The murder that shocked even Cambodia [-Chinese company ordered the murder of Chut Wutty]

THE FIGHT WILL GO ON: A woman holds a photograph of slain environmental activist Chhut Vuthy at his funeral last Monday. PHOTOS: WILL BAXTER/THE PHNOM PENH POST

Chhut Vuthy is harassed and detained by men wearing Royal Cambodian Armed Forces uniforms in Koh Kong province in December, 2011. On April 26, Chhut Vuthy was travelling in the same area with two journalists from ‘The Cambodia Daily’ when he was shot and killed.

Chhut Vuthy speaks to a journalist in the offices of ‘The Phnom Penh Post’ earlier this year.

ANOTHER VICTIM: Chea Vichea, above, was murdered in 2004, sparking outrage further fuelled by the jailing of two men for the crime who many believe are innocent. Cambodian trade unionists, above right, grieved at his funeral in Phnom Penh.

Mourners toss Cambodian riel notes into Chhut Vuthy’s coffin at his funeral last Monday.

The gunning down of environmental activist Chhut Vuthy, suspected to be in the service of business interests, is seen by many as another example of those in power forever silencing a voice of protest

6/05/2012

Luke Hunt

Bangkok Post

Yet Chutt Vuthy's death followed an order from CHC [China Huadian Corporation] - among China's top five energy producers - to stop him from taking unwanted photographs.

In Cambodia, the murder of a high-profile environmentalist has sent shockwaves around a country which has never shaken-off its reputation for violence, corruption and a culture of impunity among the ruling political and moneyed classes.

Understandably, the shooting of Chhut Vuthy, 45, in a remote southern forest has outraged human rights groups and despite 14 years of peace has also reinforced perceptions of Cambodia as a lawless country still at war with itself.

But his death has wider ramifications and what exactly happened may never be known.

Chhut Vuthy was founder and director of the Natural Resource Protection Group, a small NGO dedicated to saving what's left of Cambodia's forests.

According to his friend Seng Sokheng of the Community Peace Building Network, Chhut Vuthy had decided on a trip to Koh Kong to investigate "forest crimes". The pair had worked together often and they wanted to capture illegal loggers on video.

The target was a heavily forested area near a dam being built by the China Huadian Corporation (CHC) at Stung Ressey Chrum Krom. The dam is one of four hydropower projects to be built in Koh Kong, labelled by Prime Minister Hun Sen as "a battery province". CHC officials had not commented on the killing by the time Spectrum went to press.

Cambodian Center for Human Rights - Human Rights Defender Alert

Confusions reigns in Chut Wutty case as company security guard is charged with two counts of manslaughter

• Date: 4 May 2012
• Name: Chut Wutty
• Category of activist: Environmental activist, Director of the Natural Resource Protection Group
• Location: Koh Kong

According to Khmer language media outlet Daum Ampil Rann Boroth, a 31 year old reported tobe a security guard with Timbergreen, a company involved in logging in Koh Kong province, has been charged with the killings of environmental activist Chut Wutty and military police officer In Ratana. Chut Wutty and In Ratana were shot dead on 26th April in an incident after the car Chut Wutty was travelling in with two journalists was stopped in Koh Kong province while gathering evidence of illegal logging.

A great deal of uncertainty surrounds the deaths of the two men and the response of the authorities. On 27th April, the military police issued a report which stated that Wutty had been killed by In Ratana who subsequently turned his weapon, an AK-47, on himself, committing suicide by shooting himself twice in the chest. This explanation was roundly dismissed by human rights groups. On the same day, Kheng Tito, a military police spokesman, stated that the case would be closed and that further investigation was unlikely as the perpetrator had died.

Yesterday,The Phnom Penh Post reported that Rann Baroth had been detained as a suspect in the case (‘Timbergreen official questioned in Chut Wutty Shooting’). Daum Ampil reports that Rann Boroth has been charged with two counts of manslaughter under Article 207 of the Penal Code. Manslaughter in Cambodian law is a misdemeanour punishable by between one and three years imprisonment and a fine of between two and six million Riels ($500 - $1,250 USD).

