Fugitive police chief deported to Cambodia from Malaysia
The Associated Press
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia: A former police chief convicted of masterminding the murder of a judge began serving his prison term in Cambodia on Thursday after being deported from Malaysia where he lost a court ruling, police said.
Heng Peo "is now in Prey Sar prison starting the first day of his 18 years (in jail). His escape is over," said police Lt. Gen. Khieu Sopheak, a spokesman for Cambodia's Interior Ministry.
Cambodia had sought custody of Heng Peo, who was sentenced in absentia to 18 years in jail on charges of organizing the murder of a judge in April 2003. Heng Peo has said he was wrongly accused.
A Malaysian High Court on Dec. 15 ordered his deportation to Singapore, from where Heng Peo had hoped to fly to safety in Finland. But Malaysia's Appeals Court overturned that ruling on Thursday on the grounds that only the Immigration Department can decide where a foreigner should be deported.
Heng Peo arrived in Cambodia on a special flight from Malaysia, said Lt. Gen. Sok Phal, a deputy national police chief.
Security was tight near the Phnom Penh Municipal Court where Heng Peo was taken for processing soon after he arrived. Outside the court, more than 100 police equipped with rifles stood guard.
Heng Peo was later driven in a heavily guarded police convoy to a prison on the outskirts of the capital.
Before his deportation, Heng Peo pleaded with Malaysian immigration authorities not to send him to Cambodia.
"In Cambodia I can die because I have a political problem with the government," he told The Associated Press after the verdict.
"If you send me, I sure will die, 100 percent," Heng Peo said in his first public comments since his arrest in Malaysia in October for overstaying his visa.
Outside the court after the verdict, Heng Peo's wife held his hand and wailed as he was led to a van. Heng Peo, dressed in a T-shirt and gray pants, walked with a limp and was helped into the vehicle by immigration officials.
"Please tell the world. Don't send my husband to Cambodia," cried his wife, Ngin Sotheavy. "Let him go to Finland."
Earlier this month, Finland granted Heng Peo a visa to travel there because of fears that he might face violations of his rights if deported to Cambodia. The visa does not allow him to travel elsewhere in the European Union.
Heng Peo's lawyer, N. Sivananthan, accused Malaysian immigration authorities of "abusing their powers" by deporting him before an appeal could be filed against Thursday's verdict.
"This is a miscarriage of justice. The authorities seem to have been bending over backward to please the Cambodian government," Sivananthan said.
Heng Peo was Phnom Penh's police chief until 2005, when he was promoted to become an adviser to Prime Minister Hun Sen. He also served as an undersecretary in the Interior Ministry.
Heng Peo is also accused of links to the killing of a Singaporean man in Cambodia, and failed murder attempts against a newspaper publisher, an electricity authority official and the national military police chief.
Heng Peo "is now in Prey Sar prison starting the first day of his 18 years (in jail). His escape is over," said police Lt. Gen. Khieu Sopheak, a spokesman for Cambodia's Interior Ministry.
Cambodia had sought custody of Heng Peo, who was sentenced in absentia to 18 years in jail on charges of organizing the murder of a judge in April 2003. Heng Peo has said he was wrongly accused.
A Malaysian High Court on Dec. 15 ordered his deportation to Singapore, from where Heng Peo had hoped to fly to safety in Finland. But Malaysia's Appeals Court overturned that ruling on Thursday on the grounds that only the Immigration Department can decide where a foreigner should be deported.
Heng Peo arrived in Cambodia on a special flight from Malaysia, said Lt. Gen. Sok Phal, a deputy national police chief.
Security was tight near the Phnom Penh Municipal Court where Heng Peo was taken for processing soon after he arrived. Outside the court, more than 100 police equipped with rifles stood guard.
Heng Peo was later driven in a heavily guarded police convoy to a prison on the outskirts of the capital.
Before his deportation, Heng Peo pleaded with Malaysian immigration authorities not to send him to Cambodia.
"In Cambodia I can die because I have a political problem with the government," he told The Associated Press after the verdict.
"If you send me, I sure will die, 100 percent," Heng Peo said in his first public comments since his arrest in Malaysia in October for overstaying his visa.
Outside the court after the verdict, Heng Peo's wife held his hand and wailed as he was led to a van. Heng Peo, dressed in a T-shirt and gray pants, walked with a limp and was helped into the vehicle by immigration officials.
