killing, stealing. Paid $3000.00 us to get away with murder, I don't believe the family of the victim accepted this money volunteerily. We knew those criminal had threaten the victim's family to shut up. This is buying a life of Hang Ban with $3000 dollars. We have to arrest this criminal and all affiliated crookes and putting all of them in the bird cage. If the crook cop paid $3000US dollars, he should realised that the Young man's life is not woth $3000USD and he is obstucting justice. I would like to appeal our national authorities all level, Please arrest this criminal and him in jail before he kill somebody else.
Life is cheap in Cambodia under this Hun Sen gov't.
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