Saturday, August 15, 2009

Two Rights Workers Under Investigation

By Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
14 August 2009


Banteay Meanchey provincial police on Friday began an investigation into two local rights workers who were supporting 100 protesters in their demands for the release of two jailed men.

In April, Banteay Meanchey provincial court charged Van Saroeun and Kloeung Da for committing armed robbery, killing one man and injuring another, in a robbery in Poipet in April.

In July, protesters built a small camp in front of the court, demanding the release of the two men.

Under order from the provincial court, police questioned Ung Samith, from Licadho, and Pen Bonlay, from Vigilance of Cambodia, after both helped distribute food to the protesters.

“If the two human rights representatives know about armed robbers and they still helped support and supply the protesters…it will be a problem, because we hate armed robbers very much,” said Hun Hean, Banteay Meanchey provincial police chief.

“If they know that the group is really a group of armed robbers, and they help support them, it is a problem of law. If it is a humanitarian gift, it is no problem.”

Licadho’s Ung Samith said he told police about a distribution of water, rice, and canned fish, “for humanitarian purposes.”

“The principle of Licadho is to help victims and the vulnerable,” he said. Sun Chankea, provincial coordinator for the rights group Adhoc, said the authorities seemed to be threatening “the spirit of human rights workers” by frightening them into hesitation.

“This process worries the non-governmental organizations’ rights workers…because it was just a food distribution,” he said. “The human rights workers have been questioned and investigated. This could be an investigation toward a charge of incitement.”

Hun Hean said the provincial police promoted respect for human rights.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Democratic Kampuchea Pol Pot Khmer Rouge Regime had committed:

Tortures
Executions
Massacres
Atrocities
Crimes Against Humanity
Starvations
Overwork to Death
Slavery
Rapes
Human Abuses
Assault and Battery


Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime had committed:

Assassinations
Assassinated Journalists
Assassinated Political Opponents
Assassinated Leader of the Free Trade Union
Attempted Assassinations on Chea Vichea and Sam Rainsy
Attempted Murders on Chea Vichea and Sam Rainsy
Executed members of FUNCINPEC Party
Murders members and activists of Sam Rainsy Party
Killings
Extrajudicial Execution
Grenade Attack
Terrorism
Drive by Shooting
Tortures
Intimidations
Death Threats
Threatening
Human Abductions
Human Rights Abuses
Human Trafficking
Drugs Trafficking
Under Age Child Sex
Corruptions
Bribery
Illegal Mass Evictions
Illegal Land Grabbing
Illegal Firearms
Illegal Logging
Illegal Deforestation
Illegally use of remote detonation on Sokha Helicopter, while Hok Lundy and others military official on board.
Illegally Sold State Properties
Illegally Remove Parliamentary Immunity of Parliament Members
Plunder National Resources
Acid Attacks
Turn Cambodia into a Lawless Country
Oppression
Injustice
Steal Votes
Bring Foreigners from Veitnam to vote in Cambodia for Cambodian People's Party.
Abuse the Court as a tools for CPP to send political opponents and journalists to jail.
Abuse of Power
Abuse the Laws
Abuse the National Election Committee
Abuse the National Assembly
Violate the Laws
Violate the Constitution
Violate the Paris Accords
Impunity

Under Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime, no criminals that has been committed all of these crimes above within Hun Sen Khmer Rouge government have ever been brought to justice.

Anonymous said...

gov't reserve the rights to investigate any allegatin, too, you know! we want to make it's not some outside nationality that are looking to make trouble in cambodia. it's called khmer national interest, you know! we look out for our khmer national interest, too, you know! god bless cambodia.