For more information,please contact: Ou Virak, CCHR President,telephone: +855 12 40 40 51; email: ouvirak@cchrcambodia.org; or Suon Bunthoeun, CCHR Human Rights Defenders Project Coordinator, email: bunthoeun@cchrcambodia.org

--

The Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR) is a non-aligned, independent, non-governmental organization that works to promote and protect democracy and respect for human rights throughout Cambodia. For more information, please visit www.cchrcambodia.org.

ការ​ស៊ើបអង្កេត​នៅ​បន្តធ្វើ ប្រតិកម្ម​ក៏​នៅមាន​ក្នុង​ករណី​ស្លាប់​ឈុត វុទ្ធី​និង​អ៊ិន រតនា

ពិធី​បុណ្យ​សព​លោក​ឈុត វុទ្ធី (RFI/Channa Siv)

​ថ្ងៃ ព្រហស្បតិ៍ 03 ឧសភា 2012
ដោយ លាង ដឺលុច​​
Radio France Internationale

គណៈកម្មការ​ចម្រុះ​ដែល​បង្កើត​ឡើង​ដោយ​លោក​នាយក​រដ្ឋមន្ត្រី​ហ៊ុន សែន​ នៅ​បន្ត​ធ្វើ​ការងារ​របស់​ខ្លួន​ នៅក្នុង​ខេត្ត​កោះកុង​ ដើម្បី​ស៊ើប​អង្កេត​ករណី​ស្លាប់​របស់​សកម្មជន​បរិស្ថាន និង​មន្ត្រី​កងរាជ​អាវុធ​ហត្ថ។

ស្ថានទូត​អាមេរិក​បាន​អំពាវនាវ​អោយ​រដ្ឋាភិបាល​ចាប់​អ្នក​ទទួលខុសត្រូវ​លើ​ឧក្រិដ្ឋកម្ម​នេះ​មក​ផ្តន្ទាទោស ខណៈ​តុលាការ​បាន​ឃាត់​ជន​សង្ស័យ​ម្នាក់​មក​សាកសួរ។

គណៈកម្មការ​ចម្រុះ​បាន​រកឃើញ​ចំណុច​ថ្មីៗ​ច្រើន ​នៅ​ក្នុង​សំណុំរឿង​ឃាតកម្ម​ នៅ​ចំនុច​វាល៣​ ខេត្ត​កោះកុង ​ដែល​ធ្វើ​សកម្មជន​ការពារ​បរិស្ថាន​ លោក​ឈុត វុទ្ធី និង​កងរាជ​អាវុធ​ហត្ថ​ឈ្មោះ អ៊ិន រតនា​ស្លាប់​នៅ​នឹង​កន្លែង​នោះ។ នេះ​បើ​តាម​ការ​អះអាង​របស់​លោក​ទិត សុធា សមាជិក​មួយ​រូប​នៅ​ក្នុង​គណៈ​កម្មការ​ចម្រុះ​ដែល​ត្រូវ​បាន​បង្កើត​ឡើង​ដោយ​លោក​នាយក​រដ្ឋមន្ត្រី​ហ៊ុន សែន​ កាល​ពី​ថ្ងៃ​ទី​៣០​មេសា។

Cambodia: Extrajudicial execution

URGENT APPEAL - THE OBSERVATORY

KHM 002 / 0512 / OBS 047

Extrajudicial killing

Cambodia

May 3, 2012

The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), requests your urgent intervention in the following situation in Cambodia.

Description of the situation:

The Observatory has been informed by the Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights (LICADHO) and the Cambodian Centre for Human Rights (CCHR) of the extrajudicial killing of prominent environmental activist Mr. Chut Wutty, Founder of the National Resources Protection Group (NRPG), in Mondol Seima district, Koh Kong province.

