10 Feb 2007
By Sav Yuth
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy
One SRP commune candidate from Prasat Bakong district, Siem Reap province, and his son were arrested by the court after he was summoned for court appearance on 07 Feb. The SRP candidate is accused of destroying someone else’s property in a land dispute with his neighbor.
57-year-old Som Mean is the SRP candidate No. 1 in Sandek commune, Prasat Bakong district, and his 23-year-old son, Mao Samorn, were both arrested by the authority which claimed that it received a complaint from Yoeun Phy, Som Mean’s next door neighbor, who accused Som Mean of destroying the fence posts separating their properties.
Mao Samet, the oldest son of Som Mean, told RFA on Friday that the arrest of his father and younger brothers is very unfair, and does not follow the law. Mao Samet believes that the case is politically related rather than a land dispute issue. “It is very unfair … I say that this is a political [arrest] more than anything else …,” Mao Samet said.
Yoeun Phy denies that the arrest involves any political issue, he claimed that he brought a complaint against this political activist for destroying the fence cement border posts separating his property. “He came to destroy the posts with ax and knife,” Yoeun Phy said.
Aing Niradey, the Siem Reap court director, decided to arrest the political activist and his son without providing any explanation. When contacted by phone, Aing Niradey claimed that he is too busy attending a meeting in Phnom Penh.
Sok Kim Seng, SRP office director from Siem Reap province, said that the arrest of Som Mean did not follow the prescription of the law, he believes that this is simply a political maneuver to scare his party candidates during the upcoming commune election: “This is merely a scare tactics used against SRP activists before the commune election.”
Vong Kosal, a Licadho human rights group investigator in Siem reap, said that he cannot tell for sure whether the arrest was politically motivated or not because he is still investigating the case. However, he said that the case cannot be solved because the local authority is politically biased against Som Mean who asked for the authority’s intervention [in his land dispute with his neighbor] since 2002. Vong Kosal said: “According to Som Mean, when he went to ask the village chief to help him resolve [the land dispute he had with his neighbor], he was told that no one will resolve his land dispute for him because ‘you joined the Sam Rainsy Party’.”
Licadho’s investigation found that the arrest made by the court is illegal since only two court summons had been issued against Som Mean, and the fact that the land dispute, which is a civil case, is not resolved before proceeding to the criminal case involving the alleged destruction of fence posts.
57-year-old Som Mean is the SRP candidate No. 1 in Sandek commune, Prasat Bakong district, and his 23-year-old son, Mao Samorn, were both arrested by the authority which claimed that it received a complaint from Yoeun Phy, Som Mean’s next door neighbor, who accused Som Mean of destroying the fence posts separating their properties.
Mao Samet, the oldest son of Som Mean, told RFA on Friday that the arrest of his father and younger brothers is very unfair, and does not follow the law. Mao Samet believes that the case is politically related rather than a land dispute issue. “It is very unfair … I say that this is a political [arrest] more than anything else …,” Mao Samet said.
Yoeun Phy denies that the arrest involves any political issue, he claimed that he brought a complaint against this political activist for destroying the fence cement border posts separating his property. “He came to destroy the posts with ax and knife,” Yoeun Phy said.
Aing Niradey, the Siem Reap court director, decided to arrest the political activist and his son without providing any explanation. When contacted by phone, Aing Niradey claimed that he is too busy attending a meeting in Phnom Penh.
Sok Kim Seng, SRP office director from Siem Reap province, said that the arrest of Som Mean did not follow the prescription of the law, he believes that this is simply a political maneuver to scare his party candidates during the upcoming commune election: “This is merely a scare tactics used against SRP activists before the commune election.”
Vong Kosal, a Licadho human rights group investigator in Siem reap, said that he cannot tell for sure whether the arrest was politically motivated or not because he is still investigating the case. However, he said that the case cannot be solved because the local authority is politically biased against Som Mean who asked for the authority’s intervention [in his land dispute with his neighbor] since 2002. Vong Kosal said: “According to Som Mean, when he went to ask the village chief to help him resolve [the land dispute he had with his neighbor], he was told that no one will resolve his land dispute for him because ‘you joined the Sam Rainsy Party’.”
Licadho’s investigation found that the arrest made by the court is illegal since only two court summons had been issued against Som Mean, and the fact that the land dispute, which is a civil case, is not resolved before proceeding to the criminal case involving the alleged destruction of fence posts.
7 comments:
Oh good, luck them (SRP bullies)
up and incinerate the damn key.
They always picked on their poor
neighbors because they think they
owned Cambodia.
Anon@5:50AM,
I told you before, your French stinks, your English stinks. I am now telling you again, your French stinks, your English stinks. So quit posting your comments. It stinks.
Hey, this is no language classes,
stupid.
Anon@8:43AM,
Suffices it to say that it takes one to know one!
CPP=Khmer Rouge = Mass Murderer
Lets them arrest anyway let hun sen be killed by his bodyguard someday. We will see that for hun sen will pay back all the crimes he has motivated.
Noope, KK Extremists = Khmer Rouge
= Mass Muder.
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