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| Cartoon by Sacrava (on the web at http://sacrava.blogspot.com) |
Showing posts with label Hun Sen's Bodyguard Unit. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hun Sen's Bodyguard Unit. Show all posts
Friday, October 08, 2010
Sacrava's Political Cartoon: Tuol Krasaing Unit
Thursday, October 07, 2010
Opinion on the nomination of Jr. as the deputy-commander of Papa’s bodyguard unit
Papa Hun Xen and Jr.06 October 2010
By Phorn Ryna
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Soch
Click here to read the article in Khmer
Cambodia’s leader, also known as the Strongman, nominated Hun Manet, his son, to the position of deputy-commander of his bodyguard unit.
The young Hun Manet is Hun Xen’s eldest son. He received his master degree in the US and his PhD in England. He is now in charge of his papa’s safety.
Human rights officials and political analysts expressed their regret to see Hun Manet for accepting this position. These observers believe that, based on his education, Hun Manet could do a lot to improve Khmer society, and doing so would be better for him than serving in his father’s bodyguard unit whose renown is dubious.
The young Hun Manet is Hun Xen’s eldest son. He received his master degree in the US and his PhD in England. He is now in charge of his papa’s safety.
Human rights officials and political analysts expressed their regret to see Hun Manet for accepting this position. These observers believe that, based on his education, Hun Manet could do a lot to improve Khmer society, and doing so would be better for him than serving in his father’s bodyguard unit whose renown is dubious.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Security Concerns Hampered FBI in 1997 Investigation
Police look for survivors of the grenade attack.
Sketches of three suspects identified by FBI.
Then second prime minister Hun Sen.
Sam Rainsy, right, opposition party leader, prays in front of some displaying portrait photos of Cambodian victims of a deadly grenade attack of March 30, 1997, at a memorial stupa in the capital Phnom Penh.By Men Kimseng, VOA Khmer
Original report from Washington
14 January 2010
“The US doesn’t need Cambodia, Cambodia needs the US, and I think the US should remember that. China is an increasing power, but not a superpower, and the US can work with other countries to put pressure on Cambodia to improve its human rights situation, to try to improve governance and dealing with things like corruption and the rule of law” - Brad Adams, Human Rights Watch
“The FBI agent was very stupid” Mok Chito, head of the Cambodian criminal police divisionA security threat to an FBI agent in 1997 and concerns over US cooperation with Cambodia put a grenade attack investigation on hold, according to recent media reports.
The agent, Tom Nicoletti, was sent to Cambodia to look into the attack, on an opposition rally, which killed sixteen people and wounded more than 100 others, including an American citizen.
Nicoletti, who is now retired, told the English-language Cambodia Daily that by the time he left Cambodia, the evidence he had collected was not up to US standards for prosecution. He had planned to return, he said in e-mails to the newspaper, but an unfavorable situation in the country prevented it.
Nicoletti said he had been pulled out of Cambodia for fear he may be the target of attacks for his investigation, which pointed toward possible collusion in the attack on opposition leader Sam Rainsy by members of then-second prime minister Hun Sen’s bodyguard unit.
The FBI produced nine sketches of three suspects, including Kong Samrith, also known as Brazil. In a report released to the Cambodian Daily following a Freedom of Information request, the FBI said its investigation had been hampered and that agents had difficulty discerning which witnesses were telling the truth.
One witness told FBI investigators he saw a line of Hun Sen bodyguards allow two grenade-throwers to pass as they fled the carnage of the scene in front of Wat Botum, near what was then the National Assembly building.
The witness “pursued but was prevented from heading towards the wat and nearby CPP headquarters,” according to the report. “As he turned, he was kicked by the soldiers and knocked to the ground.”
However, in another interview, one of Hun Sen’s bodyguards gave a different account, according to recordings posted on www.cambodiagrenade.info. In an interview with another investigator in the case, Peter Hoffman, the bodyguard denied such an incident took place.
“When the grenade throwers were running toward your position, how many people were chasing them?” Hoffman asked the unnamed witness, who answered through a translator.
“I have no intention to count how many people [were] chasing the throwers, and I have no knowledge that those people were the grenade throwers,” the witness replied.
“Do you have good eyesight?” Hoffman asked.
“No, no problem with the eyes. The reason is that there are a lot of demonstrators.”
“So three or four people throw grenades into a crowd,” Hoffman asked, “and you didn’t see anything?”
“I see nothing.”
Ultimately, the FBI investigation became inactive and failed to identify the perpetrators.