According to the information received, on April 26, 2012, Mr. Chut Wutty drove two journalists, Ms. Phorn Bopha and Ms. Olesia Plokhii, from the Cambodia Daily, to the Cardamom Mountains in Koh Kong province to report on illegal logging. Mr. Wutty and the two journalists stopped near a dwelling and began taking pictures of the surrounding. As Mr. Wutty was taking photographs, he was approached by an unknown man who told him to stop taking pictures and to leave the area. When they walked back to Mr. Wutty’s car, they were accosted by two men, one of whom appeared to be a soldier, who told Mr. Wutty and the two journalists that they could not leave until they have spoken to his ‘boss’. The soldier did not reveal his identity nor that of his superior.

The soldier prevented Mr. Wutty from getting into his car. Soon after, three armed men dressed in military police uniform and military fatigues arrived on a motorcycle. The situation escalated as the men confiscated cameras from Mr. Wutty and the two journalists. Realising the risky situation they were in, Mr. Wutty tried to drive away but the engine of his car would not start. Soon after agreeing to hand over his own camera, Mr. Wutty finally managed to start the engine and called for the two journalists to get into his car, but the soldiers stood in front of the car to block it from moving. It is at the moment that Ms. Plokhii was getting into the car that gunshots were fired. Neither Ms. Plokhii nor Ms. Bopha, who was in the backseat in a phone conversation with her editor-in-chief when the gunshots were heard, saw who fired the shots.

UN human rights office concerned over murder of Cambodian environment activist

1 May 2012
UN News Centre

The United Nations human rights office today voiced concern over last week’s murder of an outspoken Cambodian environmental activist and human rights defender, whom it said had worked fearlessly to expose illegal logging and corruption in the country.

Chut Wutty was shot and killed last Thursday in south-western Cambodia, according to Rupert Colville, a spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). A member of the Cambodian gendarmerie was also killed in the incident.

“Despite the current lack of clarity about what exactly happened, we are very concerned that the killing of Mr. Wutty marks the latest and most lethal in a series of gun attacks on human rights defenders in Cambodia,” Mr. Colville told reporters in Geneva.

The OHCHR office in Cambodia has since the beginning of this year investigated four other cases involving the use of live ammunition against communities and human rights defenders, which resulted in a number of injuries, he added.

Confessions of a Spin Doctor: Shedding illusions as a flak for the Cambodian People's Party [-What you should know about the EVIL Hun Xen regime]

Writing should be like coffee: bold, smooth, and eye-opening.

That's what I try to achieve in my coverage of health and wellness, education and parenting, home and lifestyle, and travel and culture for such clients as Arthritis Today, SELF, Family Circle, Bankrate.com, Indiana Alumni Magazine, and as a regular contributing health writer to Chicago Parent.

I write not only to inform, but to inspire. After reading one of my articles, I want readers to feel they've learned something new about themselves or the world around them.

I invite you to grab a cup o'Joe and read some examples of my articles, explore my writing and editorial services and learn more about me and what I can do for you.

Here's to a great day!

Rita Colorito

--By Rita Colorito for Toward Freedom, November 1999
Originally posted at: http://www.ritacolorito.com/uploads/Confessions_of_a_Spin_Doctor.pdf

Every year foreign political leaders, governments and related principals hire lobbyists, lawyers, and public relations professionals to polish their images in the United States. As of June 30, 1998, 549 such pros, representing 728 foreign entities, were registered with the US Department of Justice. Foreign political consulting is a multi-million-dollar business in Washington. And sometimes, the cash comes from unsavory characters.

In graduate school, I remember reading an article on Edward von Kloberg III, a spin meister who's represented murderous clients like Zaire's Mobutu Sese Seko and Iraq's Saddam Hussein. Despite vowing to avoid such people, two weeks after receiving my Masters in International Affairs, I began work for the Cambodian People's Party (CPP) and, indirectly, Hun Sen -- an autocrat accused of human rights abuses and ousting his co-prime minister in a bloody 1997 coup.

