A Cambodian man beaten to death in Thailand

Monday, 4 October 2010
By Khmerization
Source: DAP News

A 29 year-0ld Cambodian man who worked as a bicycle guard at Rong Klua Market opposite Poipet town has died at a Thai hospital after brutally beaten and seriously wounded by a group 7 Thai gangsters.

According to 26 year-old Lam Sim, the wife of the victim, at 9:30 a.m on 26th September, while her husband Vong Sopheak was guarding the bicycles as usual, a group of 7 gangsters attacked him with steel pipes without reasons then escaped, leaving her husband lying in a pool of blood from the head wounds. She said Thai police then took her husband to a hospital in Aranyapret in Sakeo province, but because he was in a critical condition he was then transferred to a hospital in Prachinburi province where he died at 8 a.m on Saturday 2nd of October.

According to the latest news, 3 of the 7 attackers had been arrested by the Thai police. And on Sunday 3rd October, Vong Sopheak's body had been repatriated to Cambodia through Poipet International Checkpoint and has been kept at Palilai Pagoda for funeral.

Vong Sopheak's death in Thailand came two days after a Cambodian mother and her daughter were killed by Thai soldiers after they tried to cross the border looking for works.

Cambodian man suspected of being killed by the Viets

11 Jan 2010
By Kim Pov
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Socheata
Click here to read the article in Khmer

A few days ago, a Cambodian man from Kampot province is suspected of being murdered by several Viets inside Vietnam. Following the murder, these Viets dumped the body of this man.

On 11 January, a Kampot-based human rights organization demanded that the Cambodian authority provides justice to this Cambodian victim. It is suspected that the man was murdered by the Viets a few days ago while traveling to Vietnam to work as a construction laborer.

Mrs. Try Chhoun, an official for the Adhoc human rights group, indicated that the man’s death was not an accident. She thinks that it was a clear murder case, and if this case is not resolved, hurt feelings and racial discrimination will continue on without any end in sight.

Mrs. Try Chhoun said: “This is a serious case of human rights violation. Why do I think so? Because throughout the Cambodian history, we and the Viets did not get along well since long time ago. When justice is not rendered to the people on both sides [of the border], racial discrimination is becoming more serious.”

Mrs. Try Chhoun indicated, Thorn, a 24-year-old Cambodian man form Koh Chamkar village, Boeung Sala Thbong commune, Kampong Trach district, Kampot province, rode his bicycle daily to work as a construction laborer in Vietnam. On 07 January, when Thorn and several of his friends returned home at around 10 PM, he was involved in a traffic accident along a road in Hatien district, Kien Giang province when a motorcycle driven by a Viet hit and smashed his bicycle. Following the accident, several Viets started to chase the Cambodian workers. At that time, Thorn and his friends started to carry the bike on their back and fled the scene, but they got dispersed during the pursuit. When the workers arrived home back in Cambodia, Thorn was nowhere to be found. Last Saturday, Thorn’s body was found floating on water. His body was found by Viet villagers and medics. His front teeth were all broken, the back of his neck bore a black bruise, and other bruises can also be seen on his chest.

Un Khet, the Sala Khang Tbong commune chief, indicated that he is also pushing for a resolution in this case: “Right now the Viets and the Cambodians are negotiating with each other on this case. They are discussing with each other on this case. I am looking into the cause of this [death] case also.”

Another Cambodian villager from Thorn’s village indicated that Thorn was surely killed by the Viets. He called on the Cambodian authority to protect Cambodian citizens: “I am asking all levels of authority, in particular, the leaders of both Cambodia and Vietnam to do anything they can to protect and provide justice to the innocent and the poor.”

It should be noted also that, last year, a Cambodian fishery official was also killed by Viet soldiers when he was arresting Viet fishermen who came to catch fish in Cambodian waters. Up until now, no resolution has been heard in this second case at all.

Hun Sen farewells Samak on homeward trip

Tuesday, March 03, 2008

Phnom Penh (dpa) - Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej flew out of Cambodia Tuesday, seen off by his Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen after a two-day visit that touched upon sea borders and a disputed border temple.

Newly-elected Samak sought to strengthen bilateral ties with neighbouring Cambodia during his visit, but instead found talks on growing anger over allegations that Thai border patrols use undue force in controlling Cambodian immigrant workers to Thailand, resulting in at least a dozen shooting deaths a year.

Cambodia is looking to make its claims on disputed sea borders legal before expected rich offshore oil reserves are tapped within two years. Hun Sen urged Thailand to be more flexible, allowing a "win-win situation between our two nations."

The disputed Preah Vihear border temple and Cambodia's move to have it listed as a Unesco World Heritage site will be discussed in more detail when Deputy Prime Minister Sok An visits Thailand later this year.

Visits to neighbouring nations have become a tradition for new leaders of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, of which both countries are members.

Cambodia-Thai meeting focuses on border killings

Mar 3, 2008
DPA

Phnom Penh - It was expected to be a showdown about a disputed border temple, but the meeting between new Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej instead focused on growing anger over killings of Cambodian immigrant workers, a spokesman said Monday.

Government spokesman Khieu Kanharith told reporters at a press conference that Samak's two-day visit at Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen's invitation had been cordial - but issues of disputed sea borders and border killings of itinerant Cambodians had come up.

So too had the Preah Vihear temple problem, he said, but Thailand and Cambodia had spoken reasonably on the controversial move to make the temple perched on the two nations' border a UNESCO World Heritage site for Cambodia - a proposal Thailand has objected to.

As a newly-elected leader, Samak's visit to neighbouring nations has become a tradition for new leaders of the 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations, of which both countries are members.

Kanharith said talks focused on the disputed sea borders between both nations instead, with Cambodia looking to make its claims to territory legal before expected rich offshore oil reserves are tapped within two years.

Also on the table were Cambodian allegations that Thailand uses undue force in controlling Cambodian immigrant workers to Thailand, which results in at least a dozen shooting deaths at the hands of Thai border patrols per year, according to border police.

'Please, do not use unnecessary violence (on the borders) because it could disturb the Cambodian people,' Kanharith warned. 'Thailand has full rights to control illegal immigrants, but Thailand should also respect human rights.'

He said although the Preah Vihear temple had been discussed, Cambodia stood firm that the northern border temple belonged to it and it was Cambodia's right to ask for World Heritage rights.

The issue is a controversial one in both nations. On Monday, the nationalistic Student Movement for Democracy issued a statement demanding Hun Sen refuse to speak with Samak regarding Preah Vihear, citing the 1962 ruling by the International Court of Justice in the Hague that Preah Vihear temple belongs to Cambodia.

That movement's leader, Kein Sara, was briefly imprisoned in 2003 for his alleged role in the anti-Thai riots in Phnom Penh. Angry mobs had burned the Thai embassy and Thai businesses after a Thai actress was said to have claimed another cultural icon, the Angkor Wat temple complex, was Thai. Sara was quickly released.

Although allies, tensions between the neighbouring nations go back centuries. However issues including cultural ownership, Cambodia's possible impending new oil wealth and other border issues have strained relations.

On Monday Kanharith said the oil field border dispute had been discussed extensively by Hun Sen and Samat, and Thailand had been urged to be less inflexible, allowing a 'win-win situation between our two nations'.