“The Cambodian police could finish the investigation any time they want,” said Brad Adams, Asia director of Human Rights Watch. “They would have sufficient information in their files. They just choose not to do it. Maybe because they don’t want to do it, and maybe because they are afraid of Hun Sen.”
Khieu Sopheak, a spokesman for the Ministry of Interior, denied police were unwilling to pick up the case.
“We lost track when we lost Brazil,” he said, referring to one of the suspects. “At the time, it was chaotic, and Brazil died for no reason in a camp of a political party that I prefer not to name.”
He was referring to bloody street fighting between the Cambodian People’s Party, led by Hun Sen, and Funcinpec, led by Prince Norodom Ranariddh, in a coup that took place months after the grenade attack, July 5 and July 6.
Khieu Sopheak also blamed FBI agent Nicoletti for failing in the case.
“What Tom Nicoletti did was not professional,” Khieu Sopheak said. “He was assigned to conduct the investigation, but could not solve it. Once he concluded a case, he just kept it.”
“The FBI agent was very stupid,” said Mok Chito, who is now head of the criminal police division and was head of Phnom Penh penal police when the attack took place. “He does not know how to investigate. He sometimes listened to other people without knowing [who the subject was]. I remember that in one of its reports, the FBI said I was Hun Sen’s nephew and was chief of municipal police.”
Rights group and families of the victims have insisted that the FBI come back and conclude their investigation to bring those responsible to court.
“I cannot speculate on what the FBI may or may not do in the future regarding this case,” John Johnson, a spokesman for the US Embassy, said in an e-mail. “I can only say that their original investigation was inconclusive and the US Prosecutor’s Office declined to pursue the case.”
He referred further questions to the FBI in Washington, who have not responded to written questions.
The FBI said in its 1997 report a continued investigation could threaten cooperation with Cambodia, but Adams, of Human Rights Watch, said the investigation should be concluded.
“The US doesn’t need Cambodia,” he said. “Cambodia needs the US, and I think the US should remember that. China is an increasing power, but not a superpower, and the US can work with other countries to put pressure on Cambodia to improve its human rights situation, to try to improve governance and dealing with things like corruption and the rule of law.”
Friday, January 01, 2010
FBI Report Links Ruling Party to Grenade Attack
The chief instigator of the 1997 grenade attack?
Slaughter during the 1997 grenade attackOriginal report from Washington
31 December 2009
A declassified report by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation indicates involvement by the ruling Cambodian People’s Party to a deadly grenade attack on an opposition rally in 1997.
The attack, on a gathering of supporters for opposition leader Sam Rainsy, killed 16 people and injured more than 100 others, including an American citizen, which prompted an FBI investigation that was ultimately abandoned.
But in documents recently released to the English-language Cambodia Daily through a Freedom of Information request, the FBI said it had been pursuing evidence that pointed to the involvement of security forces loyal to then second prime minister Hun Sen.
Released in part to the newspaper, the 2,300-page case file indicates advance knowledge of the attack by Cambodian police at the scene of the March 30 rally and possible collusion with the attackers by Hun Sen’s bodyguard unit.
The rally was organized by the Khmer Nation Party, the precursor to the Sam Rainsy Party, to demand an independent judiciary.
“But at the time, some criminals with an order from the top threw hand grenades into the rally,” Sam Rainsy told VOA Khmer recently. “The FBI also looked thoroughly into the case and had witnesses, evidence and clear records to show that those who are behind the grenade attack are those in power today.”
The FBI investigation came months after the attack, at the request of Funcinpec and the CPP, which were in a power-sharing coalition. The investigation did not go far, and the FBI pulled its investigator from the country due to security concerns and political tension, the Daily reported.
The FBI also encountered difficulties having CPP officials cooperate, the newspaper said.
Khieu Sopheak, a spokesman for the Ministry of Interior, dismissed the report, calling the abortive investigation “an FBI failure.”
“The FBI should take it as a lesson for its academy,” said Khieu Sopheak, who had acted as a liaison officer with investigators at the time. He also denied any security threats to FBI personal, saying he would have heard about them because police and the FBI spent time together.
Nevertheless, the FBI report highlights several anomalies that led investigators to suspect involvement of Hun Sen’s bodyguard unit, including an abnormal deployment of troops near the rally.
Unit commander Huy Piseth and his deputy, Hing Bunheang, were interviewed by the FBI, along with other officials.
Hing Bunheang, who is now the head of Hun Sen’s bodyguard unit, declined to comment on the FBI report.
“I only pay attention to helping farmers to harvest,” he told VOA Khmer by phone. “People don’t have enough, and they are now harvesting. I have no time to think of any political parties. I only see rice harvesting. Many people lack a labor force. Some are disabled, old and widowed…and they need a workforce. Besides this, I know nothing.”