In the summer of 1998, the CPP had hired DMG, Inc., a Washington-based strategic communications firm, to represent the party in the US during Cambodia's first ever self-sponsored national elections. David Morey, the firm's president, was a professor of mine at Columbia University. His past clients include Philippine President Corazon Aquino, the Dalai Lama, and South Korean President Kim Dae-Jung.

He explained that the CPP wanted advice on conducting free and fair elections, improving human rights, and establishing an international tribunal for the Khmer Rouge, responsible for the deaths of some two million Cambodians from 1975 to 1979. Thus, I became part of Cambodia's Washington team, which included lawyers James Stearns of Porter, Wright, Morris and Arthur and William Rogers of lobbying powerhouse Arnold & Porter.

Based on Morey's record, I accepted the client's altruistic intentions and thought we could help. You see, representing such clients requires not only fooling others, but yourself. I soon realized, however, autocrats don't want advice about justice. Like claiming we worked for the party's reform wing, saying we were helping to improve human rights simply provided a "feel-good" excuse. Our client clearly wanted to preserve the status quo.

Human Rights Situation Still Poor: US

By Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
12 March 2010

Cambodia remains a country with a poor human rights record and endemic corruption, whose citizens can face extrajudicial killings or abuse in detention, the US State Department said in a report released Friday.

Land disputes, forced evictions and a lack of democratic freedoms remained problems, according to the 2009 Human Rights Report.

“Although civilian authorities nominally controlled the security forces, in many cases security forces acted under directives of the [Cambodian People’s Party] leadership,” the rights report says. “Security forces committed extrajudicial killings and acted with impunity. Detainees were abused, often to extract confessions, and prison conditions were harsh.”

Cambodia’s judiciary remains weak, with human rights workers reporting “arbitrary arrest and prolonged pretrial detention,” according to the report. “Land disputes and forced evictions were a problem. The government restricted freedom of speech and the press through defamation and disinformation lawsuits and at times interfered with freedom of assembly.”

Phay Siphan, a spokesman for the Council of Ministers, said the report, which runs 29 pages, was “not fully complete.”

Cambodia was still dealing with vestiges of its civil wars and as a result lacks some human rights protections, he said Friday.

Freedom Prize Laureate Sam Rainsy’s Speech at The Liberal International 56th Congress

Opposition leader Sam Rainsy

FREEDOM PRIZE LAUREATE SAM RAINSY’S SPEECH AT THE LIBERAL INTERNATIONAL 56th CONGRESS

PRESENTATION OF BOOK “25 YEARS PRIZE FOR FREEDOM”

31 October 2009 - Cairo, Egypt

Aung San Suu Kyi, Vaclav Havel, Benazir Bhutto, Corazon Aquino, Mary Robinson, Martin Lee, who doesn’t know these inspiring figures who have made the world’s recent history? They were also recipients of the Liberal International Prize for Freedom.

Today we are launching a book to celebrate 25 years of LI Prize for Freedom.

Founded in 1985, the Prize had 26 laureates (there were two laureates in 1991).

I was honored to receive the Prize in 2006 in Marrakech (Morocco).

Now, I am humbled to also, in a way, represent the other laureates at this ceremony.

They are, or were, most distinguished people who deserved the Prize much more than me.

But I am here because nobody else could come to Cairo today…

Let me first recall the origins, backgrounds and main features of the 26 laureates.

In terms of gender, there were sixteen males and ten females.

In terms of geographic origin, the laureates represented 25 nationalities (two of them were from South Africa).

In terms of occupation and professional background, there were 19 politicians also known as human rights advocates, and seven persons from the civil society including three human rights activists and four other persons: a scientist, a scholar, a writer and a poet who all worked for peace and freedom.

Are all the laureates still alive? 23 are still alive. Three have passed away: Raul Alfonsin (Argentina), Benazir Bhutto (Pakistan) and Corazon Aquino (Philippines).

