By Prak Chan Thul
THE CAMBODIA DAILY
Phnom Penh Municipal Court Wednesday ordered the detention of six Cambodian men at an unknown location after charging them on Tuesday with conspiring to commit acts of terrorism during this weekend's Water Festival, officials said.
Municipal court Deputy Prosecutor Sok Roeun and Investigating Judge Chang Sinan confirmed the detentions but refused to disclose any further details.
Asked whether the men were opposed to the government, Interior Ministry spokesman Lieutenant General Khieu Sopheak said: "Their aim was to cause explosions during the Water Festival ... They are an anarchist group and terrorists."
Khieu Sopheak said the men were common criminals, who he described as a "trifling bunch who were once jailed for stealing cows and buffaloes."
Police began arresting the men on Oct 24 in Svay Rieng, Siem Reap and Prey Veng provinces, Khieu Sopheak said. He would not, however, identify the men, say where they are being held, or discuss their alleged bombing conspiracy, citing an ongoing investigation.
Officials at the Cambodian Center for Human Rights and local rights group Adhoc said they received complaints from relatives of three of the six detained men and that the families are seeking their release.
Phnom Penh motorbike taxi driver Siem Nier came to CCHR seeking help for his brother-in-law, Som Soth, 45, and Som Soth's neighbor, Pov Sam An, 46, both of whom were arrested in Svay Rieng province in recent days, CCHR investigator Chheng Sophors said.
"We will begin our investigations [today] in Svay Rieng," he said. "We don’t know whether they are involved with terrorism or not."
Chan Soveth, head of Adhoc's monitoring section, said his organization had also received a complaint from Siem Nier. He added that the wife of suspect Suos Vanthan, a Banteay Meanchey province construction worker whose age is unknown, has complained to Adhoc's Banteay Meanchey office about his arrest.
"The police arrested them without explaining [the cause] to the families," Chan Soveth said, adding that Adhoc would provide lawyers for the suspects.
"They should not be detained," he said. "Before being charged they should have lawyers."
Siem Nier said by telephone Wednesday that he only learned the nature of the charges against Som Soth and Pov Sam An after complaining about their arrests.
"When I filed the complaints with the human rights NGOs, they told me," he said. "I was so shocked."
Som Soth's wife, Sok Phalry, 43, said by telephone from Svay Rieng that police had arrested her husband at 10 am Sunday.
"He and I both didn't know the reason," she said. "He was always sick and never went anywhere."
The couple are farmers and do not belong to any political party, she said.
Oum Kosal, 35, the wife of Pov Sam An, called for her husband's release.
"I am asking for help for my husband," she said by telephone, adding that her husband also did not belong to any political party.
"He farmed during the dry season all the time. Why are they accusing him?" she asked.
Cambodia's 1992 anti-terrorism law defines terrorism as violent acts intended to create disorder and affect political stability. It provides life sentences for acts or attempted acts of terrorism causing death.
Municipal court Deputy Prosecutor Sok Roeun and Investigating Judge Chang Sinan confirmed the detentions but refused to disclose any further details.
Asked whether the men were opposed to the government, Interior Ministry spokesman Lieutenant General Khieu Sopheak said: "Their aim was to cause explosions during the Water Festival ... They are an anarchist group and terrorists."
Khieu Sopheak said the men were common criminals, who he described as a "trifling bunch who were once jailed for stealing cows and buffaloes."
Police began arresting the men on Oct 24 in Svay Rieng, Siem Reap and Prey Veng provinces, Khieu Sopheak said. He would not, however, identify the men, say where they are being held, or discuss their alleged bombing conspiracy, citing an ongoing investigation.
Officials at the Cambodian Center for Human Rights and local rights group Adhoc said they received complaints from relatives of three of the six detained men and that the families are seeking their release.
Phnom Penh motorbike taxi driver Siem Nier came to CCHR seeking help for his brother-in-law, Som Soth, 45, and Som Soth's neighbor, Pov Sam An, 46, both of whom were arrested in Svay Rieng province in recent days, CCHR investigator Chheng Sophors said.
"We will begin our investigations [today] in Svay Rieng," he said. "We don’t know whether they are involved with terrorism or not."
Chan Soveth, head of Adhoc's monitoring section, said his organization had also received a complaint from Siem Nier. He added that the wife of suspect Suos Vanthan, a Banteay Meanchey province construction worker whose age is unknown, has complained to Adhoc's Banteay Meanchey office about his arrest.
"The police arrested them without explaining [the cause] to the families," Chan Soveth said, adding that Adhoc would provide lawyers for the suspects.
"They should not be detained," he said. "Before being charged they should have lawyers."
Siem Nier said by telephone Wednesday that he only learned the nature of the charges against Som Soth and Pov Sam An after complaining about their arrests.
"When I filed the complaints with the human rights NGOs, they told me," he said. "I was so shocked."
Som Soth's wife, Sok Phalry, 43, said by telephone from Svay Rieng that police had arrested her husband at 10 am Sunday.
"He and I both didn't know the reason," she said. "He was always sick and never went anywhere."
The couple are farmers and do not belong to any political party, she said.
Oum Kosal, 35, the wife of Pov Sam An, called for her husband's release.
"I am asking for help for my husband," she said by telephone, adding that her husband also did not belong to any political party.
"He farmed during the dry season all the time. Why are they accusing him?" she asked.
Cambodia's 1992 anti-terrorism law defines terrorism as violent acts intended to create disorder and affect political stability. It provides life sentences for acts or attempted acts of terrorism causing death.
5 comments:
come on, in cambodia law for human beings in general does not exist but for animals does exist!! hahahah,,,,,,
actually this gov't is very clever but in the minus side!! that is why results are negative!!!!
hm, killing one is to warm thousands. this means that those animals are living in fear ,never sleep well . hm it is going to fall soon!! believe or not?.....let's see who have done and will go on !!
Hopefully, this government will fall soon,
HARD TO FALL, VIETNAME BEHID IT!
IT FALL AFTER ANOTHER MILLION CAMBODIAN SUFFER!
UN YOU ARE FOOL!
All the dirty khmer leaders (SI-AH-NOUSS, LON NOL, POL POT) imaginated they were very clever and would stay in power for life), but no one did. And soon YUON XEN, THE VIET MOLE and all his family will die miserably as his mastermind POL POT because they are all damned.
As the rotten fruits, they will fall down themselves.
Hard to fall( mean that it is possible to fall)
come on , man! living without hope is worse than death!!!
Fight like scottishes, buddies!!!
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