The FBI made more than 50 interviews in its investigation, sometimes in collaboration with Cambodian police and sometimes separately without their knowledge, the Daily reported.
A US congressional committee said agents met difficulty gaining the cooperation of police officials like Mok Chito, who was then the chief of penal police for Phnom Penh and is now in charge of the criminal department for the national police.
“I assisted in bringing witnesses to the FBI for drawing sketches, because when I got there I saw a few witnesses and I was on the taskforce,” Mok Chito told VOA Khmer.
The FBI produced sketches of nine suspects that were widely circulated that year. In the end, however, no arrests were ever made, and the FBI concluded its investigation was “incomplete.”
The attack, on a gathering of supporters for opposition leader Sam Rainsy, killed 16 people and injured more than 100 others, including an American citizen, which prompted an FBI investigation that was ultimately abandoned.
But in documents recently released to the English-language Cambodia Daily through a Freedom of Information request, the FBI said it had been pursuing evidence that pointed to the involvement of security forces loyal to then second prime minister Hun Sen.
Released in part to the newspaper, the 2,300-page case file indicates advance knowledge of the attack by Cambodian police at the scene of the March 30 rally and possible collusion with the attackers by Hun Sen’s bodyguard unit.
The rally was organized by the Khmer Nation Party, the precursor to the Sam Rainsy Party, to demand an independent judiciary.
“But at the time, some criminals with an order from the top threw hand grenades into the rally,” Sam Rainsy told VOA Khmer recently. “The FBI also looked thoroughly into the case and had witnesses, evidence and clear records to show that those who are behind the grenade attack are those in power today.”
The FBI investigation came months after the attack, at the request of Funcinpec and the CPP, which were in a power-sharing coalition. The investigation did not go far, and the FBI pulled its investigator from the country due to security concerns and political tension, the Daily reported.
The FBI also encountered difficulties having CPP officials cooperate, the newspaper said.
Khieu Sopheak, a spokesman for the Ministry of Interior, dismissed the report, calling the abortive investigation “an FBI failure.”
“The FBI should take it as a lesson for its academy,” said Khieu Sopheak, who had acted as a liaison officer with investigators at the time. He also denied any security threats to FBI personal, saying he would have heard about them because police and the FBI spent time together.
Nevertheless, the FBI report highlights several anomalies that led investigators to suspect involvement of Hun Sen’s bodyguard unit, including an abnormal deployment of troops near the rally.
Unit commander Huy Piseth and his deputy, Hing Bunheang, were interviewed by the FBI, along with other officials.
Hing Bunheang, who is now the head of Hun Sen’s bodyguard unit, declined to comment on the FBI report.
“I only pay attention to helping farmers to harvest,” he told VOA Khmer by phone. “People don’t have enough, and they are now harvesting. I have no time to think of any political parties. I only see rice harvesting. Many people lack a labor force. Some are disabled, old and widowed…and they need a workforce. Besides this, I know nothing.”
The FBI made more than 50 interviews in its investigation, sometimes in collaboration with Cambodian police and sometimes separately without their knowledge, the Daily reported.
A US congressional committee said agents met difficulty gaining the cooperation of police officials like Mok Chito, who was then the chief of penal police for Phnom Penh and is now in charge of the criminal department for the national police.
“I assisted in bringing witnesses to the FBI for drawing sketches, because when I got there I saw a few witnesses and I was on the taskforce,” Mok Chito told VOA Khmer.
The FBI produced sketches of nine suspects that were widely circulated that year. In the end, however, no arrests were ever made, and the FBI concluded its investigation was “incomplete.”
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
If Warrior Hun Sen is not scared, why does he need several thousands of bodyguards?
Hun Sen: “I was not scared because I was a warrior”30 June 2009
By P.B.
Cambodge Soir Hebdo
Translated from French by Luc Sâr
Click here to read the article in French
The rockets which exploded in the barrack near Hun Sen’s house were destined for transportation to Preah Vihear.
“The rockets that exploded Sunday evening at the Tuol Krasainf barrack, near my house, in the province of Kandal, they were destined for transportation to Preah Vihear,” Hun Sen indicated during a speech given at a diploma distribution ceremony on Tuesday 30 June in Phnom Penh.
According to Hun Sen, this incident was the result of the inattention from the truck driver and his passenger. The pair were lighting their matches near their leaking vehicle gas tank. The two soldiers were injured, one seriously.
“They were both saved,” Hun Sen said while adding that 29 of the 30 rockets on board of the truck exploded. Impacts of the explosion can be seen in front of Hun Sen’s house where several coconut trees in his garden were knocked down.