Those who are still alive, what are they doing now? Most of them are old now – for sure older than 25 years ago – but they are still active in defending liberal values and ideals. One of them is the current president of Senegal, Mr Abdoulaye Wade. Two are in jail or under house arrest (Aung San Suu Kyi). Four are leaders of the opposition in their respective countries, including myself.

To fully understand the meaning and the importance of the LI Prize for Freedom, I invite you to read the book introduction by our president John Lord Alderdice.

“The Prize for Freedom was to be awarded to those who had struggled for Freedom in some of the most difficult and challenging political environments for Liberals around the world.”

“The Award would provide encouragement, recognition, in some cases, a degree of protection, since it would warn authoritarian regimes that moves against a Prize for Freedom Laureate would produce a storm of protest from liberals around the world.”

I fully subscribe to what John Alderdice wrote in his introduction.

I would add that, at least in my case, the Prize was not given to an individual. It was to honor a just cause in a particular context.

The cause is the defense of liberal values, above all Freedom that we all cherish.

The context for me was Cambodia.

The Prize was not given to me as an individual. I just received it, as the head of a team, on behalf of countless known and unknown colleagues and friends who had made sacrifices while serving the cause of freedom.

Founded in 1995, the political party that I lead in Cambodia, the SRP, is now the country’s second largest party and we will become, God willing, the number one party in a not too distant future.

But as of today, over eighty members of my party have been assassinated. Countless others have been injured, arrested, jailed, or forced to go into hiding or into exile.

I can never forget those who have been killed, sometimes in front of my eyes.

I have attended too many funerals. I would prefer not to receive any prize or award at all if I only could stop attending unnecessary funerals.

But things being as they are, the LI Prize for Freedom is a useful recognition of our legitimate fight and a powerful encouragement to us to go on fighting our uphill battle against a powerful dictatorship. The Prize gives us more courage and strength in the face of dictators who use the state media they control to denounce us as “traitors”, “anarchists” or “hooligans.”

Such a prestigious international award as the LI Prize for Freedom gives us legitimacy and honorability in the eyes of the whole world. It gives us irrefutable international credentials as democrats fighting for freedom, and that proves to be an invaluable protection against assaults from dictators who just want to eliminate us.

Thank you.

Hor 5 Hong's MFA rejects US criticisms on human rights issues, however, the wording used sounds strangely like those of Hor 5 Bora

Demolition workers for the 7NG company are obligated "to negotiate with the squatters in order to make appropriate resettlement arrangement," Hor 5 Hong's ministry of Foreign Affairs claimed -sic!-

The ministry of Foreign Affairs rejects US criticisms on human rights issues

15 March 2009
By Ky Soklim Cambodge Soir Hebdo Translated from French by Luc Sâr Click here to read the article in Khmer

The ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) issued a press communiqué on Friday 13 March, i.e. exactly two weeks to the date after the US Department of State issued a scathing report on human rights conditions in Cambodia. Like every year, the US thrashed the lack of human rights respect by the Cambodian government. The US singled out forced evictions, lynching scenes, endemic corruption and regular threats issued to human rights defenders in Cambodia. The MFA called these criticisms “baseless”. The MFA denies all attacks on freedom of expression in Cambodia by citing as example the existence of opposition newspapers published in Khmer, as well as foreign-language periodicals that “do not hesitate to harshly criticize the government.” The MFA also denies the alleged abuses exacted by the police forces. Regarding the forced evictions, the MFA declared: “Which country in the world is forced like us to negotiate with squatters who occupy public land? We strive to find the best possible solution.”
------

Statement of the Spokesman of The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Kingdom of Cambodia

13/03/2009

The “2008 Country Report on Human Rights Practices” on Cambodia issued by the US State Department seems to be a routine that has nothing to do with human rights reality in Cambodia, and appears to be almost a carbon copy of the reports of the previous years with a few cosmetic changes here and there.

