Phnom Penh eyesore monument: Two more Khmer Krom arrested and charged with terrorism

Police checking the explosive near the Cambodian-Vietnamese Friendship monument (Photo: RFA)

2 men arrested and charged with setting up explosives

18 August 2007
By Sok Serey
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

On Saturday, the Phnom Penh municipal court officially charged two more suspects involved in terrorist activity to set up explosive on 29 July, in a failed attempt to destroy the Cambodian-Vietnamese monument in Phnom Penh.

According to one source, the two suspects are: 31-year-old Soeung Vy, and 32-year-old Lim Phen, both are Khmer Kampuchea Krom currently living in Chamcar Chek village, Treng Troyoeung commune, Phnom Sruoch district, Kompong Speu province.

Sok Roeun, the deputy prosecutor of the Phnom Penh municipal court, confirmed to RFA that the two men were already charged by the court for terrorism as the other suspects were previously charged also. He indicated that two will be sent to the Prey Sar jail, and that Ker Sakhorn, the investigating judge, will pursue the investigation into this case.

Chhay Sinarith, director of the central security information of the Ministry of Interior, told RFA, on Saturday, that five arrests were made on terrorist suspects who used TNT explosive. They are involved with the Khmer Kampuchea Krom Liberation Front led my Mr. Thach Sang who currently lived in the US.

Chhay Sinarith indicated that the arrest of the 2 new suspects was based on confession made by Sok Kim Sovath, another suspect arrested on Thursday. “The remaining of the group, the location where the explosive was made, when they were brought in, they confessed,” Chhay Sinarith said.

30-year-old Lim Vanny, who lives in Chamcar Chek village, told RFA that Soeung Vy, her husband, is Khmer Kampuchea Krom, and that Lim Phen is her older cousin and he is Khmer Kampuchea Krom also. They were both arrested at the same time. “It’s very unfair, extremely unfair, there’s no reason for him to take such action,” Lim Vanny protested.

Ang Chanrith, the executive director of the Khmer Kampuchea Krom Human Rights Defense organization, reacted by saying: “On these charges, we ask that the government investigates properly first before sentencing them.”

Since the failed attempt to set up TNT explosion at the Cambodian-Vietnamese Friendship monument, on 29 July, the authority immediately seek for an immediate arrest of 5 suspects: Soeung Than, Kim Sophat, Sok Kim Sovath, and the 2 most recent ones, Soeung Vy and Lim Phen.

Thach Sang, the former president of the Khmer Kampuchea Krom Liberation Front, who currently lives in the US, reacted (to accusations leveled by the Cambodian government against him) by telling RFA from the US, on Friday, that he is not involved with the suspects arrested by the authority. He said that he has no such movement set up.

Cambodia arrests third Vietnam memorial bomb suspect

August 17, 2007

Police in Cambodia's Battambang province have arrested a third suspect in last month's failed attempt to blow up the Cambodia-Vietnam friendship monument in Phnom Penh, local media reported Friday.

Sok Kim Sovath, a 51-year-old Khmer Krom man, was arrested Tuesday evening at his home in Kdol Tahem commune, Bavel district police chief Ou Proeung was quoted by the Cambodia Daily newspaper as saying.

Chhay Sinarith, director of the Interior Ministry's Central Information Department, alleged that Sok Kim Sovath was a leader of the bombing attempt, which took place July 29, the newspaper said.

Sok Kim Sovath was involved in the leading, participation, ordering and carrying the explosives to the place at the monument, Chhay Sinarith said.

One smaller device exploded in the incident, which did no damage to the monument, while larger bombs failed to go off and were made safe by bomb disposal experts.

The two other suspects in the bombing attempt, who are both also Khmer Krom, were charged with terrorism and illegal use of explosives on Aug. 1, two days after being arrested in Phnom Penh.

Source: Xinhua

A third Khmer Krom suspect arrested in the bombing of the Phnom Penh Eyesore monument

Phnom Penh's eyesore monument, sometimes known as the Cambodian-Vietnamese Friendship monument (Photo: Reuters)

Friday, August 17, 2007
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

Another suspect was arrested by the police for involvement in setting up explosives at the Vietnam-Cambodia Friendship monument in Phnom Penh. Sok Kim Sovath, a 51-year-old Khmer Krom man, was arrested on 14 August 2007, in O’Daun Pov village, Kdol Ta Hen commune, Borvel district, Battambang province. In his arrest warrant, Sok Kim Sovath is accused of illegal contribution to a terrorist act by using explosives at the Vietnam-Cambodia Friendship monument in Phnom Penh city on 29 July 2007. Nevertheless, an Adhoc human rights official is concerned that this arrest was made without sufficient proof to charge the accused man. The Adhoc official said that all those who were arrested are Khmer Krom people who used to protest against the Vietnamese authority which oppresses Khmer Krom to prevent them from expressing their opinions. The Adhoc official told the Rasmei Kampuchea that he does not support people involved in illegal acts, but he said that justice and human rights must be respected.

