Actress Duch Sophea earning first place in beauty pageant and 30 million riels (US$7,500) (Photo Koh Santepheap News)
Duch Sophea's brand new Lexus car still without license plate (Photo Koh Santepheap News)
Duch Sophea ducking reporters after police questioning (Photo Koh Santepheap News)Duch Sophea, a Very Fast Rising Star
A woman came out to defend Duch Sophea and to threat news reporters
Koh Santepheap Daily News
Thursday, 23 Feb. 2006
Translated from Khmer by KI-Media
Phnom Penh – Actress Duch Sophea seems to be under heavy criticisms lately. The actress had risen up during a very short period of time in her acting career, and she became a very well known actress, unlike other actors who had been working in this field for a long time. This can be attributed to her beauty which pleases the public. According to the Popular magazine, the criticisms leveled against the actress stem for her change in attitude which the public did not approve, like the episode in which she drove a new car chasing and trying to hit a school student, she then got out of the car and went to slap the student. Furthermore, she also violated the law right under the eyes of traffic police officers. The incident with the school student, and the accusation that she drove her car into police officers, earned her a visit to the criminal police office for questioning.
On 21 Feb. 2006, based on a police warrant, Duch Sophea and her sister Duch Samphoas was questioned at the police station. Police officers said that Duch Sophea and her sister were asked to come to the police station for questioning regarding the violence perpetrated on a school student as reported by the Phnom Penh mayor, and based on the order of the Phnom Penh police commissioner, following the report that Duch Sophea drove a white Lexus car with no license plate to chase and beat up a student from Wat Koh high school, she then also attempted to drive her car to hit police officers also. These bad incidents followed one another. A police officer said that on 16 Feb., following the beat up of Wat Koh students which caused a ruckus all over the city of Phnom Penh, Duch Sophea continued on and went to beat up another student from Sisowath high school also right under the eyes of Phnom Penh criminal police officers.
Duch Sophea and her sister, Duch Samphoas, showed up for criminal police questioning in Phnom Penh on 21 Feb., the pair was accompanied by Mrs. Pich Socheata, deputy Daun Penh district governor. It was not known if Pich Socheata was the protector of the pair or not, but she prevented news reporters from taking pictures of the sisters. She even threatened news reporters while the police officers were mocking her. It could be that the deputy governor received compensation for the sisters for her to come out and defend the sisters so ardently. News reporters spent almost five hours trying to obtain clarifications from Duch Sophea, but they were met by refusal and obstruction from the deputy governor instead. The deputy governor even threatened to use violence against the news reporters if they dare publish Duch Sophea’s story.
Police authority said that Duch Sophea could face legal action if she is sued by the victimized high school students, however, up to now, the police did not yet receive any complaint. The warrant for questioning was issued based on order from the Phnom Penh police commissioner after it was learnt that disorder was perpetrated against police officers. Koh Santepheap reporters had requested to meet the young actress but she denied that she perpetrated these incidents because, at the time the incidents occurred, she was in Thailand participating in a film festival under the invitation of the Thai ambassador in Cambodia. She claimed that herself, actor Yuthara Chhany, and actress Dy Savet also participated in the film festival, and that the two actors can be her witnesses. Regarding the 16 Feb. news reporting that the actress drove her Lexus car to chase and hit a student in front of Wat Koh high school, and that when she caught up with the student, she got out of the car to slap the student, she claimed that the driver of the car was her older sister who looks a lot like her, but that it was not her.
She said that on the morning of the incident, her sister drove the car chasing after a female student who beat up her niece, to ask her why she did so, and not to try to hit the student. When she caught up with the student around Wat Koh high school, Duch Sophea’s sister grabbed the hand of the student, but, the student started cursing her. Angered by the cursing, Duch Sophea’s older sister then slapped the student. Duch Sophea’s clarification contradicts with her police report where she indicated that she was also present with her older sister during the incident, but that she was not the driver.
A tearful Duch Sophea denied she drove her Lexus car to hit a police barricade near the stop light at Moha Montrey pagoda around 9:40 AM on 20 Feb. when driving from the west direction to the east. She said the story was not true. She said that she just returned back from Thailand when she heard this story about herself, in reality, she claimed she does not know anything about it.
The 20-year-old actress said that she is not alone in Phnom Penh to drive a Lexus car, she said that other people in Phnom Penh are also driving the same brand car, therefore this is a mix up.
According to the police authority, her claim is also in contradiction to the police declaration she gave where she said that she was not the driver of the Lexus car which hit the police barricade, it was her sister who was the driver. Currently, there are two lawsuit cases pending against Duch Sophea, one regarding the car chase after a motorcycle and the slapping of a school student, and the second case regarding the hitting of police barricades installed by traffic police officers. These were the reasons why she was asked to come to the police station for clarification on 21 Feb.
There are also rumors that Duch Sophea is maintained [as a mistress] by a high ranking government official who bought her the brand new car she is currently driving, that is why she is considered as very fast rising starlet. However, Duch Sophea denied the rumors: “If I am involved as the rumors claim, I would just sleep and eat, I would not have to earn a living acting under the heat of the sun which darkens my skin in order to film movies.” She said that in Cambodia nowadays, the sale of a plot of land would be enough for someone to buy a brand new car.