The report contains a number of unsubstantiated assertions which appear to be relied on misleading information supplied by certain organizations, which are monitored and financially supported by certain foreign countries.

In this connection, the spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation wishes to make clarifications on some issues raised in the report as follows:

• First, it is very normal in democratic countries that political party which wins landslide victory in democratic elections has to lead the country; and there is nothing unusual about such democratic practice everywhere in the world.
• Second, there is simply never “extrajudicial killing” by security forces in Cambodia as mentioned in the report. This is only vulgar lie.
• Third, with regard to the freedom of speech and press in Cambodia, one only need to read and see how the ubiquitous opposition newspapers attack the Royal Government of Cambodia. Even the newspapers written in foreign languages, financed and managed by foreigners do not have the slightest reservation or hesitation in criticizing the Royal Government of Cambodia.
• Fourth, for the so-called “unlawful forced eviction”, one must ponder whether there is any country in the world which allows squatters to takeover possession of or occupy permanently private properties or public areas such as public gardens, sidewalk and streets. Nonetheless, in the recent cases in Cambodia, the owners of the occupied private properties were always obligated to negotiate with the squatters in order to make appropriate resettlement arrangement. At the same time, notice had always been given well in advance in order to facilitate a smooth process of resettlement. For instance, as reported by the Phnom Penh Post news paper on 11 March 2009, an overwhelming majority of families from the Dey Kramham community has accepted housing at a relocation site. Furthermore, the RGC has put in place a “Social Land Concession Policy”, providing poor and landless people with access to plots of land which they can now own. Presently, approximately 4000 hectares of land in Kratie province and 870 hectares in Kampong Cham Province have been registered as state private land and allocated to the landless poor for housing and family farming. At the same time, around 10,118 hectares of land in Kampog Thom province have been proposed for the same purpose. The implementation of this policy will be expanded all over the country, in order improve the livelihood of the poor and alleviate poverty reduction as set out in the Rectangular Strategy of the Royal Government of Cambodia.

Finally, if enforcing rules to maintain public order is construed as human rights violation, then what does one have to say in terms of human rights respect on the condition in the secret prisons of a certain country where torture of prisoners is practiced as reported in the media such as the Nation on 4 and 10 March 2009 and the Bangkok Post on 4 March 2009?

SRP activist shot and killed in Kampong Cham province

05 March 2009
By Or Phearith
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Socheata
Click here to read the article in Khmer

One SRP activist from Memot district, Kampong Cham province, was shot and killed by an armed man in the afternoon of 04 March at his home.

Prack Vanny, the Choam commune chief, Memot district, indicated in the morning of 05 March, 45-year-old Moh Mamvit living in Kok Khloam village, Choam commune, was shot by two armed men (one armed man?) at his home. The motive for the shooting is unknown.

Bin Bao, an eyewitness who was standing 2-meter away from the victim, indicated that Pheang, the killer, knows the victim very well, and there was never any dispute between the two.

However, on the day of the incident, at about 2 PM, Pheang got off his motorcycle and called the victim to come out, then he shot the victim in front of the house.

Bin Bao reported: “(The victim) said: ‘I did not do anything, I know you younger brother Pheang, I know you.’ As the victim was approaching a little bit, the killer raised his gun and shot the victim who fell to the ground. The victim was saying: ‘Are you shooting me?’ After these few words, he died. He was shot near his left hip and the gunshot pierced his bladder and exited near hit butt. The killer was going to shoot more on the victim, I was next to him.”

Bien Pum, a police officer from Choam commune who was investigating on the spot, indicated that the killer was undertaking his action out in the open, and people know who he is and where he is from, but he is now fleeing and he also took a gun with him.

Bien Pum said: “Our police is building up a case in order to bring charge on the killer. We know his name and his unit. He ran away into the mango trees forest, he took a gun with him. My police force and my inspector are searching for the killer. We are posted everywhere, but we did not see him yet.”