Men Charged With Terrorism In Failed Bomb Plot

2007-08-02
By SOPHENG CHEANG
AP

PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA: A Cambodian court charged two men with terrorism Wednesday (August 1st) in connection with a recently failed plot to blow up a monument in the heart of the country's capital, officials said.

Sok Roeun, a prosecutor at Phnom Penh Municipal Court, said he charged Kem Toeun, 53, and Son Than, 42, with terrorism, which carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

Police arrested the two men Monday (July 30th), a day after explosives disposal experts defused bombs planted at the city's Cambodia-Vietnam friendship monument, said police Maj. Gen. Chhay Sinarith, who is chief of the Interior Ministry's information department.

"Their main purpose was to destroy the monument because it is a symbol of good relations between the Cambodian and Vietnamese governments," Chhay Sinarith said, adding police were looking for more plotters.

The three homemade bombs found Sunday (July 29th) _ made of a mixture of TNT and fertilizer packed in three buckets _ were planted at a monument dedicated to Vietnamese soldiers who invaded Cambodia to topple the Khmer Rouge in 1979.

The monument is located in a park about 500 meters (yards) from the southern wall of the Royal Palace, where King Norodom Sihamoni and his parents live.

The monument was erected by a pro-Vietnamese Cambodian government nearly 20 years ago.

Both arrested men are members of the Khmer Kampuchea Krom Liberation Front, said Chhay Sinarith. He said the group is based outside Cambodia and advocates taking back territory in southern Vietnam that used to belong to Cambodia.

Many Cambodians resent neighboring Vietnam, which is a traditional enemy that they feel has designs on their country's land. But government-to-government relations are good _ Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen was originally part of a puppet regime installed by Hanoi after the Vietnamese invasion.

Hun Sen's political opponents view the monument as a symbol of a humiliating decade-long occupation by Vietnamese troops following their invasion.

Protesters partially destroyed it during an anti-government demonstration in 1998.

The monument was later restored, and visiting Vietnamese leaders often go there to pay respects to their fallen soldiers.

VN embassy congratulates its Phnom Penh hunting dogs for the swift arrest of suspects in the bombing attempt on the Eyesore Monument

Vietnamese embassy congratulates the Cambodian authority’s work

01 August 2007
By Sary Roat
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy

Trinh Ba Kim, spokesman of the Vietnamese embassy in Cambodia, immediately congratulated the swift success of the Cambodian authority which took only 2-day to arrest 2 suspects in the attempt to bomb the Cambodian-Vietnamese memorial monument.

Trinh Ba Kim said: “This is an effort of the Cambodian police force to search for the suspects.”

RFA’s Sok Serei reported yesterday that the two arrested are: Son Than also known as Kim Sophat, a 40-year-old Cambodian man from Kampuchea Krom, and Kim Toeun, a 53-year-old former Khmer Rouge soldier. The two were accused by the authority of belonging to the Khmer Kampuchea Krom Liberation Front led by Thach Sang.

Nevertheless, Admiral Thach Sang, the (former) commander of the Cambodian Navy, and former Funcinpec MP, rejected his involvement in this activity.

Thach Sang said: “I am totally rejecting all these accusations because I resigned from the Khmer Kampuchea Krom Liberation Front (KKLF) since 20 March 2003 because my child had cancer and needed to stay at the hospital. Therefore, I was very busy and I decided to resign from the presidency of the KKLF. Since then, I was never involved in any activity related to Khmer Kampuchea Krom movements at all, I am living as a refugee in the USA only.”

Admiral Thach Sang called on the Cambodian government to review its accusation because it creates fear among all Khmer Krom people who are already suffering from oppression.

