Sam Rainsy MPs Freed Illegally Detained Women and Children

Wednesday 18 January, 2012
By Mu Sochua

Sam Rainsy Party MPs, Sovan Pisaka and Mu Sochua were able to enter the Social Affairs Center(the small door was open very shortly for the security guard to enter) where 18 women and 2 children from Borei Keila had been illegally detained by the municipality since 11 January as they demonstrated outside of the municipality office to demand for housing and compensation for their belongings that were destroyed by PHANIMEX company.

The head of the center asked the two lawmakers to leave as they did not have permission. He then locked both gates. He informed both lawmakers that the women and children were at the center but were not registered. The municipality had asked him to watch over them.

MP Mu Sochua spoke to the women about their rights and the gross violation of human rights committed by the authorities and the company. The head of the company had been every day to force the detainees to thumbprint to accept her offer.

When asked what they wish to do, the women said they wanted to leave the center as they feel scared, unsafe and shame for having to be detained with homeless, mentally disturbed people, drug addicts and young men who are violent. They wish to obtain housing in Borei Keila as promised to them by the prime minister.

After our short meeting, the women gathered their belongings and started climbing over the fence.

Their husbands ad relatives who brought them food and medicines helped them from the other side of the fence and they quickly left the center for town.

The two MPs were locked inside the center for 15 minutes till the head of the center unlocked both gates.

SRP MPS, will send a letter to the Minister of Justice to request action from the municipality court against the authorities and the company for illegal detention.

Since the destruction of Borei Keila, no representative of the government has provided support or care for the victims. The office of the governor and local authorities have provided full protection and total carte blanche to the company to threaten the victims and manipulate the situation.

This is Cambodia!

Please help support Mu Sochua's  Justice Fund by donating at this link.

លឹម សុគន្ថា បញ្ជាឲ្យឃុំ​ខ្លួនមនុស្​សដោយគ្មានដី​កាសម្រេច

នៅថ្ងៃទី២៣ ខែកញ្ញា ឆ្នាំ២០១១ លោក លឹម សុគន្ថា ចៅក្រមស៊ើបសួរ នៃសាលាដំបូង ខេត្ត កណ្តាល បានបញ្ជា ឲ្យនគរបាលនាំខ្លួនលោក មាស ប៉េង ជំទប់ទី២ ឃុំបន្ទាយដែក ស្រុក កៀនស្វាយ ខេត្តកណ្តាល មកពីគណបក្ស សម រង្ស៊ី ទៅឃុំខ្លួន នៅពន្ធនាគារ ខេត្តកណ្តាល ដោយគ្មាន ដីការ សម្រេច ឃុំខ្លួន ។

ខុទ្ទកាល័យប្រធានគណបក្ស

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On 23 September 2011, Lim Sokunthea, the investigating judge of the Tribunal of First Instance for the Kandal province, ordered the cops to bring in Mr. Meas Peng, the SRP 2nd commune councilor of Beanteay Dek commune, Kien Svay district, Kandal province, and sent him to jail without issuing any jail order decision.

SRP Office

Cambodia recruitment firm 'detained staff illegally'

Heng Hak broke both her legs after she jumped off from the 3rd floor of the T&P facility (Photo: Provided)

16 March 2011
By Guy De Launey
BBC News, Phnom Penh

Cambodians often seek work abroad due to low and limited options at home

Cambodian police have asked prosecutors to charge a recruitment company with illegally detaining its staff.

The firm has been under investigation since one woman died and another was hurt at its training centre this month.

T&P's lawyer has denied the company has done anything wrong and says its training programmes comply with Cambodia's labour laws.

It is one of a growing number of firms which are training Cambodians to work overseas - often as domestic staff.

The T&P company is facing serious allegations.

Illegal Detention of Workers in Phnom Penh- Day One

March 15, 2011
Originally posted at: http://sochua.wordpress.com

On Sunday, March 6, Sing Sina, a 35 year-old woman died at T&P Recruitment Agency from a heart attack, according to the police. However, locals remain skeptical. Since then, more and more women have come forward asking for help to be released from T&P, a recruitment agency that trains women to work in Malaysia.

Women are being detained illegally. Children are not allowed to see their mothers. And two weeks after Sina’s death, another woman leapt from the third floor of the T&P building to try and escape, breaking her ankle and heel.

Outside T&P Recruitment Agency

Hearing this news, I joined other SRP members on Thursday, March 10, to Sen Sok district in Phnom Penh to begin investigating T&P recruitment agency where 23 year-old Srun Chan Nang, a maid trainee was being held against her will.

Speaking with the families outside T&P employment agency training center

Illegal Detention of Workers in Phnom Penh- Day Two

March 15, 2011
Originally posted at: http://sochua.wordpress.com

The following day we returned with Srun Channa’s mother in order to negotiate her release. It was only with the assistance of the city prosecutor, that on March 11th, Channa was released.

Negotiations with criminal police and prosecutor

Despite our requests, no officials from the Labour of Ministry were present over the two days we visited. We can conclude that the Labour Ministry leaves it up to the companies to draw guidelines and that inspections of the premises and the application of the laws are very weak and that negligence from the part of the government led to the deaths and injuries of the women.

