Original report from Phnom Penh
11 November 2008
A police general who served under the late Hok Lundy and is an in-law of Prime Minister Hun Sen has been selected to lead the nation’s police force, following a deadly helicopter crash Sunday.
Gen. Neth Savoeun, who has served in the police as well as the Ministry of Interior and is married to Hun Sen’s niece, was officially decreed as national police chief late Monday.
The former chief, Hok Lundy, a powerful Cambodian People’s Party general who continually faced allegations of serious human rights abuses, died Sunday night, when a helicopter transporting him to his home province of Svay Rieng crashed.
“King Norodom Sihamoni officially signed the decree to appoint Gen. Neth Savoeun late Monday as the national police chief to replace Hok Lundy,” Interior Ministry spokesman Lt. Gen. Khieu Sopheak said Tuesday. “I and all Cambodian police welcome the new appointment. Neth Savoeun has a lot of experience in the police.”
Neth Savoeun, 52, was police chief of Phnom Penh during the State of Cambodia, served as the head of the justice department in the Interior Ministry’s Penal Crimes Division after the 1993 elections, and recently became a deputy national police chief under Hok Lundy. He married Hun Sen’s niece, Hun Kimleng, in the early 1990s.
Contacted Tuesday, Neth Savoeun declined to comment on his appointment, saying he was busy with funeral ceremonies for Hok Lundy, who is scheduled to be buried in Svay Rieng’s Rumduol district Saturday.
“I’m not thinking about who [specifically] is appointed,” Chan Soveth, an investigator for the rights group Adhoc said. “But I want the person appointed as the new general of national police to have a good background, not to be involved in corruption, not be involved in human trafficking, or drug trafficking, or involved in killings. So I hope that the government has decided to appoint Neth Savoeun because his background is not involved in these.”
During his 14-year tenure as chief, Hok Lundy was accused of all these crimes, including collaboration in the 1997 grenade attack on opposition supporters, which killed 16 people, and extrajudicial killings during the 1997 CPP coup. He was denied US entry on suspicion of human trafficking in 2006, but had in recent years become an ally of the FBI for regional counterterrorism.
Under Hok Lundy, the national police force was routinely criticized for torture, corruption and abuse of power.
Kem Sokha, president of the Human Rights Party, said Neth Savoeun lacked qualifications.
“As I’ve known him before, he has not graduated from the Police Academy, and his rank comes from his relations to a high-ranking official, or nepotism,” said Kem Sokha, who was arrested by the national police in 2006 and spent 17 days in jail on charges of defamation.
Asked whether Neth Savoeun could reform the national police, Kem Sokha said, “I don’t think it depends on Neth Savoeun. Whatever the national police chief did before, it was dependent on the government. [Police] weren’t independently allowed to do anything.”
Gen. Neth Savoeun, who has served in the police as well as the Ministry of Interior and is married to Hun Sen’s niece, was officially decreed as national police chief late Monday.
The former chief, Hok Lundy, a powerful Cambodian People’s Party general who continually faced allegations of serious human rights abuses, died Sunday night, when a helicopter transporting him to his home province of Svay Rieng crashed.
“King Norodom Sihamoni officially signed the decree to appoint Gen. Neth Savoeun late Monday as the national police chief to replace Hok Lundy,” Interior Ministry spokesman Lt. Gen. Khieu Sopheak said Tuesday. “I and all Cambodian police welcome the new appointment. Neth Savoeun has a lot of experience in the police.”
Neth Savoeun, 52, was police chief of Phnom Penh during the State of Cambodia, served as the head of the justice department in the Interior Ministry’s Penal Crimes Division after the 1993 elections, and recently became a deputy national police chief under Hok Lundy. He married Hun Sen’s niece, Hun Kimleng, in the early 1990s.
Contacted Tuesday, Neth Savoeun declined to comment on his appointment, saying he was busy with funeral ceremonies for Hok Lundy, who is scheduled to be buried in Svay Rieng’s Rumduol district Saturday.
“I’m not thinking about who [specifically] is appointed,” Chan Soveth, an investigator for the rights group Adhoc said. “But I want the person appointed as the new general of national police to have a good background, not to be involved in corruption, not be involved in human trafficking, or drug trafficking, or involved in killings. So I hope that the government has decided to appoint Neth Savoeun because his background is not involved in these.”