"Please tell the world. Don't send my husband to Cambodia," cried his wife, Ngin Sotheavy. "Let him go to Finland."
Earlier this month, Finland granted Heng Peo a visa to travel there because of fears that he might face violations of his rights if deported to Cambodia. The visa does not allow him to travel elsewhere in the European Union.
Heng Peo's lawyer, N. Sivananthan, accused Malaysian immigration authorities of "abusing their powers" by deporting him before an appeal could be filed against Thursday's verdict.
"This is a miscarriage of justice. The authorities seem to have been bending over backward to please the Cambodian government," Sivananthan said.
Heng Peo was Phnom Penh's police chief until 2005, when he was promoted to become an adviser to Prime Minister Hun Sen. He also served as an undersecretary in the Interior Ministry.
Heng Peo is also accused of links to the killing of a Singaporean man in Cambodia, and failed murder attempts against a newspaper publisher, an electricity authority official and the national military police chief.
7 comments:
If it's the case of pleasing Hun Sen. Hun Sen must be very powerful now not only inside the country but in the region. It's a sign of South East Asian Dictatorship Link or Association. Maybe there's only the Philippines which does not show this sign yet. Haa, it make me have two feeling at the same time:
1- Heng Peo: who did many bad things in the past, it's time that his karma brings him back to render those who were his victims. Dharma is read as "doing good things, having good life but doing bad things, having bad life."
2- Unjustice for Heng Peo: his peers like Hun Sen, Hok Lundy, Sao Sokha...... including Mong Riththy... also did many bad things and even worse than that he did, why should he alone deserve to face this karma??? God must be unfair for him, ha... Ok, let's see if god manage them differently, maybe those of gangter group will be punished by other means.
It must be too ashamed that the international communities including UNHCR seem be too ignorant on this issue. They know what kinds of things these bad men did and are doing, but they still ignor this case without offering a chance to have a fair trial so that we all can see what is behind this political tricky scene. It is like in other cases of human right violence held by the current government. HUN SEN IS STILL A STRONG MAN ON THE SCENE!!!!!
Well, Malaysia can be corrupt, just as any other Southeast Asian countries.
Who said Muslim country can't by corrupted by money, sex, and power!
Where is Alla in all of this? Do I have to get down on my knee and pray 5 times to get the answer?
Malaysia is as just as corrupt as any country in that region.. hiding behind their muslim relgion, allah would not allow this. Bull Shizt.
"Greed is good" Men created Greed. And Yes, Either Hun Sen is becoming powerful.... I have nothing else to say....this is a disgrace to Human rights.
Fuck Malaysia! What are you perpetuating?
Damn it..i dont know why the Malaysia Govn't did like that... they should know he is the important person
OH!!! ALMIGHTY GOD THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, PLEASE GIVE CAMBODIA AND GOOD KHMERS PEOPLE JUSTICE AND FREE FROM THE BONDAGE OF YUONS, VIETMINH, CPP HUN SEN, HOR NAM HOANG, SOK AN, HOK LUNDY etc.....SOON.
HENG POV WAS ONCE BAD, BUT HE CONFESSED, NOW HIS SINS SHOULD BE FORGIVEN LORD.
HE WILL BE THE KEY STAR WITNESS TO RESCUE CAMBODIA FROM DAILY MISERIES, HWY THOU FORSAKEN HIM TO THE DEVIL'S OF THE ROYAL CAMBODIAN CROOKS GOVERNMENT IN CAMBODIA.
WHY CAN'T WE ALL KHMER ANGKORS AND KHMER PHNOM PENH FORM A KHMER REPUBLIC GOVERNMENT IN EXILE LIKE KHMER KAMPUCHEA KROM TO HELP, TO SOLVE, TO RESCUE CAMBODIA FROM YUONS ANNEXATION?
BROTHER AND SISTER KHMERS LET'S BE UNITED AND STANDING UP TOGETHER AND MAKE PEOPLE POWER IN CAMBODIA TO CHANGE THE TRAITOR GOVERNMENT OF HUN SEN.
THE NEW GOVENMENT MUST MAKE SURE THAT THEY WILL NOT FOLLOWING HUN SEN FOOT STEP BY SELLING CAMBODIA TO YUON'S COUNTRY.
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