Cambodian authorities arrest 2 suspected of planting homemade bombs
(Kyodo) - Cambodian authorities have arrested two people suspected of planting homemade bombs in the Cambodian capital and hope three more suspects will be arrested soon, a senior police official told Kyodo News on Tuesday.
"Two suspects were arrested yesterday, and now we are filing the case to the court," Chhay Sinarith, director of the Police General Information Department, said.
He said the suspects, identified as Son Than, 42, a motorcycle taxi driver, and Kim Toeun, 52, a construction worker, claim to belong to the Kampuchea Krom Front, which they say wants to "liberate Kampuchea Krom from Vietnam."
Kampuchea Krom, once one part of Cambodia, was ceded to Vietnam in 1949 and since then organizations and communities based there and abroad have accused Vietnam of mistreating Khmers in the region.
The Kampuchea Krom Front is, however, "small and is not harmful to the country and the people of Cambodia," Chhay Sinarith said. "They were intending to destroy the Statue of Friendship between Cambodia and Vietnam."
One of three homemade bombs packed with TNT in buckets exploded at the statue at about 5:20 a.m. Sunday, slightly damaging it.
Two other bombs were defused.
The statue, built in 1989, is several hundred meters away from Cambodia's Royal Palace.
After the 1998 general election, opposition protesters who accused Prime Minister Hun Sen of being too close to Vietnam attacked the statue with axes and gasoline, destroying part of it.
It was later restored.
"Two suspects were arrested yesterday, and now we are filing the case to the court," Chhay Sinarith, director of the Police General Information Department, said.
He said the suspects, identified as Son Than, 42, a motorcycle taxi driver, and Kim Toeun, 52, a construction worker, claim to belong to the Kampuchea Krom Front, which they say wants to "liberate Kampuchea Krom from Vietnam."
Kampuchea Krom, once one part of Cambodia, was ceded to Vietnam in 1949 and since then organizations and communities based there and abroad have accused Vietnam of mistreating Khmers in the region.
The Kampuchea Krom Front is, however, "small and is not harmful to the country and the people of Cambodia," Chhay Sinarith said. "They were intending to destroy the Statue of Friendship between Cambodia and Vietnam."
One of three homemade bombs packed with TNT in buckets exploded at the statue at about 5:20 a.m. Sunday, slightly damaging it.
Two other bombs were defused.
The statue, built in 1989, is several hundred meters away from Cambodia's Royal Palace.
After the 1998 general election, opposition protesters who accused Prime Minister Hun Sen of being too close to Vietnam attacked the statue with axes and gasoline, destroying part of it.
It was later restored.
4 comments:
Lenine statu was came down by the people of Russia!
A kwack where is your statu?
thats right my brother, if hun sen dare put up one. that one will come down. anything relating to youn shall come down too, only matter of times.
Our prediction is not wrong...it is near election day that the game of Hun Sen leadership is starting. Most of their effective game to destroy suspects and opponents is to make chaos and insecurity to arrest and injail all those Khmer Kampuchea krom and democratic movements...
So Cambodian people are aware about this...
The three suspects were arrested is khmer krom,any body know how to provide information about independent court or better court than Hun Sen Court because cambodian do not
trust this corrupt system court it won't be a fair trial only thing that I know they set up ,or the plays.
Koun khmer pheas khloun
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