Thach Sang said: “I am asking the royal government of Cambodia to please investigate again. Please do not accuse without any basis. As a government which serves the interest of Khmer people, please do not oppress your own Khmer people. Khmer Krom brothers and sisters always have hope that the royal government of Cambodia is their second refuge, their second birthplace. When Cambodia suffers, Khmer Krom people also suffer, when Cambodia has peace, Khmer Krom people also have peace. Therefore, as a Khmer Krom person, I am always grateful to the people in the Kingdom of Cambodia.”

Cambodian men charged with terrorism in failed bomb plot

Wednesday, August 1, 2007
The Associated Press

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia: A Cambodian court charged two men with terrorism Wednesday in connection with a recently failed plot to blow up a monument in the heart of the country's capital, officials said.

Sok Roeun, a prosecutor at Phnom Penh Municipal Court, said he charged Kem Toeun, 53, and Son Than, 42, with terrorism, which carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

Police arrested the two men Monday, a day after explosives disposal experts defused bombs planted at the city's Cambodia-Vietnam friendship monument, said police Maj. Gen. Chhay Sinarith, who is chief of the Interior Ministry's information department.

"Their main purpose was to destroy the monument because it is a symbol of good relations between the Cambodian and Vietnamese governments," Chhay Sinarith said, adding police were looking for more plotters.

The three homemade bombs found Sunday — made of a mixture of TNT and fertilizer packed in three buckets — were planted at a monument dedicated to Vietnamese soldiers who invaded Cambodia to topple the Khmer Rouge in 1979.

The monument is located in a park about 500 meters (yards) from the southern wall of the Royal Palace, where King Norodom Sihamoni and his parents live.

The monument was erected by a pro-Vietnamese Cambodian government nearly 20 years ago.

Both arrested men are members of the Khmer Kampuchea Krom Liberation Front, said Chhay Sinarith. He said the group is based outside Cambodia and advocates taking back territory in southern Vietnam that used to belong to Cambodia.

Many Cambodians resent neighboring Vietnam, which is a traditional enemy that they feel has designs on their country's land. But government-to-government relations are good — Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen was originally part of a puppet regime installed by Hanoi after the Vietnamese invasion.

Hun Sen's political opponents view the monument as a symbol of a humiliating decade-long occupation by Vietnamese troops following their invasion.

Protesters partially destroyed it during an anti-government demonstration in 1998.

The monument was later restored, and visiting Vietnamese leaders often go there to pay respects to their fallen soldiers.

Welcome to Cambodia, the only country in the world with "moto doop" and "construction worker" terrorists ... and a former terrorist KRouge as PM

August 01, 2007
Monument explosion suspects labeled as terrorists

Two caught suspects have confessed over trying to explode the Cambodian-Vietnamese Friendship Monument by planting three homemade bombs nearby and were labeled as terrorists, police source said on Tuesday in Phnom Penh.

The suspects were identified as Kim Soeun, 53, construction worker living in Phnom Penh who used to be a Democratic Kampuchea (DK) soldier and member of the Khmer Krom Liberation Front (KKLF), and Chhim Sophan, 52, also member of KKLF, according to Chhay Sinarith, information department official at the Interior Ministry.

Their act aimed at ruining the Cambodian-Vietnamese relations, Chhay said, adding that the attempted explosion also threatened the stability of the Cambodian society.

The suspects had prepared their plans to destroy two locations in Phnom Penh, with the other place in the Taupi area (KI-Media note: Two lions area), and their master and financial supporter lived in the United States, the official quoted their confessions as saying.

"Their acts are terrorism" and "we will sent them to court tomorrow," he added.

The three poor-quality bombs were laid late Saturday at the foot of the Cambodia-Vietnam Friendship Monument. One exploded at around 05:15 a.m. local time on Sunday morning, though no one was injured and the statue not damaged. Bomb disposal experts from the Cambodian Mine Action Center later disabled the two remaining devices.

Source: Xinhua

Like Hun Sen, city officials no longer have weekends off, police must stand guard at the Eyesore Monument 24/7: Kep Chuktema

Police ordered to stand guards at the monument 24/7

Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Koh Santepheap newspaper
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

The Ministry of Interior (MoI) police indicated that the group of terrorists which mixed TNT powder with fertilizer to destroy the memorial monument for the volunteer Vietnamese army, on Sunday morning, has not been arrested yet, and that the police is still searching for their identities. At the same time, the Daun Penh district security force, in cooperation with the Phnom Penh city police, are protecting this monument 24/7, and at night time, there are more restrictions imposed on people walking across the monument.

