Human rights organizations investigate grenade attack in Anlong Veng

23 July 2007
By Sav Yuth
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy

A group of human rights organizations and the UN human rights office in Cambodia are currently conducting an investigation on the attack with explosive by unknown persons on the house of the community forest protection leader in Run village, Thlat commune, Anlong Veng district, Oddar Meanchey province, on Monday 23 July.

The investigation took place one day after unknown persons used explosive to try to kill a family of 6.

Chan Soveth, an investigator for the Cambodia Human Rights Action Committee (CHRAC), who is conducting the investigation and talking to several witnesses at the location of the incident, concludes that the use of explosive to attack the house of Sat Savuth, the community forest protection leader, is related to his community activities to protect forests, lands and to defend human rights.

Chan Soveth said: “On the authority side, they think that because the victim knew the fact in advance, he could be creating the explosion by himself. We do not come up to this conclusion, but during the incident, 4 persons were seen by the activist: two of them were standing behind and two walked into the house.”

Kong Kheng, the 35-year-old wife of Sat Savuth, claimed that people actually wanted to kill her husband because of his community work to prevent illegal land-grabbing, and illegal logging in the area.

Kong Kheng said: “I am very concerned, I couldn’t sleep and I am restless. During his work, people threatened him, they want to persecute him also.”

On Monday, the group of human rights organizations in the country had expressed their concerns about the successive killings perpetrated on human rights activists and the group demanded that the authority arrest the culprits as well as their backers and bring them to justice.

Tes Soeum, the Anglong Veng police chief, said that on Monday, the authority had identified the culprits and they will be arrested soon.

Nevertheless, Tes Soeum claimed that the explosive attack was not related to the community forest protection activities: “This is a dumb thing (perpetrated) for some (unknown) reason.”

Human rights group claimed that Sat Savuth, the 42-year-old victim of the attack to kill him, used to be a community forest protection leader in Sandan district, Kompong Thom province. Those involved in illegal logging wanted to kill him once in 2005, and when he fled to live in Anlong Veng, he continued working for the community forest and land protection for the people again.

On Monday, the human rights group decided to take Sat Savuth, his wife, and his four children out to live in a safer place.

Grenade thrown in Anlong Veng community leader’s home

22 July 2007
By Sav Yuth
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy

A hand-grenade was tossed by an unknown attacker into the house of the community leader for forest protection in O’Run village, Thlat commune, Anlong Veng district, Oddar Meanchey province, at 11:20 PM on Saturday evening. The explosion damaged the home but no one was injured or died.

42-year-old Sat Savuth, the owner of the home who claimed to be the leader of the community for forest protection, said on Sunday 22 July that, prior to the grenade attack, he was outside of his home when he saw people standing in front of his home. Alerted by this presence, he sent his wife and four children running out, subsequently, the attacker tossed the grenade inside his home.

Sat Savuth said: “I came out to go to the bathroom, I saw someone, he saw me also. I ran inside the house to grab my children and ran out for about 30-meter from the house when the explosion was heard. It did not cause any fire, but half of the wooden portion fell.”

Sat Savuth added that he suspects the grenade attack was perpetrated to kill him and his family because a small group of people are not happy with the action he took to oppose illegal logging and illegal land grabbing perpetrated by some businessmen and powerful officials.

Nevertheless, there is no source or witnesses who came forward to clarify this grenade attack case at all.

Tes Soeum, the Anlong Veng police chief, denied that this grenade attack involved any political party, or because of the forest protection activities, or because of the protection of lands belonging to the villagers.

Tes Soeum said that based on preliminary investigation, he suspects that this attack was a prank perpetrated a group of people, or a jealous attempt made by some young man who loves Sat Savuth’s daughter. “There is no political involvement. I’m only making a cursory assessment: in his house, he has a young daughter, therefore, (the young men) are after her, so maybe they are jealous of each others.”

On Sunday, the Licadho and Adhoc human rights groups in the district sent their investigators to the incident location to find out the real cause of the attack. According to Licadho, Sat Savuth was also a community leader for the protection of forests when he was living in Pren village, Sokh Chit commune, Sandan district, Kompong Thom province. While living there, businessmen involved in illegal logging tried to shoot him down once in 2005.

This is a second grenade attack in Anlong Veng district. In June, an unknown person tossed a grenade inside the house of the traffic police chief, killing one 16-year-old girl.