Hun Sen alluded to the incident with laughter and he explained that during the explosions, he was busy playing chess. “After the third explosion, my bodyguards asked me to get inside the house. I was not scared because I was a warrior,” Hun Sen revealed while apologizing to his neighbors for the disturbance.
Why were these rockets taken to Preah Vihear and where did they come from? Hun Sen revealed that it is perfectly normal for a country that has border problems with one of its neighbors to be prepared for the defense of its territories.
“Cambodia owns these type of arms since long ago. They are not new,” he said. While discussing about the border issue, Hun Sen again called on Thailand to pull its troops out of Cambodia’s territories. “Cambodia owns enough heavy guns to protect its territories,” Hun Sen launched.
“The rockets that exploded Sunday evening at the Tuol Krasainf barrack, near my house, in the province of Kandal, they were destined for transportation to Preah Vihear,” Hun Sen indicated during a speech given at a diploma distribution ceremony on Tuesday 30 June in Phnom Penh.
According to Hun Sen, this incident was the result of the inattention from the truck driver and his passenger. The pair were lighting their matches near their leaking vehicle gas tank. The two soldiers were injured, one seriously.
“They were both saved,” Hun Sen said while adding that 29 of the 30 rockets on board of the truck exploded. Impacts of the explosion can be seen in front of Hun Sen’s house where several coconut trees in his garden were knocked down.
Hun Sen alluded to the incident with laughter and he explained that during the explosions, he was busy playing chess. “After the third explosion, my bodyguards asked me to get inside the house. I was not scared because I was a warrior,” Hun Sen revealed while apologizing to his neighbors for the disturbance.
Why were these rockets taken to Preah Vihear and where did they come from? Hun Sen revealed that it is perfectly normal for a country that has border problems with one of its neighbors to be prepared for the defense of its territories.
“Cambodia owns these type of arms since long ago. They are not new,” he said. While discussing about the border issue, Hun Sen again called on Thailand to pull its troops out of Cambodia’s territories. “Cambodia owns enough heavy guns to protect its territories,” Hun Sen launched.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Cambodian premier describes explosion at his provincial compound
Jun 30, 2009
DPA
DPA
Phnom Penh - Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen gave details Tuesday of an ammunition truck explosion in his provincial compound, saying the blast sent a rocket flying over the roof of his house.
Hun Sen said the explosion occurred at 7 pm on Sunday and was sparked after a member of his elite bodyguard unit lit a cigarette near a fuel leak in a truck laden with rockets and other explosives.
'We heard a large explosion and my grandchildren became scared and ran to hug me,' he said in a speech at a university graduation ceremony in Phnom Penh. 'I was playing chess at the time.'
He said one rocket flew over his house and into a coconut palm, but it did not detonate.
Security officials earlier refused to provide information on the explosion, saying only that two bodyguards were injured.
'About 30 rockets were destroyed in the blast, but they did not detonate,' he said. 'Only the bodies of the rockets were damaged and if they had detonated, then the explosion would have been much bigger.'
Hun Sen apologized to residents in the area surrounding the compound, located about 20 kilometres south of Phnom Penh, who he said were 'horrified' by the explosion.
Hun Sen said the explosion occurred at 7 pm on Sunday and was sparked after a member of his elite bodyguard unit lit a cigarette near a fuel leak in a truck laden with rockets and other explosives.
'We heard a large explosion and my grandchildren became scared and ran to hug me,' he said in a speech at a university graduation ceremony in Phnom Penh. 'I was playing chess at the time.'
He said one rocket flew over his house and into a coconut palm, but it did not detonate.
Security officials earlier refused to provide information on the explosion, saying only that two bodyguards were injured.
'About 30 rockets were destroyed in the blast, but they did not detonate,' he said. 'Only the bodies of the rockets were damaged and if they had detonated, then the explosion would have been much bigger.'
Hun Sen apologized to residents in the area surrounding the compound, located about 20 kilometres south of Phnom Penh, who he said were 'horrified' by the explosion.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Ammunition explosion near Cambodian PM outskirt residence injures 2
June 29, 2009
Xinhua
Xinhua
Ammunition explosion on Sunday evening near Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen's outskirt residence wounded two people, but Hun Sen is safe.
The explosion occurred when a truck loaded with ammunition was on fire and exploded, said a witness asked not to be named, adding that a dozen of fire trucks were rushed to the scene.
Prime Minister Hun Sen's Cabinet issued a statement late Sunday saying two military men were injured by a military truck accident during which a number of ammunitions were exploded.