Kampong Cham SRP MP Mao Monyvann reacted by saying that, prior to the 2008 general election, 3 SRP activists in Memot district had to flee because they were tortured by a thug, and at that time, the thug was not arrested either.

Mao Monyvann said: “Every time, when it is close to the election period, we saw SRP activists being killed, one after another, this is especially the case in Memot district. The identity of the culprits, the killers, is known, but the authority did not take any measure against them. Such conduct leads the culprit to act the same way over and over again against innocent people, these actions are illegal.”

MP Mao Monyvann asked the authority to take the appropriate measure to arrest the culprit and send them to face justice.

Cambodia’s human rights record remains poor ... that's why the gov't leaders and their cronies become ulta rich

Government Defends Rights Record

By Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
26 February 2009

Cambodia’s human rights record remains poor, the US said in an annual report Wednesday, but a senior government official said the situation was improving.

The US State Department’s 2008 “Human Rights Report” cites security forces that act with impunity, the abuse of detainees, forced evictions, endemic corruption, a weak judiciary and the denial of rights to fair trial as reasons for the poor rating.

However, Om Yentieng, a senior government adviser and head of Cambodia’s Human Rights Commission, told VOA Khmer that Cambodian rights situation was progressing year by year.

This year was better than last year, but the government continued to make improvements, he said.

The US report had the same findings as Adhoc, according to an investigator for the rights group, Chan Saveth. The government has so far failed to show commitment to human rights, he told VOA Khmer.

“The Cambodian government should take action against human rights abuses,” he said.

Am Sam Arth, an investigator for the rights group Licadho, said 17 cases of extrajudicial killing in 2008 proved the rights situation had not progressed.

Corruption and a biased judiciary supporting the powerful meant the loss of rights for the impoverished, he said.

Police Chief Inherits Slew of Grievous Cases

Murdered union leader Chea Vichea
Funeral for opposition journalist Khim Sambo
The slaying of Chuor Chetharith in Phnom Penh
Relatives of opposition journalist Duong Daravuth grieve before his portrait during his funeral in Phnom Penh, following a deadly 1997 grenade attack that has never been solved.

By Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
12 November 2008

As he begins his work as national police chief, Gen. Neth Savoeun will face a pile of open cases that his predecessor was accused of ignoring, impeding or perpetrating. Rights workers Wednesday wondered whether the new chief would make progress on any of them.

The former police chief, Hok Lundy, who died in a helicopter crash Sunday, failed to solve a number of high-profile cases that pained the nation: extrajudicial killings in the July 1997 coup, a grenade attack on opposition demonstrators that killed 16 in March 1997, and the murders of actress Piseth Pilika, Funcinpec lawmaker Om Rasady and opposition journalist Khim Sambor.

Hok Lundy, a powerful Cambodian People’s Party official close to Prime Minster Hun Sen, was routinely accused of collaboration in most of the cases. His death also left two men in prison widely considered innocent in the 2004 murder of labor leader Chea Vichea.

Rights workers were split on whether a police force under Neth Savoeun, who was a deputy of Hok Lundy and is married to a niece of Hun Sen, would be able to solve any of the cases.

“I don’t believe the appointment of Neth Savoeun as new national police chief will solve the crimes that happened in recent years,” Ou Vireak, chairman of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights, said.

Even if Neth Savoeun had a will to investigate them, Ou Vireak said, he could face incarceration like Heng Pov. The former Phnom Penh police chief fingered Hok Lundy for a litany of crimes after Heng Pov fled the country in 2006, only to be extradited and imprisoned.

“When Heng Pov knew of these crimes, the government arrested him and put him in jail,” Ou Vireak said.

Heng Pov is now serving more than 50 years in a Cambodian prison and faces yet more charges for his alleged involvement in crimes while he was city chief under Hok Lundy.

Brad Adams, Asia director for Human Rights Watch, doubted Neth Savoeun would make major changes to the police.