During his 14-year tenure as chief, Hok Lundy was accused of all these crimes, including collaboration in the 1997 grenade attack on opposition supporters, which killed 16 people, and extrajudicial killings during the 1997 CPP coup. He was denied US entry on suspicion of human trafficking in 2006, but had in recent years become an ally of the FBI for regional counterterrorism.
Under Hok Lundy, the national police force was routinely criticized for torture, corruption and abuse of power.
Kem Sokha, president of the Human Rights Party, said Neth Savoeun lacked qualifications.
“As I’ve known him before, he has not graduated from the Police Academy, and his rank comes from his relations to a high-ranking official, or nepotism,” said Kem Sokha, who was arrested by the national police in 2006 and spent 17 days in jail on charges of defamation.
Asked whether Neth Savoeun could reform the national police, Kem Sokha said, “I don’t think it depends on Neth Savoeun. Whatever the national police chief did before, it was dependent on the government. [Police] weren’t independently allowed to do anything.”
It's always his family.
ReplyDeleteAh Scam Rainxy must stops set bad example for the Khmer government.
ReplyDeletethis guy 6:08 am,
ReplyDeleteneed to get a life trying to fool people. He must be thinking people are much stupid then he is.
you stupid f..k, do ma mai cong gak
LOL ,... HAHAHAHA
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete6:08 AM,
ReplyDeleteSam Rangsy made no comment in the article, and why you insult him?..
The same thing is to those who always keep criticize Hun Sen, no matter what he does...
Please be rational, my compatriots
6:08 am,
ReplyDeleteI had feeling that you are not a normal person.
And I believe you are Hun family.
This is not surprise me at all, most CPP people are uneducated.
ReplyDeleteWhy always complaint Hun Sen ? :)
ReplyDeletewhy don't you guys complaint Heng Samrin
and Chea Sim? Chea Sim is the chief of thieves.
What chea sim has done to Cambodia...?
What he got right now?
A lots of advantages...
Think about it... If i have done nothing.
So why should I have everything like Hun Sen ?
Hun Sen is bad.. Chea Sim too
One of the house of Heng Sarin is
in the territory of Yuons..
Heng Samrin, as the president of assembly, should
protect the property of Cambodia.
But He doesn't.
Go to hell Hok (60) Lundi (chan)..
which mean 60 moons (lauk ker).
That's why he did reach the 60...
That's tough to have 60 moons.. :)
Ah psychopath traitor Hun Sen must stops set bad example for the Khmer people.
ReplyDelete6:57 am,
ReplyDeleteBecause ah kwack Hun Sen and his families jointed
With ah Hok Landy to murder Cambodians innocent and
Stole country asset, all Cambodia forest was cut by ah kwack
Hun Sen and his CPP gangster, all Cambodia island sold to
foreign investor by ah kwack Hun Sen.
To all Cambodians in land,
ReplyDeleteDon’t let the bitch Hok Landy wife get away from what she did
to DJ Ano.
To all Cambodians in land,
ReplyDeleteI just receive e-mail say DJ Ano just pass away.
Don’t let the bitch Hok Landy wife and the four body guards get away
from what they had done to DJ Ano.
I dun care whoever becomes a top cop, most importantly will the Gen. performs a great job for his nation. he has benn a well-known police man for ages, lets have a go.
ReplyDeleteGood luck.
George.
At least General Hok Lundy got off his ass and tried to do things for the country- be it his good deeds or his faults. For the cowards talking shit about the late General just because you are hiding behind a computer screen thinking you are anonymous, grow up. I bet most of your sorry lives are spent living overseas, criticizing the people who are trying to make a difference. You don't know the guy. You want to make a difference, come to Cambodia. DO something about it. Cowards.
ReplyDeleteAnd you 9:00 AM, are not at all coward, just being an imbecile right? Such assumptions of yours just make an arse out of "YOU" not me. May you rot with HOK LUNDY of yours in hell sometime pretty soon...Fair enough imbecile?
ReplyDelete9:00 am, I haven't seen what your late general has done. Cambodia is worst than during Khmer Rouge Regime. All land and natural resources are gone. Just because you and your family get benefit or had been fed by his corrupt money. Why don't you joint him in hell?
ReplyDeleteCome on, 9:00am, many bloggers here are university students in Cambodia. Even if they don't hold fake PhDs like many of CPP's high-ranking officials, they have access to the Internet and can think for themselves. As far as they are concerned, these high-ranking CPP officials are shit-heads, who have done more harm than good to Cambodia. Our nation has developed this far because there are many good hard-working people who are striving against all odds: deforestation, land grabbing, theft of state properties, criminal acts with impunity, corruption, etc., carried out by those CPP shit-heads.
