Rape Victim's Family Dismayed by Police Finding
By Erik Wasson and Pin Sisovann
THE CAMBODIA DAILY
Relatives of a European teenager who reported in March that she had been robbed, violently attacked and raped inside Angkor Archaeological Park expressed dismay Wednesday that police have concluded the assault never happened.
Tan Chay, chief of Siem Reap's heritage police, said Tuesday that the girl's rape claim has been discounted as there were too many tourists and police in the area for it to have occurred.
"Medical records prove the beating up and rape, and DNA samples were taken to help identify the perpetrator," the victim's aunt, who lives in Phnom Penh, said on condition of anonymity Wednesday. The medical evidence of the rape was compiled in Phnom Penh and Cambodian police were made aware of it, she said.
The teenager said in her police complaint that she was robbed and partially stripped by assailants at about 5:30 pm March 4. About an hour later, alone and barefoot in the park, she was approached by three men. The men surrounded her, hit her on the back of the head with a stone, and then one of the men raped her, according to the complaint.
"It appears that in Cambodia, if the police [are] not capable of finding the culprit, they conclude...that the crime did not happen," the aunt said. The victim's uncle also said he was saddened by the police chief’s comments.
Tan Chay said Wednesday that police had tried their best to investigate the case, but found nothing to prove the attack and rape actually occurred.
Since the victim's family did not notify police until more than a week after the alleged crime, it is unfair for them to blame police for a poor investigation, he added.
Ou Em, Siem Reap provincial serious crime police chief, said his unit had also found no clues indicating that the rape had taken place.
Kek Galabru, president of local rights group Licadho, said she was disappointed by the way police have handled the case.
"This is not an investigation, that is just [Tan Chay's] conclusion," she said. "They have no capacity to conduct this type of investigation but they could ask for help," she said.
Tan Chay, chief of Siem Reap's heritage police, said Tuesday that the girl's rape claim has been discounted as there were too many tourists and police in the area for it to have occurred.
"Medical records prove the beating up and rape, and DNA samples were taken to help identify the perpetrator," the victim's aunt, who lives in Phnom Penh, said on condition of anonymity Wednesday. The medical evidence of the rape was compiled in Phnom Penh and Cambodian police were made aware of it, she said.
The teenager said in her police complaint that she was robbed and partially stripped by assailants at about 5:30 pm March 4. About an hour later, alone and barefoot in the park, she was approached by three men. The men surrounded her, hit her on the back of the head with a stone, and then one of the men raped her, according to the complaint.
"It appears that in Cambodia, if the police [are] not capable of finding the culprit, they conclude...that the crime did not happen," the aunt said. The victim's uncle also said he was saddened by the police chief’s comments.
Tan Chay said Wednesday that police had tried their best to investigate the case, but found nothing to prove the attack and rape actually occurred.
Since the victim's family did not notify police until more than a week after the alleged crime, it is unfair for them to blame police for a poor investigation, he added.
Ou Em, Siem Reap provincial serious crime police chief, said his unit had also found no clues indicating that the rape had taken place.
Kek Galabru, president of local rights group Licadho, said she was disappointed by the way police have handled the case.
"This is not an investigation, that is just [Tan Chay's] conclusion," she said. "They have no capacity to conduct this type of investigation but they could ask for help," she said.
5 comments:
It is not unusual for the Cambodian police to make up their investigation unless they are well paid by the victim family for doing their own duties.
Remember the foreign boy who was killed in a shoot-out between the police and the hostage takers in a Siem Reap International School? The police's version was that the boy was killed by one of the hostage takers, but some eye-witnessed hostages claimed that the boy was shot by the trigger-happy police in a cross fire.
If the Cambodian police wants to clean up their reputation they will have to do their job properly, especially in such a high-profile place as Angkor Temples. Sadly, we may have to wait for a long time.
First of all may I appology to the European teen ager and to all the victim of sexual assaults.
Second I would like to say welcome and thank you to the teen aunty who living in Phnom Penh.
We are good, honest Khmer who are living inside Cambodia and around the globe want to see Cambodia is the safe place for everyone.
Since UNTAC left without finishing their job properly. We alway feared the worst for Cambodia.
Now YUONS have come back to occupied and conqured Cambodia like in 1979. They dressed in civilian close, so the whole world confuse or refuse to know the reality inside Cambodia.
The invading YUONS arm forces used Vietminh,CPP, Hun Sen, Sok An, Hok Lundy to control and committed criminal activities what ever they think fit. They allowed Hun Sen, Sok An government to be a drug dealer/smuggler syndicate, opressed Khmer people with all sort of methods.
Yuons made the top government leaders to be a drug dealers/exporters. They made some teenager to become rapist.
We have been asked the Cambodia donnor countries to switch the tap of not to flow any financial help to Hun Sen government, but they never listen to us. The Cambodian donnors alway think that at least Hun Sen is better than Pol Pot, they never realised that Hun Sen and Pol Pot are exactly the same.
Now they seem to realised what going on inside Cambodia, it was a little too late to curb Hun Sen, Sok An government. Hun Sen can receive financial support from China without too much hasstle recently. In exchange china only want to stop the Khmer Rouge trial to go ahead, that is all.
To help Cambodia solve the problem of raping westerner by some young Khmers, the whole world have to come back and do more action like the UNTAC did in early 90's, but properly finished.
Oh, it's the YUONS who must be behind this rape.
God knows Khmers could never be responsible for such
a thing...what an idiot.
I agree. That fool blame everything on Youn. He is the same troll that keeps parading these hatred, racism, and outright lies about anybody and everybody.
Back on topic. Because the local Cambodian police are not well trained, as well as being volunerable to bribery, they do not understand procedure, nor DNA. If DNA shows that she had been raped, there should be little to no dispute regarding the evidence.
To 8:30AM
ahahhahahahhahahahha!
The Vietcong puppet Hun Sen governmnet had created this kind of environment that kept producing rapists! When the Vietcong invaded Cambodia in 1979, the Vietcong army did the very same thing to Cambodian women and now the Vietcong legacy carry on by the very same people that the Vietcong had raped them!
Now back to Cambodia police! Cambodian police are too corrupted and too dumb to be trained to do anything except taking order from the Vietcong and AH HUN SEN! Cambodian police are just a bunch of monkey playing the police role and no Cambodian people respect them anyway!!!!
Even now in 2006 the Vietcong still subjugate million and million of Khmer Krom people as slave without basic human right and how can Cambodian people blame the Vietcong for everything!
This is what happen when Cambodian people chose to live under the Vietcong puppet government system which turn Cambodian people into poor, dirty, stupid, and all the above!
The Vietcong had claimed before that they save Cambodian people in 1979 so that the Cambodian people can live the kind of life style that they have today! Yeh! More land grabbing, more rapists running around freely, more corrupted police, more stupidity among AH HUN SEN officials, more unemployment, more, more, and more...
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