“He would almost certainly continue to politicize the work of the police and tighten Hun Sen’s personalized control over the national police,”Adams said.

Am Sam Art, an investigator for the rights group Licadho, said he believed the appointment could lead to breakthroughs in all the serious cases.

“I believe Neth Savoeun will reform the national police force to have a good reputation, not like Hok Lundy,” he said. “That’s why he should do everything in the interest of the people.”

Chea Mony, brother of slain union worker Chea Vichea and president of the Free Trade Union, said he hoped Neth Savoeun would find “justice” in that case. Two men believed innocent, Born Samnang and Sok Samoeun, are serving 20-year prison sentences for the murder.

“I think Neth Savoeun could find the real killers involved in the murder of my brother,” Chea Mony said. “We are ready to cooperate with him and give him the evidence if the police force needs the local NGOs to help.”

Vorn Phonn, 63, father of Sok Samoeun, appealed to Neth Savoeun to reexamine the case.

“I request to the replacement of Hok Lundy to urge the Supreme Court to judge the cases of my son and nephew Born Samnang,” he said. “I filed a complaint in May 2007, and until now it has been more than a year, so I hope Neth Savoeun can be able to push the judicial process.”

Gen. Neth Savoeun could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

Lt. Gen. Khieu Sopheak, spokesman for the Interior Ministry, said, “Those cases have not been closed by the Ministry of Interior.”

“We will be investigating those crimes to find justice for the people, for the victims,” he said.

"Why was my father killed like an animal?": 11-year-old dauther of a victim of extra-judicial killing in Kampot

On October 4, 2007, police in Kampot shot and killed an alleged thief. SRP Deputy Secretary General Mu Sochua visited the scene and called for an independent investigation of what appears to be an extra-judicial murder. Body of the victim (Photo: SRP)

Mu Sochua comforting the wife and daughter of the victim (Photo: SRP)

Mu Sochua visiting the location of the incident (Photo: SRP)

Extra-judicial killings are all too common in Cambodia

In the same week as the article "Kampot Police: Thief Was Shot in Self-Defense" (The Cambodia Daily, Thursday edition) was published, The Cambodia Daily reported three additional articles of alleged extra-judiciary killings of alleged thieves by district police, forestry officials and rubber plantation police.

In two of the articles, the deaths occurred in front of young children and family members of the alleged thieves. In the three incidents and in many other killings by police and government officials in charge of safeguarding public security major conflicting facts were reported by these officials, local human rights investigators and eye witnesses.

Even with serious conflicting reporting, the government and in particular the Ministry of Interior rarely call for independent investigations to build public trust or to bring justice to the victims and their families.

By sustaining such a practice, the government continues to allow armed police and government officials to take justice into their own hands, with no fear of being sanctioned. These cases are usually filed, and rarely reviewed or reopened for further investigation, even by the court.

Having been present at the scene just a few hours after the police killing in Kampot and having heard the police report given to me by the provincial police deputy chief that took no consideration of the villagers' account of the event, there is no doubt in my mind that in Cambodia, extra-judicial killings are common practice, with full support of high-level officers quick to protect the crime committed by officers in their unit.

The practice of such cover-ups is common and police routinely claim: (1) the alleged thief is armed or opened fire at police; (2) police have an arrest warrant; (3) police shoot in self-defense; (4) further arrest(s) of accomplice(s); (5) confession of accomplice(s). Case closed.

In the Kampot killing, the person of the alleged thief was thoroughly searched, in front of his family members and villagers. He was then taken by more than 10 armed policemen across the next rice field and executed, at close range, in broad daylight, in full presence of the victim's family members and the entire village, villagers claim.

It is nothing less than the Khmer Rouge executions in the killing fields of Cambodia.

The man's 11-year-old daughter cried out to all to hear: "Why was my father killed like an animal?" Maybe, the National Police Chief might want to answer that question to the little girl, as the public already knows.

Mu Sochua,
SRP Deputy Secretary-General,
Phnom Penh