ReplyDeleteThe cowards are those who use the nation's security apparatus to commit violence against its own people. Hok Lundy learned this lesson the hard way that he was not more powerful than God. The other CPP shit-heads will be going down the same road: if not a helicopter crash, it would be either HIV-AIDS or Lexus/Land Cruiser crash. The criminal Lok Chumteavs who committed violence and murder against the victims of their husbands' lust will be going down the same road, no matter how many religious ceremonies they have done to ward off bad karma. Because their bad karma far outweighs their fake good deeds.
khmer now-and has been-concern is that the chief of police and in other power bodies of the state have strong affiliation with the ruling party, meaning that this practice can reflect to why all criminal acts so far could not be resolved? No culprits found whatsoever with the crimes we consider against people who are journalists, policticians or movie stars, which we believe the crimes committed by someone that the police has to arrest the culprits? And yesh so far "NO CULPRITS FOUND!!!"
ReplyDeleteWhat's da FUCK?
Dear all,
ReplyDeleteWe are all posting comments in here considerred as Educated People. In name of knowledge people, you guy used alot of unlistenable words. Please don't use your anger to damage your nationality reputation by using bad words like "A Kwack, Mi Chhake...). Your anger sound like ignorant words.
I am just advice you guy to be good Khmer with high education.
HASAMASA
Dear Gen. ****
ReplyDeletePlease stay relax in the HELL and wait for interrogation from YOUMREACH. please answer truely what you did. Don't be afraid, YOUMREACH will well judge while the World Arbitrators count not justified. Don't be so regret your money, LEXUS, Helicoper, Villa, ****, Casino, Drug and Gun. In the HELL there are alot of these things but you can only see, can no longer use them.
WE WAIT FOR YOU COME BACK TO EAT GOOD FOOD WHEN PCHOUM BEN next year'
BYE BYE
HASAMASA
Ah Kwak Hun Cent just installed his in-law to replace Khmaoch ah youn Huk Lundy, according to the public, said this guy no better than Kmaoch ah Hok Lundy. Which means 4 or 2 pairs.
ReplyDeleteWell, I can't ease my pain HASAMASA
if I use the nice word to the animals.
The language here most likely UNEDUCATED people who live abroad as there is no education or brainstorm. How do you help the country if you don't provide CONSTRUCTIVE comments.
ReplyDeleteLook! which Kheme people you think the best for any position! Is it Sam Rainxy? can you confirm that he can lead the country right now? I don't agree he can lead the country. but he may contribute just on economic section. This is just one part. Look at all angles of political chemistry.
Oh beu yuon vea samlab ov aeng, aeng nov tha: khjom orkun heuy dek kun dae bann samlab ov khjom, heuy taem tieng tuk jivit khjom teat.
ReplyDeleteorkun dek kun! is that what you want 1:30PM. I wish all these painful that my families and I went through, were happen to you, then let see how you feel?
Still waiting to hear the black box voice recording if they have one. I read the other day that the investigation was completed about the incident, to my surprise why it was so quick unless Hun Sen want Hok dead. I have seen Hun Sen latest pic and he doesn't look happy at all, he could have been pull aside and got a few slaps from Hanoi.
ReplyDeleteBy the look of it Hun Sen may want to make a move with Hanoi or is it too late now, since millions of illegal Vietnamese are here in Cambodia already. Hun Sen reign could come to an end soon but will see what happen. From the beginning if only Hun Sen had do good things to the country he would have been a great hero but now its too late. On other hand Hanoi wouldn't never allow Cambodia to progress or grow since they enjoy destroying and enrich themselves with Cambodia natural resources. Educate each others and good luck Cambodia................
Vea dak tae khnea vea aoy tveu te, ah neth savoeun nis keu moha bat day prolak chheam doch ah hok lundy icheung. Ti nis keu chea kanlaeng banh chenh matik yobol, khmean ah na ches xheang ah na te. Tuos rean dol thnak na ko daoy, aoy tae dol ko keu khmean peak piruos te, toe aeng dael leu monus che banh chaor khnea mean peak piruos te? boe min dael leu keu mean tae ah thlong tro chiek.
