Anonymous hacks Cambodian government in response to The Pirate Bay co-founder’s arrest, leaks over 5k docs

10th September 2012
By Emil Protalinski
Source: http://thenextweb.com/insider/2012/09/10/anonymous-hacks-cambodias-government-response-the-pirate-bay-co-founders-arrest/

At the start of this month, news broke that The Pirate Bay co-founder Gottfrid Svartholm had been arrested in Cambodia, quickly followed by speculation that millions of dollars were exchanged for his capture. Svartholm was deported to Sweden today, and rather coincidentally, the Anonymous hacker collective announced that it had hacked Cambodia’s government sites and leaked over 5,000 documents.

More specifically, the hackers attacked the Kingdom of Cambodia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation website, mfaic.gov.kh. Nevetheless, this leak isn’t just limited to Cambodia; other countries are affected as well. For example, high ranking officials of the Nepalese Army have been doxed (PDF).

Here is what the hackers had to say for themselves, in the post titled “Free Gottfrid #OPTPB Massive Cambodian gov dox leak!”:

In retaliation for extradition by Cambodian gov of our fella brother Gottfrid, We present this release of dozen government agencies and offices in Cambodia doxxed like hell.

A sneak peak (15 images) of the leak is available on imgur. Here’s one of the screenshots:

There is a total of 5,234 documents, packed into two archives hosted on Deposit Files: 161MB and 230MB. You can view all of them over at par-anoia.net/assessment/kh/ (they are written in English, Hindi, Khmer, and Russian).

The rest of the announcement attempts to give a bit more detail into the documents’ nature:

You will find there lotsa stuff including Combodian and Nepal drug trafficking authorities, army, consulates

Kyrghyztan and Ukraine classified documents, Belarus, India etc etc all related to Cambodian authorities and business.

Also included internet banking certificate depos and clients which belong to the mentioned authorities.

Stay strong brother! we will bury them!

Free Gottfrid! Hands off TPB!

Ta-ta lulz

Sweden has been on the lookout for Svartholm ever since he failed to appear for his 12-month sentence after he was found guilty of aiding copyright infringement in 2009. The 27-year-old’s sentence was upheld even though he was absent from court hearings in 2010 due to ill-health. Along with the 12 month sentence, Svartholm is also due to pay 30 million kronor ($4.48 million) in damages.

We don’t know where exactly Svartholm is now, but it is clear that Cambodia has deported him to Sweden. Chhay Bunna, a senior police officer in the immigration office at Phnom Penh’s international airport, told The Seattle Times he was put aboard a Thai Airways flight on Monday night after Cambodian authorities handed him over to two Swedish police officers waiting at the plane’s door.

Cambodia's response to the "perfidious" Thai media report

Sunday, 07 February 2010
Press and Documentation Dept.
Source: Cambodia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation

PRESS RELEASE

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Cambodia wishes to make clarification in response to Thailand’s reaction as published in the media concerning the visit of Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen to the border area as follows.

1-The Bangkok Post published a distorted report online on 7 February 2010 that Thailand’s Second Army Area Commander Veewarith Chornsamrit led a delegation to welcome Samdech Techo Prime Minister Hun Sen on his visit to the Preah Vihear Temple. However, contrary to the claim, it was Samdech Techo Prime Minister Hun Sen who allowed the Thai Commander to come to meet him at Preah Vihear Temple, where Samdech Techo Prime Minister unequivocally stressed that it is the Temple of Cambodia and it is Cambodian territory.

2-The Bangkok Post also reported that Thai Commander Veewarith Chornsamrit was assigned to welcome Samdech Techo Prime Minister Hun Sen to send a message that Thailand is firm on its ownership claim over the disputed territory of 4.6 km2 near the Temple of Preah Vihear. However, in fact the Thai Commander did not raise anything as distortedly reported by the Bangkok Post.

Such untrustworthy report clearly shows that the Bangkok Post is perfidious and falsely reporting to blindly mislead the public.

3-The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand again issued a press release on 7 February 2010 which stated that during his visit to the border area, Samdech Techo Prime Minister Hun Sen “might enter into Thai territory......the Cambodian side must first inform and request prior permission from the Thai Government”. On this point, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Cambodia already issued a statement on 5 February 2010 that Samdech Techo Prime Minister Hun Sen’s visit is only within the Cambodian territory.

4- The Bangkok Post also reported today that Thailand’s Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva will use Samdech Prime Minister Hun Sen’s comment to explain the World Heritage Committee that the area around Preah Vihear Temple belongs to Thailand. Such a statement clearly shows the ambitious greed and duplicity of the Thai Prime Minister, who wants to annex Cambodian territory, blatantly and illegally.

Phnom Penh, 07 February 2010

Cambodian government rejects U.S. human rights report [-PPenh: Deny! Deny! Deny!]

PHNOM PENH, March 16 (Xinhua) -- The Cambodian government has condemned that a human rights report recently issued by the U.S. State Department didn't reflect the reality of Cambodia, said official news agency AKP on Monday.

"The 2008 Country Report on Human Rights Practices on Cambodia issued by the U.S. State Department seems to be a routine that has nothing to do with human rights reality in Cambodia, and appears to be almost a carbon copy of the reports of the previous years with a few cosmetic changes here and there," the Agence Kampuchea Presse quoted a spokesman of the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation as saying in a statement.

The report contains a number of unsubstantiated assertions which appear to rely on misleading information supplied by certain organizations, which are monitored and financially supported by certain foreign countries, said the spokesman.

He clarified that "it is very normal in democratic countries that political party which wins landslide victory in democratic elections has to lead the country, and there is nothing unusual about such democratic practice everywhere in the world."

"There is simply never 'extra-judicial killing' by security forces in Cambodia as mentioned in the report. This is only vulgarlie," he said.

"With regard to the freedom of speech and press in Cambodia, one only needs to read and see how the ubiquitous opposition newspapers attack the Royal Government of Cambodia. Even the newspapers written in foreign languages, financed and managed by foreigners do not have the slightest reservation or hesitation in criticizing the Royal Government of Cambodia," he added.

The spokesman also explained the so-called "unlawful forced eviction," saying that "one must ponder whether there is any country in the world which allows squatters to take over possession of or occupy permanently private properties or public areas such as public gardens, sidewalk and streets."

"Finally, if enforcing rules to maintain public order is construed as human rights violation, then what does one have to say in terms of human rights respect on the condition in the secret prisons of a certain country where torture of prisoners is practiced as reported in the media?" added the spokesman in the statement.

Cambodian Government Reaction to Amnesty International's Statement

Legal eviction? Eviction in Spean Chhes, Sihanoukville (Photo: Licadho)

No coercion? More than 1000 military cops move in to evict the Sambok Chap squatters (AFP)

By Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer
Phnom Penh
15 February 2008

Cambodian government Thursday denied the accusations in a recent report by the Amnesty International (AI) that the government practiced massive forced evictions.

In a two-page statement, the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejected AI’s report saying that it is an attempt to distort the situation in Cambodia.

The rights organization was quoted as saying the authority used equipments to destroy homes, leading to people's homelessness. Many residents in Phnom Penh have been displaced and gathered to live in the outskirt of the city in the name of development.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs claimed that there are no such things as illegal displacement and coercion.