Phnom Penh (Cambodia). 9/12/2008: OM Yeng Tieng, Head of the Anti-Corruption Unit at the Council of Ministers, talking at the International Anti- Corruption Day celebrations. (Photo: John Vink/ Magnum)09-12-2008
By Duong Sokha
Ka-set in English
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December 9th being the International Anti-Corruption Day, the Coalition of civil society organisations, leading a fight against corruption, repeated in front of an audience gathering more than 200 students, monks and organisation members in Wat Phnom, Phnom Penh, its appeal to the government to adopt as soon as possible the promised and awaited anti-corruption legislation.
In the audience, Om Yintieng, choice spectator for the event. Head of the Anti-Corruption Unit at the Council of Ministers, a governmental organisation, Om Yintieng tried to reassure NGOs about the government's determination to enforce the law. But, he precised, this will only happen once the bill has been thoroughly examined, and once the new Penal Code is adopted.
Om Yintieng then presented the assessment of the progress of his two year-old unit, because “some asked me why I had not publicised my report yet, when I did it at a press conference...”. He admitted first that his unit “has not done much since its creation” and then pointed out that their “white box”, a box meant for people to post denunciations of corruption cases, only received “60 letters” in the space of two years, out of which 80% were signed by their authors.
“Thirty-six of these letters gave way to investigations, now over, 2 have been returned to sender [because off-topic], 3 have been transferred to the concerned authorities, and 19 are still being examined.”
A “special operation”, in Om Yintieng's own words, was launched after the investigations of cases of corruption were carried out. It led to the dismissal of six province civil servants by under-decree of the government, and the lay-off of a “representative and his team of customs officers at the border”, he said, without adding more details on the case. He stressed that two or three months ago, the Cambodian justice condemned four “people” to serve 4 years in prison and two others to serve a six-year sentence in jail, on grounds of corruption.
Om Yintieng, speaking to young students in the audience, explained that drafting laws was not as easy as pie and that the struggle against corruption appeared to be complicated, since “solid evidence before the tribunal” is required in order for the accused to be indicted. He also insisted on another problem which adds to the complicated aspect of the struggle: witnesses for the prosecution who retract, fearing retaliation on the part of the charged persons.
In the audience, Om Yintieng, choice spectator for the event. Head of the Anti-Corruption Unit at the Council of Ministers, a governmental organisation, Om Yintieng tried to reassure NGOs about the government's determination to enforce the law. But, he precised, this will only happen once the bill has been thoroughly examined, and once the new Penal Code is adopted.
Om Yintieng then presented the assessment of the progress of his two year-old unit, because “some asked me why I had not publicised my report yet, when I did it at a press conference...”. He admitted first that his unit “has not done much since its creation” and then pointed out that their “white box”, a box meant for people to post denunciations of corruption cases, only received “60 letters” in the space of two years, out of which 80% were signed by their authors.
“Thirty-six of these letters gave way to investigations, now over, 2 have been returned to sender [because off-topic], 3 have been transferred to the concerned authorities, and 19 are still being examined.”
A “special operation”, in Om Yintieng's own words, was launched after the investigations of cases of corruption were carried out. It led to the dismissal of six province civil servants by under-decree of the government, and the lay-off of a “representative and his team of customs officers at the border”, he said, without adding more details on the case. He stressed that two or three months ago, the Cambodian justice condemned four “people” to serve 4 years in prison and two others to serve a six-year sentence in jail, on grounds of corruption.
Om Yintieng, speaking to young students in the audience, explained that drafting laws was not as easy as pie and that the struggle against corruption appeared to be complicated, since “solid evidence before the tribunal” is required in order for the accused to be indicted. He also insisted on another problem which adds to the complicated aspect of the struggle: witnesses for the prosecution who retract, fearing retaliation on the part of the charged persons.
8 comments:
Ong Ying Tieng, Ieng Ying Tong
sikroa knong, Litt kdett Hun Xen.
You can't fight corruption now, cos the CPPs needs more money to fill up their piggy bank. When its full they will implement anti corruption law so the rest of you poor bastard Cambodians can work hard and pay off dept that they left for you.
They had lied more than decade, if continue to loie one more decade, it wnon't be matter at all. And the donor-countries will keep giving this Mafia state government more and more monies, because for their own interests too.
ah om yeingtieng, how can you fight against your own corrupt self ? corruption commission chaired by ah yuon om yientien ? just like human rioghts commission he has been chairing so far , any postiive out come ? not one culprits has been brought to justice. good show.
No government in the world are corruption gratis, let alone the Cambodia. But its record is amongst the inferior, that is the concern!
Nonsense, when 1 guy got caught corrupted, it mean s40-50 of them got away with the crime. Now if we were to compare the US to Cambodia, it is clear that Cambodia is at least 3 times less corrupted than the US.
i think what people tend to miss is the fact that corruption is in the society, not just any one individual. thus, it is society as well ought to be educated about the course of anti-corruption as well. but people in cambodia always look up to their leaders, thus they tend to blame the leadership more. but, the reality is that society at large is whatever corrupted, espeicially in the way people do businesses in asia, not just in cambodia.
cambodia should introduce a new, never-before course in school to educated children, people, etc... about anti-corruption and what it can do cause unequality, injustice, damage, etc... to cambodia. where are the sociologists? cambodia cries for their help!! thank you and god bless cambodia.
It's okay. We are not infidel or Nazi. We don't have to follow them.
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