The statement said the incident happened at 7:30 p.m. local time near Tuol Krasaing military camp, where Hun Sen's residence is encompassed. But Prime Minister Hun Sen is safe, a police officer on anonymity said.
According to the Cabinet statement, during the fire, a number of ammunitions loaded on the truck were exploded and that had caused a driver and his assistant injured, one of them was critical.
Tuol Kraisaing Military Camp is camped with Hun Sen's bodyguards unit, located about 13 kilometers south of Phnom Penh.
The explosion occurred when a truck loaded with ammunition was on fire and exploded, said a witness asked not to be named, adding that a dozen of fire trucks were rushed to the scene.
Prime Minister Hun Sen's Cabinet issued a statement late Sunday saying two military men were injured by a military truck accident during which a number of ammunitions were exploded.
The statement said the incident happened at 7:30 p.m. local time near Tuol Krasaing military camp, where Hun Sen's residence is encompassed. But Prime Minister Hun Sen is safe, a police officer on anonymity said.
According to the Cabinet statement, during the fire, a number of ammunitions loaded on the truck were exploded and that had caused a driver and his assistant injured, one of them was critical.
Tuol Kraisaing Military Camp is camped with Hun Sen's bodyguards unit, located about 13 kilometers south of Phnom Penh.
Rocket blast injures soldiers near Cambodia PM's home
PHNOM PEHN, June 28 (Reuters) - Rockets exploded on Sunday at a Cambodian military base near the prime minister's residence, state-run television said, and military officials said the incident was an accident.
Military and police officials said the explosion was caused by a fire started accidentally by a mechanic working on a truck at the base on the southern outskirts of the capital, Phnom Penh.
"A truck driver and his assistant were wounded, one of them seriously," TVK television said in a statement issued by the office of Prime Minister Hun Sen.
At least nine trucks were damaged in the fire.
"A number of rockets were accidentally fired from the truck," a military security guard told Reuters.
It was not known if the prime minister was at home when the explosions occurred.
(Reporting by Ek Madra; Editing by Alan Raybould)
Military and police officials said the explosion was caused by a fire started accidentally by a mechanic working on a truck at the base on the southern outskirts of the capital, Phnom Penh.
"A truck driver and his assistant were wounded, one of them seriously," TVK television said in a statement issued by the office of Prime Minister Hun Sen.
At least nine trucks were damaged in the fire.
"A number of rockets were accidentally fired from the truck," a military security guard told Reuters.
It was not known if the prime minister was at home when the explosions occurred.
(Reporting by Ek Madra; Editing by Alan Raybould)
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
A Chinese company donated 220 motorcyles to Mr. Hun Sen's Bodyguard Unit
everyday.com
26th January, 2009
Translated from Khmer by Khmerization
A Chinese company has donated 220 motorcycles to the bodyguard Unit of Prime Minister Hun Sen for the protection of the prime minister and senior officials and to use as motorcades when the prime minister travels on land.
Reaksmei Kampuchea newspaper said that the donation ceremony was held at Toul Krasaing Barrack (Hun Sen's Residence) on 22nd January, 2009 and was presided over by Deputy Prime Minister Sok An. Gen. Hing Bunheang, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces and Deputy Commander of the Joint General Staff, said that the 220 motorcycles were donated by a Chinese company named United International Cambodia Foreign Investment Group.
Mr. Hing Bunheang added that 200 motorcycles were donated to Mr. Hun Sen's Bodyguard Unit to use as motorcades and for the protection of Mr. Hun Sen and delegations of senior officials when they make an official visit to Phnom Penh and 20 motorcycles were donated to Mr. Sok An's Bodyguard Unit.
26th January, 2009
Translated from Khmer by Khmerization
A Chinese company has donated 220 motorcycles to the bodyguard Unit of Prime Minister Hun Sen for the protection of the prime minister and senior officials and to use as motorcades when the prime minister travels on land.
Reaksmei Kampuchea newspaper said that the donation ceremony was held at Toul Krasaing Barrack (Hun Sen's Residence) on 22nd January, 2009 and was presided over by Deputy Prime Minister Sok An. Gen. Hing Bunheang, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces and Deputy Commander of the Joint General Staff, said that the 220 motorcycles were donated by a Chinese company named United International Cambodia Foreign Investment Group.
Mr. Hing Bunheang added that 200 motorcycles were donated to Mr. Hun Sen's Bodyguard Unit to use as motorcades and for the protection of Mr. Hun Sen and delegations of senior officials when they make an official visit to Phnom Penh and 20 motorcycles were donated to Mr. Sok An's Bodyguard Unit.
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