6 witnesses who knew somewhat (what’s going on) prior to the explosion at the monument were questioned at the Chaktokmouk police station, but they were all released. An official from the Daun Penh district office said that in the morning of 30 July 2007, the district office ordered 12 security officers from the district to stand guard 24/7 at the monument, in cooperation with the Phnom Penh police.

Kep Chuktema, the Phnom Penh city governor, issued strict order to the city police and military police forces, and the 7 district governors, to pay attention and to provide even more protection to the security and safety in their local areas, in order to protect the security and safety of dweller in the Phnom Penh city. During a monthly meeting at the city hall in the morning of 30 July 2007, Kep Chuktema reminded that on Sunday 29 July, “our enemies” attempted to set up explosive at the memorial monument for the volunteer Vietnamese army, located in front Wat Botum pagoda, in Daun Penh district, in order to trip the Cambodian government, but they did not succeed.

Kep Chuktema also said that the district governors are not allowed to leave their localities, and that they should follow the good example set by prime minister Hun Sen who never dare go anywhere, even on a Sunday, and when the incident took place, he immediately ordered the fight against such action. Therefore, district governors, police and military police officers must follow the example set by Hun Sen, and they should not be concerned about Saturdays or Sundays, even though everybody wants to get some rest. From now on, all district governors, department directors, before going anywhere, they must ask their permissions in writing and send this request to the city for approval. Kep Chuktema said that the city does not prevent a rest on Saturdays and Sundays, but they should not take a rest every single week.

Kep Chuktema warned that from now, there will no longer be Saturdays and Sundays off for district governors, and as representatives of the authority, they should be ready at all time, and that if they want their Saturdays and Sundays off, they should work elsewhere. This is a noticeable order (indeed!).

The hunt for the suspects

According to various sources on information which the police still keep secret, it was learnt that the hunt for the identity of the suspects took place since the evening of 29 July and it continued on until 30 July. However, an official close to the hunt indicated that, regarding the name of suspect, a number the documents have been gathered, but the authority is not sure yet about his identification. Nevertheless, the official involved indicated that the search is already 70% completed.

Two Held in Vietnamese Friendship Bombing Probe [-The bombing is a pretext to arrest Khmer Krom?]

Cheab Mony, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
31 July 2007

Police have arrested two Khmer Kampuchea Krom suspects following a blast at the Vietnamese Friendship Monument in Phnom Penh Sunday.

Kim Toeun, 53, a construction worker and former Khmer Rouge brigade chief, and Son Than, 42, of unknown profession, are being held in Phnom Penh.

Both were once members of the Khmer Kampuchea Krom Liberation Front, said Ministry of Interior chief of information, Chhay Sinarith.

Police compared the act, which left behind two unexploded TNT-fertilizer bombs, to political activities such as those conducted by the Cambodian Freedom Fighters, who had a shootout with police in Phnom Penh in November 2000.

Chhay Sinarith called the incident a political threat to the Cambodian government but stopped short of calling it a terrorist attack.

"We see that the characteristics are not of a terrorist nature like in other countries, [especially] in the Middle East," he said. "We see that those explosions caused people's deaths. But these activities are more political in nature."

In recent weeks members of the Khmer Krom ethnic minority have complained of discrimination and detention in Vietnam.

The rights of the group has been at the center of several violent demonstrations lately, and one Khmer Krom monk recently disappeared after being defrocked in what rights groups fear was a forced expulsion to Vietnam.

As expected, police blame and arrest Khmer Krom people for the bombing of the Phnom Penh Eyesore Friensdhip Monument

July 31, 2007
Cambodian police catch 2, hunt for 3 suspects of failed monument explosions

Cambodian police have caught two suspects and were still hunting for three others for Sunday's failed explosions at the Cambodia-Vietnam Friendship Monument, police source said on Tuesday.

The arrested ones, all Kampuchea Kroms, planted three homemade bombs at the base of the monument in Phnom Penh on Saturday night in order to destroy the building, the source said on condition of anonymity.

They would be sent to court for trials soon, the source added.

The three poor-quality bombs were laid late Saturday at the foot of the Cambodia-Vietnam Friendship Monument. One exploded at around 05:15 a.m. on Sunday morning, though no one was injured and the statue not damaged. Bomb disposal experts from the Cambodian Mine Action Center later disabled the two remaining devices.

Kampuchea Kroms are those living on the border land that originally belonged to Cambodia but later was claimed by Vietnam.

