Hok Lundoak dismisses rumors of Hok Lundy's death

Son Dismisses Rumors in Police Chief’s Death

By Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Original report from Washington
15 April 2009

The son of deceased police chief Hok Lundy has added his voice to officials who say his cause of death in November last year was indeed from an aircraft accident.

Dy Vichea, who also goes by Hok Lundoak, told VOA Khmer by phone Tuesday that his father had died from weather complications in a helicopter crash in Svay Rieng province, claiming he had heard rumors to the contrary but did not believe them.

“It is known to everybody that it was caused by weather, and rumors are only heard,” he said. “I’ve also heard them.”

Following the Nov. 9 helicopter crash, politicians, businessmen, civil servants and analysts have said they suspect foul play—such as an act of terrorism or assassination—but officials have maintained the cause of the accident was due to storms over Svay Rieng.

Hok Lundy, then 51, was the powerful chief of national police and a strong supporter of Prime Minister Hun Sen and the Cambodian People’s Party. He was implicated in a number of rights abuses he maintained as groundless.

Om Yienteng, a senior advisor to Hun Sen and deputy chief of the national Counter-Terrorism Authority, said rumors of a criminal end were spread by people who “may sit and think too much.”

“Not only does the government regret the loss of our own senior official, but we have thoroughly investigated,” he said. “Having seen the debris, we made a judgment, and having seen the corpse, we made a judgment.”

Recordings from air-traffic control and the helicopter also confirmed the crash was weather related, he said.

Sorng Bamnol Chheam, Ven Hun Sen? - "Blood debt payment, Hun Sen's turn?": A Poem in Khmer by Srey Sra'em

Click on the poem in Khmer to zoom in

Poem in Khmer by Srey Sra'em

Hun afraid to join Hok?

Departed general Hok Lundy impatiently awaiting his long time friend? (Photo: Phnom Penh Post)

Hun Sen cancelled his helicopter trip

17 March 2009
By Leang Delux
Cambodge Soir Hebdo
Translated from French by Tola Ek
Click here to read the article in French

Citing bad weather conditions, the prime minister announced the cancellation of his official trip to Pursat province, a trip that was planned for him to inaugurate a dike.

“The minister of Water Resources and Meteorology informed me that there would be violent wind gusts, and he asked me to delay this inauguration until Saturday,” Hun Sen announced on Tuesday 17 March during a national seminar on natural catastrophes. He was also defending himself against the argument that he could have traveled there by car. He indicated that he “is afraid that storms will break out during the ceremony. This would disturb the people who will be attending it.”

This is the second time since the disappearance of Hok Lundy in a helicopter accident, that Hun Sen cancels his helicopter trip due to bad weather.

Cambodia recently sustained violent storms, including in the district of Puok and Angkor Thom in Siem Reap province, in which 400 wooden houses were destroyed and about 20 people were injured about three weeks ago.

Party factionalism looms behind Ke Kim Yan sacking: observers [-Saga of the CPP Dog eat dog world continues]

Kun Kim standing next to Hun Sen: Will he be the next loyalist to Hun Sen to take over Pol Saroeun? Stay tuned for the CPP dog eat dog world saga...

Thursday, 19 February 2009
Written by SEBASTIAN STRANGIO and THET SAMBATH The Phnom Penh Post

Court denies KE KIM YAN land investigations
STUNG Treng provincial court says it is yet to receive requests to open investigations into land owned by General Ke Kim Yan, despite unconfirmed reports the former army chief owns thousands of hectares in the province. A leaked report from a January 29 meeting of the Council of Ministers revealed Ke Kim Yan had been removed from his post in part for “using his military position to profit from land deals”, recommending he be investigated for land investments in Phnom Penh, Stung Treng and Preah Vihear. But police and court officials denied local media reports that they had been ordered to launch inquiries. “I am surprised to hear your question that officials and courts in the province are working to investigate land deals involving Ke Kim Yan,” said court director Sor Savuth. “I did not get any requests… to investigate this case.” Ke Kim Yan is listed as an advisor on the website of YLP Group Co Ltd, which is developing the Grand Phnom Penh International City satellite as a joint venture with Indonesian firm Ciputra. YLP Group, headed by Ke Kim Yan’s wife Mao Malay, also has planned developments in Preah Sihanouk and Kandal provinces.
THET SAMBATH AND HOR HAB

