By Chiep Mony, VOA KhmerPhnom Penh
24 April 2008
The Hong-Kong based Asian Human Rights Commission censured Cambodian firefighters Monday, accusing them of taking bribes to put out blazes.
The Rights Commission called for an investigation of the firefighters involved in an April 11 conflagration that swept through Tuk Thla commune on the outskirts of Phnom Penh and destroyed 450 homes, leaving thousands without shelter for the Khmer New Year.
Villagers said at the time firefighters refused to battle the blaze because they were not paid bribes. Officials have said the roadways between the shanty homes were too narrow for their trucks.
Two more fires burned in the week following the Tuk Thla disaster, one at Naga Casino in Phnom Penh and another in Psar Damko commune, where 44 homes were destroyed.
The Rights Commission said in a statement Monday both residential fires were followed by accusations of bribe demands.
“The Cambodian government cannot ignore this problem and continue to condone such bribery,” the rights group said. “It is all the more imperative for it to address this issue and stamp out any corruption in the fire service.”
The group called for an immediate investigation into the bribery allegations and for the government to “take action against those firemen involved.”
Interior Ministry spokesman Lt. Gen. Khieu Sopheak said neither the government nor the ministry condoned bribery, though he did not deny such practices may exist.
Bribe demands “might occur,” he said, but “as a principal, the ministry does not allow [firemen] to do that, and we are please to be receiving complaints from the real victims.”
The Rights Commission called for an investigation of the firefighters involved in an April 11 conflagration that swept through Tuk Thla commune on the outskirts of Phnom Penh and destroyed 450 homes, leaving thousands without shelter for the Khmer New Year.
Villagers said at the time firefighters refused to battle the blaze because they were not paid bribes. Officials have said the roadways between the shanty homes were too narrow for their trucks.
Two more fires burned in the week following the Tuk Thla disaster, one at Naga Casino in Phnom Penh and another in Psar Damko commune, where 44 homes were destroyed.
The Rights Commission said in a statement Monday both residential fires were followed by accusations of bribe demands.
“The Cambodian government cannot ignore this problem and continue to condone such bribery,” the rights group said. “It is all the more imperative for it to address this issue and stamp out any corruption in the fire service.”
The group called for an immediate investigation into the bribery allegations and for the government to “take action against those firemen involved.”
Interior Ministry spokesman Lt. Gen. Khieu Sopheak said neither the government nor the ministry condoned bribery, though he did not deny such practices may exist.
Bribe demands “might occur,” he said, but “as a principal, the ministry does not allow [firemen] to do that, and we are please to be receiving complaints from the real victims.”
8 comments:
Politics of fear and distortion/manipulation has been professionally operated by Mr. Hun Sen and his cronies. On behalf of Khmers for the progress, this operation is not solely mechanized by Khmers, it must be by the conspiracy of foreigners to keep Khmers savaged forever.
Foreigners have no good intention for Khmers at all, and it is good chance for them to harm and destruct Khmers through few stupid leader such as Hun Sen.
Khmers peoples have to think about themselves, and think in mind that "we are silent, we die only and uselessly, but if we are waking up we can have two options: live and die. If we die, we die usefully".
Hun Sen and his cronies are pushing Cambodian peoples stuck in the corner now.
Would not deny that police was asking for money before they extinguished fires, but when looking at the video footages posted in here early on has shown that firetrucks are unable to access the sites due to cngestions of narrow strip of roads, poor equipements, lacking of techniques in putting off fire and people were everywhere watching desperately.
Puk-roluoy,Puk-roluoy,Puk-roluoy,
and Puk-roluoy.
Hun Sen regime.
The truth is, it is a lot harder to fight corruption in a poor country than to fight war with the US and France combine than to fight corruption in a poor country. There is not much of success story in this area anywhere, especially everyone, now days, is looking for Hollywood or Royal lifestyle.
They are not condone but they do nothing to punish those that do. The matter of fact that the money from bribery are feeding up the chain for a cut to the big boss in the office. Do not trust them, they lie; that is why they don't want to pass the anti corruption law. They are cancer cells in the cancerous government.
I'd just like to add that the comment about fighting corruption is right, it is hard to fight it, but it's a shame that our country is #145's most corrupt country.
7:07, to put corrupted people away, you have to have witnesses to testified in court. Where are they?
8:14 am
Start with you first,you're POS SOB.
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