ReplyDeleteAh hun sen aoy khmuoy prosa vea tveu teat doem bey tub tul ning avey dael koet mean loeng chea yeaktha haet. Yeung pibak ning rok monus dael mean chet sloy doch khmae kraham nas, pruos yeung min men lngung 10 chit doch puok nung te, samlab mae ov aeng ko trov dae pruos chea khmaing. Boe mean monus baeb nung, prohael ah kvak min ach nov ban dol pel nis te. Nas hoey, cham meul tevada dak tos vea tov, vea prakod chea doch khnea icheung.
9:00am, speak for yourself assinine! YOU ARE NOT SO DIFFERENT FROM OTHER COMMENTORS IN THIS FORUM. If you're not hiding behind the screen, how would you able to make up your name.
ReplyDeleteGO FIND A HOK LUNDY'S DICK IN THE CRASH SITE, AND CHUMP DOWN WITH HOT SAUCE. YOU'LL LOVE EVEN MORE.
This is going to happen the way Saddam Hussein done too. Saddam Hussein doesn't trust anyone else beside his families and his tribal from his village. He scares and didn't trust no one beside his families. He have his cousins, in-laws and friends working under him. But like you all know, what goes up must comes down.
ReplyDeleteHun Sen can't trust anyone else beside his families. This will hurt him or them at the end and there will be no place in Cambodia for these people to take refuge when time comes.
Eventually the time will come, just soon or later.
Khmer Komsott,
Another Vietcong becomes the next Khmer killer.
ReplyDeleteI have nothing to say before people that have left Cambodia had not clue after the civil war. CPP have done alot to Cambodia. Rebuilding Cambodia.
ReplyDeletePeople that criticise Huk Lundy, Hun Sen, Chea Sim or Heng Somrin are those people that are not CAMBODIAN anymore. You have lost your mind and brainwashed. Dont go back to Cambodia becaue you dont belong there.
THINK ABOUT IT!!!
10:33 PM,
ReplyDeleteI think you have not travel abroad to see the the whole horizon cause you are living in the well like a frog that can only look up and only see the circle of the well.
If you can be out of the well and look around you will see the differences.
Konkhmer,
10:30 PM,
ReplyDeleteHow Hun Sen, Chea Sim and his culprits rebuiled Cambodia, you tell me. Beside, bringing Vietnamese to country and killed their own people to please Vietnam, destroyed national rain forest, corrupted the system, I see that you are more worst than Communist. Open your eyes, sucker, see the world turning, and don't get into dimensional that YOU ARE LIKE A FROG IN WELLS as well stated by 12:37 AM.
Khmer Long Beach
10:33PM,
ReplyDeleteDon't be optimistic about CPP!!! rebuilding or destroying you must learn. Think about the IMF pouring into Cambodia!!Where those money went? Money generated from tourism and others contributed to help where those money went? Let me tell you those money spit into two parts, A part were used to pay to the Vietnamese government and other part got into CPP's poket. the Vietnamese soldiers who died in Cambodia during warfare created huge amount of LIABILITY to Cambodia, those soldiers were not died for free, or they died to help Cambodia, but they died in Cambodia to create wealth to Vietnamese gorverment. Until today Hun Sen or CPP are the party that is liable to Vietnamese gov. To clear those account, 10:33PM, you need to join the revolution..work to destroy the CPP or BE VIETNAMES'S FACTOR.
Khmer Long Beach
ខួបឯករាជ្យទី ៥៥ (៩ វិច្ឆិកា ១៩៥៣-៩ វិច្ឆិកា ២០០៨) ជាទិវាឯករាជ្យ របស់ប្រទេសខ្មែរ ពីអាណានិគមបារាំង។ ខួបឯករាជ្យទី ៥៥ នេះ ជាមហាជោគជ័យ សំរាប់កូនខ្មែរ ដែល អាពេជ្ឈឃាដឃោរឃៅ ឈ្មោះហុក ឡងឌីបានត្រូវ ងាប់តៃហោង ដោយ រន្ទះបាញ់យន្តហោះកន្ទុំរុយ។
ReplyDeleteឮដំណឹងអាហុក ឡងឌីងាប់តៃហោង, ប្រជាពលរដ្ឋខ្មែរ នៅគ្រប់ទិសទី លើពិភពលោក បានទូរសព្ទ ប្រាប់ដំណឹងគ្នីគ្នា ជប់លៀង ផឹកស្រាទំពាំងបាយជូ យ៉ាងរីករាយ អបអរ ការងាប់តៃហោង អាហុក ឡងឌី។