They used to stage protests in Cambodia, asking for various rights and statues.

Source: Xinhua

2 Members of the alleged "Kampuchea Krom Front" arrested for bombing the Eyesore Friendship Monument

Tuesday July 31, 2007
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.

Cambodian police was given a "light" to find the bombing prepetrators of the Eyesore Monument in PPenh -Thank you for the "light" Uncle Ho!

July 31, 2007
Cambodian police confident in bomb investigation

Police officials investigating the source of three homemade bombs planted before a monument here are confident in the investigation's progress so far, local media said on Tuesday.

Deputy National Police Commissioner Sok Phal told Cambodian-language newspaper the Kampuchea Thmey that he has plenty of witnesses and enough evidence to find the perpetrators.

Lieutenant General Khieu Sopheak, spokesman for the Interior Ministry, said that authorities have a number of leads to investigate and that the investigation is progressing well.

"We have already traced the activities and a light has been given to us," he was quoted by English-language newspaper the Cambodia Daily as saying.

The three bombs were laid late Saturday at the foot of the Cambodia-Vietnam Friendship monument. One exploded at around 05:15 am on Sunday morning, though no one was injured and the statue not damaged. Bomb disposal experts from the Cambodian Mine Action Centre later disabled the two remaining devices.

Source: Xinhua

Explosive at the Cambodia-VN friendship eyesore monument could increase security pressure on Khmer Krom people

Cambodian soldiers carry sandbags for explosive experts to prepare to defuse bombs at Cambodia-Vietnam friendship monument in Phnom Penh on Sunday.

Suspected Bomb Explodes Near Vietnamese Friendship Monument

Cheab Mony, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
30 July 2007

The national police were following several leads Monday, following an explosion near the Vietnamese Friendship Monument in Phnom Penh Sunday morning, a spokesman said.

The explosion came from one of three homemade bombs planted in barrels near the monument, which stands in a grassy park near the National Assembly complex.

The two remaining bombs had to be diffused by experts from the Cambodian Mine Action Committee later Sunday. Officials said they contained TNT powder and fertilizer.

No one was injured in the blast, and nothing was damaged.

"We have a lead," Interior Ministry spokesman Khieu Sopheak said Monday. He declined to give the names of suspects. "We only have a light for the lead to the suspect's arrest. When we arrest the suspect, we will ask him, and he will tell us who is behind it."

A human rights worker said Monday he was concerned the explosion could increase the security pressures on members of the Khmer Kampuchea Krom, who have been protesting in recent weeks following the disappearance of monk Tim Sakhorn. Tim Sakhorn was defrocked in June for allegedly stirring unrest against Vietnam. He has not been seen since, and rights groups fear he was forcibly sent to Vietnam.

"I am concerned about yesterday's explosion, said Ou Vireak, director of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights. "I am concerned especially because it puts pressure on a number of people protesting the lack of freedom of the Khmer Kampuchea Krom."

Phnom Penh police commissioner Touch Naroth declined comment Monday, but told reporters on Sunday after the blast he would seek clear evidence before commenting.

Additional photos from the Phnom Penh Monument of Disgrace

Cambodian landmine and explosive experts examine bombs in black plastic bags as they prepare to defuse them at the Cambodia-Vietnam friendship monument in Phnom Penh July 29, 2007. A bomb exploded at the monument in Phnom Penh on Sunday, forcing the evacuation of a public park where two other devices were found and defused, police said. The 10-kg bomb detonated around dawn, causing no injuries and little damage to the stone statue erected after Vietnam's invasion of Cambodia and defeat of the Khmer Rouge in 1979. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

Smoke rises from an explosion after Cambodian landmine and explosive experts defused a bomb at the Cambodia-Vietnam friendship monument in Phnom Penh July 29, 2007. A bomb exploded at the monument in Phnom Penh on Sunday, forcing the evacuation of a public park where two other devices were found and defused, police said. The 10-kg bomb detonated around dawn, causing no injuries and little damage to the stone statue erected after Vietnam's invasion of Cambodia and defeat of the Khmer Rouge in 1979. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

Someone wants to remove the Phnom Penh Eyesore Monument dedicated to the Vietnamese invasion

Eyesore in the city of Phnom Penh: The Cambodia-Vietnam Friendship Monument built in the late 1970s by the communist regime which took power after the Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia. The monument is located in the centre of Phnom Penh not far from the Royal Palace. (Photo: Wikipedia)

Three explosives found at Cambodia-Vietnam monument

29 Jul 2007
The Times of India

PHNOM PENH: A homemade explosive device went off at a friendship monument in Cambodia on Sunday, police said.