Analysts say allegations the deposed army chief was involved in shady land deals are being used to whitewash a purge of the military in line with decades-old internal party disputes

OVERWHELMING success in last year's national election set the stage for a reopening of long-standing factional disputes in the ruling Cambodian People's Party, culminating in the removal of Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) Commander-in-Chief General Ke Kim Yan last month, according to some political observers.

According to a leaked document from a January 29 meeting of the Council of Ministers, Ke Kim Yan's removal - which also saw the sacking of military police Deputy Commander General Chhin Chanpor - was "due to reforms in the military based on job performances" and "due to him using his military position to profit from land deals".

But political analysts and military sources say such pretexts are being used to paper over significant power shifts in the ruling party.

"None of these explanations can be taken at face value," said Carlyle A Thayer, a political science professor at the Australian Defence Force Academy in Sydney.

"The government says Ke Kim Yan's removal was a normal reshuffle, but this is belied by allegations he was involved in shady land deals and was not effective in support of [RCAF] troops during the border dispute with Thailand."

Cold War rivalries

Thayer said that internal disputes within the CPP - pitting one group loyal to Hun Sen against another loyal to party President Chea Sim - have plagued the party on and off for years, but that until recently the two factions had reached a stable modus vivendi.

However, with the defeat of its long-time foe Funcinpec at last year's national election, the party has begun to rearrange itself along the predominant factional fault lines.

"Hun Sen is set for another five years. He faces the problem of what to do with so many CPP deputies who have time on their hands, [which is] fertile ground for a revival of intense factionalism within the CPP," he said.

In the run-up to July's elections, historian David Chandler told the Post that an overwhelming victory of the CPP would be a double-edged sword for the ruling party, since it would "no longer [have] to look over its shoulder at opponents", and could be beset by "over-confidence".

Koul Panha, executive director of election monitor Comfrel, said it was possible that increased power had triggered fresh internal disputes but that it was "too early to say" how success would affect the CPP.

"FOR THE MOMENT, GENERAL POL SAROEUN IS HUN SEN’s STALKING HORSE, [but] GENERAL KUN KIM COULD PROVE TOMORROW’S MAN."

But the trigger for the shake-up, according to Thayer, was the death of National Police chief Hok Lundy in a helicopter crash in November, which destabilised the status quo by diluting the power of the police force - a long-time bastion of support for Hun Sen.

"Hok Lundy's death removed one of Hun Sen's staunch loyalists. His passing means that the police may not be as strong a counterfoil to the military as it once was," he said.

"In this context, Hun Sen's move to capture the leadership of the military may be seen as an effort to gain control of another base of power within the political system."

Meanwhile, other observers said the emphasis on Ke Kim Yan's alleged land dealings was merely a way of detracting from the political motivations behind his removal.

Jacques Bakaert, a Belgian journalist who covered Cambodia during the 1990s, said the timing of the removal was a chance for the prime minister's faction to reassert control over the armed forces - previously dominated by Chea Sim loyalists - and that land was merely being used as an excuse.

"It was probably convenient, given the accusations against him, to get rid of him now when there are continuous questions about land grabbing," he said.

One RCAF general, who fought with the anti-Pol Pot resistance in the late 1970s but declined to give his name, told the Post that the removal of Ke Kim Yan for owning land was hypocritical, since "many" military commanders and government officials were involved in the land business.

"It is not right to accuse him alone of being involved in the land business. They have legal and illegal land ... [so] why are they still at the top?" the source said.

Sam Rainsy Party spokesman Yim Sovann agreed, saying that there were many - especially those "loyal to high-ranking officials" - who could potentially be charged with similar offences.

