By Mondol Keo
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Socheata
An activist with the Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR) was detained by the Som commune authority, Kirivong district, Takeo province, and his microphone equipments were confiscated in the morning of 31 July 2007, when this activist was broadcasting a call for the people to participate in an opinion forum that CCHR plans to hold on 01 August in Phnom Den North pagoda.
Chhim Savuth, a CCHR liaison officer in charge of organizing the forum, told RFA that the goal of his broadcast was only to inform the people to participate in the neutral and apolitical forum, but, instead, he was detained by the commune authority which prevented him from broadcasting the information, and accused him of undertaking an illegal activity.
Chhim Savuth said: “I confirmed to them that we sent the request to the district governor already, and he allowed us to hold this opinion forum. But, the authority still detained me, the police officer took away the key to my motorcycle … they took my equipments, microphone, etc… they confiscated everything at the police station.”
In response to the issue above, Chim Vim, the Som commune chief, said that he did not detain the activist, not did he confiscate the broadcast equipments belonging to Chhim Savuth. He only called him in to ask for information and to review his paperwork according to the spirit of the law only.
Chim Vim said: “This is how it happened, there was no problem, I stop him only to ask where he came from, we don’t know. He did not come to inform us, we ask for paperwork, who issued it for him? Where does he go? Which organization is he with? It was only that, and we let him leave afterward.”
The CCHR forum is planned for tomorrow, and it will take place at the Phnom Den North pagoda, the same pagoda where Abbot Tim Sakhorn was arrested not too long ago.
Ou Virak, CCHR President, said that the topic of discussion of the forum will be democracy and development. The forum is organized by CCHR which usually has to face harassment from the local authorities.
Ou Virak said: “We can see that the local authorities are doing all they can to create problems for the holding (of these forums), in particular, to prevent people from participating in free expression of their opinion.”
It is observed that, more often than not, opinion forums held the CCHR were prevented by the authority under various pretext, such as accusing CCHR of not having the proper authorization, etc… But Ou Virak usually had to reject these accusations leveled by the authority in an attempt to prevent people from freely expressing their opinion.
Chhim Savuth, a CCHR liaison officer in charge of organizing the forum, told RFA that the goal of his broadcast was only to inform the people to participate in the neutral and apolitical forum, but, instead, he was detained by the commune authority which prevented him from broadcasting the information, and accused him of undertaking an illegal activity.
Chhim Savuth said: “I confirmed to them that we sent the request to the district governor already, and he allowed us to hold this opinion forum. But, the authority still detained me, the police officer took away the key to my motorcycle … they took my equipments, microphone, etc… they confiscated everything at the police station.”
In response to the issue above, Chim Vim, the Som commune chief, said that he did not detain the activist, not did he confiscate the broadcast equipments belonging to Chhim Savuth. He only called him in to ask for information and to review his paperwork according to the spirit of the law only.
Chim Vim said: “This is how it happened, there was no problem, I stop him only to ask where he came from, we don’t know. He did not come to inform us, we ask for paperwork, who issued it for him? Where does he go? Which organization is he with? It was only that, and we let him leave afterward.”
The CCHR forum is planned for tomorrow, and it will take place at the Phnom Den North pagoda, the same pagoda where Abbot Tim Sakhorn was arrested not too long ago.
Ou Virak, CCHR President, said that the topic of discussion of the forum will be democracy and development. The forum is organized by CCHR which usually has to face harassment from the local authorities.
Ou Virak said: “We can see that the local authorities are doing all they can to create problems for the holding (of these forums), in particular, to prevent people from participating in free expression of their opinion.”
It is observed that, more often than not, opinion forums held the CCHR were prevented by the authority under various pretext, such as accusing CCHR of not having the proper authorization, etc… But Ou Virak usually had to reject these accusations leveled by the authority in an attempt to prevent people from freely expressing their opinion.