Three devices were found at the Cambodian-Vietnamese Friendship Monument in Phnom Penh, police said, but no one was injured. The device did not appear to contain any shrapnel, police said.

"It seems intentional," said Phnom Penh Police Chief Touch Narot. There is still-strong anti-Vietnamese sentiment in Cambodia, fuelled by resentment over neighboring Vietnam's past territorial expansions.

Vietnam invaded Cambodia in 1978, ousted Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge regime and occupied the country for a decade.

Although Vietnamese forces withdrew in 1989, many Cambodians are suspicious of Hanoi's intentions, fearing it wants to take Cambodian territory again.

Explosives experts defuse bombs in Cambodian capital

Sunday, July 29, 2007
The Associated Press

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia: Explosives experts prevented homemade bombs from going off on Sunday at a controversial monument in the heart of the Cambodian capital, officials said.

The bombs, a mixture of TNT and fertilizer packed in three buckets, were planted at a monument dedicated to Vietnamese soldiers who invaded Cambodia to topple the Khmer Rouge in 1979.

The monument is located in a park about 500 meters (yards) from the southern wall of the Royal Palace, where King Norodom Sihamoni and his parents live.

"If we had not succeeded in destroying the bombs, that monument would have collapsed," Hok Lundy, Cambodia's national police chief, told reporters.

The monument was erected by a communist Cambodian government nearly 20 years ago.

Political opponents of Prime Minister Hun Sen, who was also prime minister of the Vietnamese-installed government, view the monument as a symbol of a decade-long occupation of Cambodia by Vietnamese troops following the invasion.

Suon Rindy, deputy cabinet chief of the Phnom Penh Municipality, called the failed bomb attack an "act of sabotage that was aimed at stirring up the political climate" in Cambodia.

He declined to speculate on the motives behind the act, citing an ongoing investigation.

Protesters partially destroyed it during a postelection protest in 1998.

The monument was restored later, and Vietnamese leaders often go to pay respects to their fallen soldiers during visits to Cambodia.

"Since the bombs were planted at the monument, they were clearly intended to destroy it. If the plotters just wanted to create some noise, they would not have had to place the bombs here," said Touch Naroth, the capital's police chief.

He said police flocked to the site after the fuse of one of the bombs exploded at around 5:30 a.m. (0030 GMT), but it failed to set off the full blast.

Mine-clearers used ropes to tie up the explosives and dragged them off the middle platform of the monument to the ground. The fuse for the second bomb went off but caused no damage or injury.

They later set up a sandbagged bunker to detonate the third and last bomb.

Bomb hits Cambodia-Vietnam statue in Phnom Penh

Smoke rises from an explosion after Cambodian landmine and explosive experts defused a bomb at a Cambodia-Vietnam friendship monument in Phnom Penh July 29, 2007. A bomb exploded at the monument in Phnom Penh on Sunday, forcing the evacuation of a public park where two other devices were found and defused, police said. The 10-kg bomb detonated around dawn, causing no injuries and little damage to the stone statue erected after Vietnam's invasion of Cambodia and defeat of the Khmer Rouge in 1979. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

Sunday, July 29, 2007

PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - A bomb exploded at a Cambodia-Vietnam friendship monument in Phnom Penh on Sunday, forcing the evacuation of a public park where two other devices were found and defused, police said.

The 10-kg bomb detonated around dawn, causing no injuries and little damage to the stone statue erected after Vietnam's invasion of Cambodia and defeat of the Khmer Rouge in 1979.

"This site represents the friendship of Cambodia and Vietnam. This plot was meant to destroy that relationship," Phnom Penh police chief Touch Naroth told Reuters at the scene.

He said police had no suspects.

The statue, which portrays a Cambodian soldier and a Vietnamese comrade standing protectively over a Cambodian woman and her baby, is in a park near Prime Minister Hun Sen's residence.

Hun Sen and other top members of his Cambodian People's Party (CPP) were with Vietnam's army of invasion and were installed and supported as rulers of Cambodia during Vietnam's decade-long occupation.

In 1998, opposition protesters, who have accused Hun Sen of having too close a relationship with Hanoi, attacked the statue with hammers and set it alight with petrol.

The incident drew a formal protest from Vietnam.