Cambodia's Wild Wild East: Judge beat up and kidnapped by powerful officials, but he escaped safely

ពាលស៊ីពាល: ក្រុមអ្នក មានអំណាច វាយចៅក្រម ចាប់បោះ ដាក់លើ រថយន្ដ តែសំណាងល្អ លោតរួច

Monday, 05 December 2011
ដោយ ៖ ដើមអម្ពិល

Mondulkiri: A provincial judge was beat up by a group of powerful and influential people and he was thrown into a car that sped away. The case created quite a surprise in the middle in Mondulkiri city as such situation never happened in the past. The incident took place at 4PM on 04 December 2011 at the Angkor Forest restaurant located in Trom village, Monorom commune, Sen Monorom city, Mondulkiri province. Meng Tony was the judge who was beat up and he was recently transferred there from Phnom Penh. Prior to the incident, the judge and several of provincial officials went to eat and drink at the restaurant above. Then the party which created the incident also went in to the restaurant also. At 4PM, both parties became drunk and the party that created the incident pulled out a hand gun, pointed it at the judge, then beat up him severely. Meanwhile nobody dare intervene at all. After the judge was beat up and injured, he was taken to a car that sped away. The witnesses called the cops, but it appeared that the cops knew the identity of the culprits, that’s why they did not care much about the case. During the trip to Phnom Penh, the judge was able to jump out of the car. Up to now, nobody dare indicate the identity of the culprits and up to now, it is not known if the victim, the judge, filed a complaint in the case yet.

មណ្ឌលគិរី ៖ ចៅក្រមសាលាដំបូងខេត្ដ មណ្ឌលគិរីមួយរូប ត្រូវបានជនមានអំណាច និងឥទ្ធិពលមួយក្រុម ព្រួតគ្នា វាយ រួចហើយ ចាប់បោះចូលក្នុងរថយន្ដ បើកចេញទៅបាត់ ធ្វើឱ្យមានការភ្ញាក់ផ្អើលយ៉ាងខ្លាំង នៅ កណ្ដាល ទីរួម ខេត្ដមណ្ឌលគិរី ដោយសារតែ ករណីបែបនេះ មិនធ្លាប់កើតមានពីមុនមក នៅក្នុងខេត្ដ។

ករណីក្រុមជនមានអំណាច និងឥទ្ធិពល ដែលគេមិនស្គាល់អត្ដសញ្ញាណច្បាស់លាស់ នាំ គ្នាព្រួតវាយ ចៅក្រម ហើយ លើកបោះដាក់ ក្នុងរថយន្ដ បើកចេញ​ទៅបាត់ខាងលើនេះ បានកើតឡើង នៅ វេលាម៉ោង ៤ល្ងាច ថ្ងៃទី៤ ខែធ្នូ ឆ្នាំ២០១១ កន្លងទៅនេះ ស្ថិតនៅក្នុង ភោជនីយដ្ឋានមួយ ដែលមានយីហោ អង្គរហ្វ័ររ៉េស មានទីតាំង ស្ថិត នៅក្នុងភូមិត្រុម សង្កាត់មនោរម្យ ក្រុងសែនមនោរម្យ ខេត្ដមណ្ឌលគិរី ។

[Cambodia's "wild east" border town] Poipet: Where Cambodians Are Trafficked into Thailand

June 12, 2009
Huffington Post (USA)

I had traveled to Cambodia's "wild west" border town of Poipet, in search of a story about human trafficking.

It was certainly the edgiest assignment I'd ever undertaken with World Vision. Everyone knew that trafficking was rife, yet nobody wanted to talk to us about it.

"There are no illegal crossings on our border," said an officer with the Cambodian border police. "Trafficking happens through the immigration post."

"There is no way people can pass through immigration illegally," said a Cambodian immigration officer. "That would require a high level of corruption from both Thai and Cambodian officials. They cross the border instead."

In fact, we were told in an anonymous interview, people go willingly and illegally across borders, across rivers, in casino cars straight through immigration. Hundreds of them every month. As many as half of them under-age.

Our source refused to be named because he said that would endanger his family. He said he was telling us because he was tired of it all, he wanted it to stop. He had children of his own.

The immigration officer told us that one of his duties was to bring back the bodies of Cambodians killed in Thailand. According to him, there were several each month, sometimes shot in bungled drug deals or arrests, sometimes beaten and left to die, or drowned in the river that forms the border.

Most of them had crossed illegally; without paperwork, it was difficult, upsetting, and sometimes impossible, to identify them.

"Why do people go with traffickers?" I asked everyone I met.

"Because they are poor. Because here they earn $3 a day; there they earn $8."

"Are children trafficked?" I asked.

"Yes," they answered. "But not on our watch."

Grasping at Poipet's slippery underbelly felt more like investigation than reporting. I will admit to suffering a twinge of regret that I could not push harder, break the crime rings with an exclusive "hidden camera" expose and the masked evidence of my anonymous source.

But in fact, what World Vision is already doing is probably more important than that. One major solution to the problem lies in advocacy, in working with governments across borders on their will to change, working with communities to teach them how to protect themselves and understand their rights.

World Vision has formed and joined coalitions that push governments to ratify and uphold legislation, including last year's groundbreaking Thailand law that finally recognized that boys and men could be considered victims of trafficking.

Last year World Vision also hosted a workshop for border authorities in Poipet, with both Thai and Cambodian officials in attendance to learn about the causes, effects and legalities of human trafficking.

Many of the police we met told us with pride that they had been in attendance.

"The situation is definitely improving," our source told us.

It's not time to rest just yet, though. Poipet is still a transient, dirty, lawless little town. Poverty still pushes people to take risks that will cost them dearly.

We met Phu Pean, a grandmother at home with her two grandchildren; her daughter travels across the border to Thailand each day to make shoes at 2 baht a pair.

"When should children work?" I asked her.

"Oh, once they can talk," she said. "Then they are able to look after themselves."

"Your grandchildren are talking now," I told her. "Would you ever send them to live and work in Thailand?"

She thought. "I would," she said, "but I don't know how to find the people that would take them."

At least -- unlike most of the other people I met in Poipet -- she was telling the truth.

-- Katie Chalk

World Vision released a report today called "Ten Things You Need to Know About Human Trafficking" [PDF]. Video of the interview with Phu Pean, as well as other people living and working in Poipet, is available online at World Vision.

Katie Chalk is a writer and researcher who has been working for World Vision in the Asia-Pacific for the last four years.