These incidents do not seem to affect her career. She is currently filming the movie “Pech Bovor Kanha” [Pech the beautiful girl] with the actor Chap Chean as the movie director. Furthermore, she also received an honor certificate for representing Cambodian actresses at the Thai film festival which she participated.
Duch Sophea just became famous recently, however, faced with innuendos, she did not feel good about it. She said: “since starting my acting career, I only encounter this type of bad stories. I do not like it, I just want to stop [acting].”
On 21 Feb. 2006, based on a police warrant, Duch Sophea and her sister Duch Samphoas was questioned at the police station. Police officers said that Duch Sophea and her sister were asked to come to the police station for questioning regarding the violence perpetrated on a school student as reported by the Phnom Penh mayor, and based on the order of the Phnom Penh police commissioner, following the report that Duch Sophea drove a white Lexus car with no license plate to chase and beat up a student from Wat Koh high school, she then also attempted to drive her car to hit police officers also. These bad incidents followed one another. A police officer said that on 16 Feb., following the beat up of Wat Koh students which caused a ruckus all over the city of Phnom Penh, Duch Sophea continued on and went to beat up another student from Sisowath high school also right under the eyes of Phnom Penh criminal police officers.
Duch Sophea and her sister, Duch Samphoas, showed up for criminal police questioning in Phnom Penh on 21 Feb., the pair was accompanied by Mrs. Pich Socheata, deputy Daun Penh district governor. It was not known if Pich Socheata was the protector of the pair or not, but she prevented news reporters from taking pictures of the sisters. She even threatened news reporters while the police officers were mocking her. It could be that the deputy governor received compensation for the sisters for her to come out and defend the sisters so ardently. News reporters spent almost five hours trying to obtain clarifications from Duch Sophea, but they were met by refusal and obstruction from the deputy governor instead. The deputy governor even threatened to use violence against the news reporters if they dare publish Duch Sophea’s story.
Police authority said that Duch Sophea could face legal action if she is sued by the victimized high school students, however, up to now, the police did not yet receive any complaint. The warrant for questioning was issued based on order from the Phnom Penh police commissioner after it was learnt that disorder was perpetrated against police officers. Koh Santepheap reporters had requested to meet the young actress but she denied that she perpetrated these incidents because, at the time the incidents occurred, she was in Thailand participating in a film festival under the invitation of the Thai ambassador in Cambodia. She claimed that herself, actor Yuthara Chhany, and actress Dy Savet also participated in the film festival, and that the two actors can be her witnesses. Regarding the 16 Feb. news reporting that the actress drove her Lexus car to chase and hit a student in front of Wat Koh high school, and that when she caught up with the student, she got out of the car to slap the student, she claimed that the driver of the car was her older sister who looks a lot like her, but that it was not her.
She said that on the morning of the incident, her sister drove the car chasing after a female student who beat up her niece, to ask her why she did so, and not to try to hit the student. When she caught up with the student around Wat Koh high school, Duch Sophea’s sister grabbed the hand of the student, but, the student started cursing her. Angered by the cursing, Duch Sophea’s older sister then slapped the student. Duch Sophea’s clarification contradicts with her police report where she indicated that she was also present with her older sister during the incident, but that she was not the driver.
A tearful Duch Sophea denied she drove her Lexus car to hit a police barricade near the stop light at Moha Montrey pagoda around 9:40 AM on 20 Feb. when driving from the west direction to the east. She said the story was not true. She said that she just returned back from Thailand when she heard this story about herself, in reality, she claimed she does not know anything about it.
The 20-year-old actress said that she is not alone in Phnom Penh to drive a Lexus car, she said that other people in Phnom Penh are also driving the same brand car, therefore this is a mix up.
According to the police authority, her claim is also in contradiction to the police declaration she gave where she said that she was not the driver of the Lexus car which hit the police barricade, it was her sister who was the driver. Currently, there are two lawsuit cases pending against Duch Sophea, one regarding the car chase after a motorcycle and the slapping of a school student, and the second case regarding the hitting of police barricades installed by traffic police officers. These were the reasons why she was asked to come to the police station for clarification on 21 Feb.
There are also rumors that Duch Sophea is maintained [as a mistress] by a high ranking government official who bought her the brand new car she is currently driving, that is why she is considered as very fast rising starlet. However, Duch Sophea denied the rumors: “If I am involved as the rumors claim, I would just sleep and eat, I would not have to earn a living acting under the heat of the sun which darkens my skin in order to film movies.” She said that in Cambodia nowadays, the sale of a plot of land would be enough for someone to buy a brand new car.
These incidents do not seem to affect her career. She is currently filming the movie “Pech Bovor Kanha” [Pech the beautiful girl] with the actor Chap Chean as the movie director. Furthermore, she also received an honor certificate for representing Cambodian actresses at the Thai film festival which she participated.
Duch Sophea just became famous recently, however, faced with innuendos, she did not feel good about it. She said: “since starting my acting career, I only encounter this type of bad stories. I do not like it, I just want to stop [acting].”
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