Heang Rithy, President of CNRO (Photo: CNRO)By Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
29 September 2008
Heang Rithy, president of the Cambodian National Research Organization a critic of the government’s human rights record, said Monday he was threatened by gunpoint Thursday night.
The organization documents human rights abuses, especially in the growing problem of land-grabbing. Heang Rithy is an outspoken critic of the Cambodian government.
Heang Rithy filed a complaint with the Ministry of Interior Friday, claiming he had been driving to his office Thursday night, in Chamkar Mon district, when a luxury car with military police plates pulled in front of him and stopped. The driver pointed a pistol at him and told him to step out of his car and threatened to shoot him, according to the complaint.
Heang Rithy said Monday he was worried the threat was related to his work, especially radio broadcasts on Beehive Radio FM105 criticizing the government’s human rights efforts and detailing rights abuses.
Ministry of Interior officials could not be reached for comment Monday, a national holiday.
Maj. Huot Sam Ol, commander of Chamkar Mon military police, said he received a direct complaint from Heang Rithy.
“But I think it is not a political threat,” he said. “Just a traffic incident.”
Military police would investigate, he said.
Heang Rithy said the threat was not traffic related.
Chan Soveth, an investigator for the rights group Adhoc, said Monday he received a complaint from Heang Rithy but had not yet opened an investigation. It was difficult to judge whether the threat was political or traffic related.
The organization documents human rights abuses, especially in the growing problem of land-grabbing. Heang Rithy is an outspoken critic of the Cambodian government.
Heang Rithy filed a complaint with the Ministry of Interior Friday, claiming he had been driving to his office Thursday night, in Chamkar Mon district, when a luxury car with military police plates pulled in front of him and stopped. The driver pointed a pistol at him and told him to step out of his car and threatened to shoot him, according to the complaint.
Heang Rithy said Monday he was worried the threat was related to his work, especially radio broadcasts on Beehive Radio FM105 criticizing the government’s human rights efforts and detailing rights abuses.
Ministry of Interior officials could not be reached for comment Monday, a national holiday.
Maj. Huot Sam Ol, commander of Chamkar Mon military police, said he received a direct complaint from Heang Rithy.
“But I think it is not a political threat,” he said. “Just a traffic incident.”
Military police would investigate, he said.
Heang Rithy said the threat was not traffic related.
Chan Soveth, an investigator for the rights group Adhoc, said Monday he received a complaint from Heang Rithy but had not yet opened an investigation. It was difficult to judge whether the threat was political or traffic related.
9 comments:
Have we you all seen the movie "Wanted" with Angelina Jolie? We need that agency, to take out Hun Sen's corrupted officials and his followers, one by one. If no one goes against them, they will continue to hurt the good people.
I wonder who funded him to bash Cambodia?
I did. I am Cambodia. The frustrated motherland who you and Hun Sen the like spit on each day. Despicable, you call yourself sons of Cambodia. One day I will open up the fire of hell underneath your feet and swallow you alive!
3:37 AM
We need that agency to shot Hun Sen in the other eye, so he can have two plastic eyes of the same color.
I think blue eyes go well on Hun Sen.
7:30 AM
Dude your some kind of gay priest?
With all due respoct for them, it is no job of our underpaid police to say that an alleged crime is political or not.
They should be politically neutral and should not answer any question whether such and such alleged crime is political or not.
Their job is to investigate, gather evidence to prove whether that alleged crime has or has not been committed, arrest the suspect, and bring him or her to justice.
Any such prejudice on their part could well affect their investigation. And this is a reason why perpetrators in many criminal cases in the past have not been apprehended and brought to justice.
They should let others conclude whether that such and such crime is political or not.
LAO Mong Hay, Hong Kong
I will agree with you on the condition that monk should stay out of politic also, Dr Lao.
cambodia is a small vietnamese's province rule by Commrade Hun sen...Cpp,
Who care? What's important is that people is happy and they want more.
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