Mother of woman rescued from employment agency

Srun Channa being released

SRP MP Son Chhay's Letter to the Viet Ambassador Demanding for the Release of Monk Tim Sakhorn

KINGDOM OF CAMBODIA
Nation - Religion - King

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

H. E. Mr. Nguyen Chien Than
Ambassador of SR of Vietnam
Vietnam Embassy #436, Preah Monivong Blvd
Phnom Penh.

Ref: NA5.041/08
September 8, 2008

Excellency,

On the occasion of the celebration of Vietnam's 63rd National Day, I would like to take the opportunity to congratulate you and the Vietnamese people on Vietnam's success which has increasingly been recognized by the world especially on the economic achievement, where the country has maintained a high economic growth and is expanding its economic ties with foreign countries.

Unfortunately my reason for writing this letter is to bring to Your Excellency's attention, the plight of the Cambodian people, particularly the father of former monk Tim Sa Khorn who wishes to see his son return back to Cambodia after fully served the prison term of one year in Vietnam.

In according to an official document from Vietnamese Ministry of Interior which was obtained by my committee of foreign affairs, international cooperation and media (see the attached document), Tim Sa Khorn was released on June 30, 2007 and was ordered to return to his village of Ta Lau, Phnom Din commune, Kirivong district of Takeo province in Cambodia by July 2, 2008. But what actually happened is that Tim Sa Khorn has not yet been back to his village in Cambodia. There are rumors that he was taken by Vietnamese authority for a trip to Hanoi for re-education purpose and some said that he is now under a house arrest in Vietnam or being forced against his will from returning to be with his family in Cambodia but instead the authority is trying to get him marry and stay on living in Vietnam.

If all of these accusations are true, I wish to request for Your Excellency to kindly intervene for immediately allowing Tim Sa Khorn to return to Cambodia so that he can be one again with his family otherwise the explanation is needed on why Tim Sa Khorn is still in Vietnam.

I am planning to make a private trip to visit Tim Sa Khorn and hopefully will bring Tim Sa Khorn's father Mr. Tim Thieng with me, so that we can see for ourselves what actually has happened to Tim Sa Khorn and will bring the news back to Cambodia.

As a member of parliament representing the people of Cambodia, it is my duty to protect my people and also a moral obligation to protect those who are facing unnecessary suffering and I am writing because I believe that, Your Excellency can help to ease the tension and unhappiness among our people.

I am confident that I can depend on You Excellency in this matter. I have no doubt that Your Excellency understand that we have a duty to protect people and together with the bonds of friendship we have forged, we can carry out this task and ensure that no more unnecessary suffering are imposed on the innocent people.

Looking forward to your kind response, I renew the expression of my highest consideration.

(Signed) Son Chhay

Yours sincerely,

MP Son Chhay
Chairman of the 5th Committee

CC:

• Cabinet of His Majesty the King
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and media

Please cough up the money for Comrade Duch, his detention was illegal ... should we thank him for the killings also?

Duch Deserves Release, Compensation for Illegal Detention, Lawyers Argue

Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Original report from Washington
28 September 2007

Lawyers for the detained Khmer Rouge torture chief Duch argue he should be released and compensated for his detention, according to a legal brief released on the Khmer Rouge tribunal Web site Friday.

The lawyers, Cambodian Kar Savuth and Frenchman Francois Roux, officially filed for Duch's release from court detention in July. But the published appeal brief published offers a closer look at a tribunal process.

The lawyers for Duch, whose real name is Kaing Khek Iev, argue that their client has been held illegally since 1999, a human rights abuse.

Tribunal judges did not take his "lengthy" detention into consideration when they remanded him to tribunal court detention.

Duch—under whose watch up to 16,000 people were tortured, executed and dumped into mass graves on the outskirts of Phnom Penh—should be compensated "for the harm he has suffered as a result of the time he has spent in provisional detention," the lawyers argue in the brief.

Tribunal spokesman Reach Sambath encouraged people to submit by the first week of October relevant "friends of the court" briefs on whether Duch should be released ahead of his trial.

"I have not seen any briefs to the court on whether they support or don't support Duch's release or not," he said.

Rubber plantation co. illegally detains young schoolgirls for picking resin residues from the ground

Rights Workers Decry Plantation's 'Illegal' Detention of 17 People

Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
15/05/2007

Human rights workers and opposition lawmakers decried the detention of 17 people, most of them schoolgirls, by rubber plantation security in Kampong Cham province. The detainees have been accused of stealing the company's lumber, but their extrajudicial holding by plantation security guards has rights workers concerned. Human rights officials and eye witnesses VOA Khmer the arrests took place Tuesday morning at the Kampong Cham-based company about 200 kilometers from Phnom Penh.

Kau Chesda, a Sam Rainsy Party clerk for Ta Ong commune, said about a dozen 13- to 14-year-old primary school girls in Chamkar Leu town and perhaps five more people were arrested, but there were no reports or mistreatment.

Plantation management, including the director, Kim Leang, could not be reached for comment.

The 17 people were detained because four armed plantation guards caught them picking resin from the ground, Kau Chesda said.

A rights investigator, Chan Cheng, called the arrest illegal.

"I think the offense is unimportant and the offenders are poor, and the 12 13-year-old school children who are poor, and poor jobs," Chan Cheng said. "I take this occasion to appeal to all level authorities, especially the rubber plantation guards, to free the people and the school children."

Local police official Uk Kim Sroy said the people may have been trying to destroy the bark of the trees and not picking resin from the ground.

"The resin belongs to them and they take care of it," he said. "We cannot just go and pluck their resin."