04 May 2008
By Ouk Sav Borey
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy
A human rights organization official claimed that a man was beaten up by his village chief because he refused to support the CPP.
Hem Pov, a group chief at the South Banteay Chhmar village, Banteay Chhmar commune, Thmor Puok district, Banteay Meanchey province, claimed that his CPP village chief used violence against him in the afternoon of Saturday 03 May 2008, after he refused to continue providing support to the CPP anymore: “I yelled that I am not following the wrong path, I want to follow the right path. He said that: ‘Don’t you regret it?’ I said that I have no regret and I left his home, as I stepped out, he beat me up. He kicked me, he beat me on my legs, my head, my neck, but, my neck is OK, but only my legs are swollen.”
Nov Neuy, the South Banteay Chhmar village chief recognized that he did some of the beating on Hem Pov, the group chief who harassed him to stop being a CPP party member. Nov Neuy claimed that Hem Pov tore other people’s documents and looked down on the CPP.
Nov Neuy said: “He defamed (the CPP) by saying that he is no longer walking along with the CPP anymore, the CPP is not developing, so I chased him out of my house, but he didn’t leave, so I pushed him down and I hit him once.”
Preoung Chamnan, the 2nd commune councilor from the Funcinpec party, indicated that Hem Pov is in fact a Funcinpec party member. When the CPP issued IDs for the party supporters, Hem Pov went in to look, then he saw his picture pasted by the village chief among the CPP supporters. Hem Pov was not pleased by this, as he claimed that he did not ask to support the CPP, and he wanted to have his picture removed from the CPP supporter list. He also asked the Funcinpec party representative to be witness about this fact.
Proeung Chamnan said: “The CPP activists asked (Hem Pov): ‘Are you going with us or not?’ Then my man (Hem Pov) said: ‘If I go with you, it’s the wrong path. I’m not following you, the communists.’ When he said that, they got angry.”
Chan Soveth, an investigator for the Adhoc human rights organization, said that the ruling party (CPP) is currently violating the right of voters to decide who they want to support. He said that the CPP is currently trying to gather support from students and voters: “Along isolated villages, the village chiefs are always taking this type of action (perpetrating violence), because this is the way the ruling party governs.”
In response to this accusation, CPP MP Cheam Yeap denied by saying: “We are prohibiting the inclusion in the (CPP) party of people belonging to other parties, and for the public in general. If they want to join (the CPP), they can join, but there is no forced adhesion to the (CPP) party by using beating.”
Nevertheless, Hem Pov indicated that he is leaving the CPP because he is not satisfied with the work performed by the CPP.
Hem Pov, a group chief at the South Banteay Chhmar village, Banteay Chhmar commune, Thmor Puok district, Banteay Meanchey province, claimed that his CPP village chief used violence against him in the afternoon of Saturday 03 May 2008, after he refused to continue providing support to the CPP anymore: “I yelled that I am not following the wrong path, I want to follow the right path. He said that: ‘Don’t you regret it?’ I said that I have no regret and I left his home, as I stepped out, he beat me up. He kicked me, he beat me on my legs, my head, my neck, but, my neck is OK, but only my legs are swollen.”
Nov Neuy, the South Banteay Chhmar village chief recognized that he did some of the beating on Hem Pov, the group chief who harassed him to stop being a CPP party member. Nov Neuy claimed that Hem Pov tore other people’s documents and looked down on the CPP.
Nov Neuy said: “He defamed (the CPP) by saying that he is no longer walking along with the CPP anymore, the CPP is not developing, so I chased him out of my house, but he didn’t leave, so I pushed him down and I hit him once.”
Preoung Chamnan, the 2nd commune councilor from the Funcinpec party, indicated that Hem Pov is in fact a Funcinpec party member. When the CPP issued IDs for the party supporters, Hem Pov went in to look, then he saw his picture pasted by the village chief among the CPP supporters. Hem Pov was not pleased by this, as he claimed that he did not ask to support the CPP, and he wanted to have his picture removed from the CPP supporter list. He also asked the Funcinpec party representative to be witness about this fact.
Proeung Chamnan said: “The CPP activists asked (Hem Pov): ‘Are you going with us or not?’ Then my man (Hem Pov) said: ‘If I go with you, it’s the wrong path. I’m not following you, the communists.’ When he said that, they got angry.”
Chan Soveth, an investigator for the Adhoc human rights organization, said that the ruling party (CPP) is currently violating the right of voters to decide who they want to support. He said that the CPP is currently trying to gather support from students and voters: “Along isolated villages, the village chiefs are always taking this type of action (perpetrating violence), because this is the way the ruling party governs.”
In response to this accusation, CPP MP Cheam Yeap denied by saying: “We are prohibiting the inclusion in the (CPP) party of people belonging to other parties, and for the public in general. If they want to join (the CPP), they can join, but there is no forced adhesion to the (CPP) party by using beating.”
Nevertheless, Hem Pov indicated that he is leaving the CPP because he is not satisfied with the work performed by the CPP.