"This is an internal conflict in the CPP. When they are not happy with somebody in the party, they always accuse them of doing the wrong thing," he said. "The law should apply to everybody, not only those who oppose the ruling party."

Ke Kim Yan declined to comment when contacted Monday. Government officials, however, have consistently played down talks that the CPP is beset by factionalism.

Speaking at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs February 6, Prime Minister Hun Sen denied opposition claims of a split in the CPP, saying that "it is the right of the premier to manage and control the military, police and other public administration".

Bun Seng, RCAF commander of Military Region 5, also told the Post that it was not up to him to judge the reasons behind Ke Kim Yan's removal.

"Right or wrong is up to the top leaders to decide," he said.

Purging the military
What is certain, however, is that the replacement of Ke Kim Yan and the appointment of seven new deputy commanders-in-chief, has consolidated the prime minister's control over the upper echelons of the armed forces.

General Pol Saroeun, the new army head, has been a staunch Hun Sen loyalist since he took part in the eastern zone-led revolt against Pol Pot in 1978.

In the mid-1980s, he was appointed party secretary of Takeo Province, where he became an early supporter of Hun Sen's economic reforms and supported the removal of Heng Samrin as party leader.

The other new appointees - including Generals Chea Dara, Mol Roeup, Meas Sophea, Hing Bun Heang, Kun Kim, Ung Samkhan and Sao Sokha - are also known for their loyalty to Hun Sen.

Kun Kim in particular has long stood in the wings, acting in Ke Kim Yan's absence and carrying out personal orders from the premier.

A Phnom Penh source who declined to be named said that the conflicts between Ke Kim Yan and the prime minister began in 1997, during that year's fighting between army factions loyal to the CPP and Funcinpec.

"At that time Hun Sen wanted to use the national military to [fight] Funcinpec, but Ke Kim Yan refused. He didn't think it was the right thing to do," said the source, adding that Ke Kim Yan was "marked" from that point on by his refusal to toe Hun Sen's line.

Kun Kim, on the other hand, played an active role in the suppression of the royalists.

Subsequently, when the prime minister appointed Kun Kim to the RCAF general staff in 1999, observers cast it as a move by the prime minister to tighten his grip on the army, and in an October 2005 speech, Hun Sen pledged to replace Ke Kim Yan with Kun Kim if he did not follow orders to repress a future coup attempt.

"I have been patient for too long.... The armed forces are in my hands," the premier said.

"If Ke Kim Yan does not do it, I will use Kun Kim. Ke Kim Yan has to do it. If not he will be removed."

But Thayer said that the military leadership had not been definitively settled and that more upheavals could yet be in store.

"For the moment General Pol Saroeun is Hun Sen's stalking horse, [but] General Kun Kim could prove tomorrow's man," he said. But he added that the appointment of Meas Sophea, another Hun Sen loyalist, indicates that the PM is "keeping his options open".

"Both men will have to demonstrate their continued loyalty to Hun Sen," he said.

In the meantime, RCAF sources say the removal of Ke Kim Yan - a genuinely popular figure amongst soldiers - was still rippling through the military, where many former colleagues feared removal from their own posts.

"We are sorry for him because we have fought together since the 1980s," the anonymous general said.

"Most of the soldiers today still support Ke Kim Yan in their hearts. But what can we do for him? No one dares to comment about him because they are worried of removal and demotion. One was our commander and one is still our prime minister, so we all have to shut up."

Khmer Intelligence News 20 January 2009

President-elect Barack Obama and his wife Michelle depart a service at St John's Episcopal Church before the inauguration in Washington January 20, 2009. (REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)

20 January 2009

From America's first black Ambassador (to Cambodia) to America's first black President (1)

Today is the inauguration day in Washington DC for President Barack Obama, America 's first black President. But in Cambodia , many people remember Mr. Charles A. Ray as America 's first black Ambassador in this country, more than five years ago. They also remember what he said at an important donor meeting in 2004, urging the Hun Sen government to combat corruption, to no avail as evidenced by subsequent developments and the current situation in 2009.

Ambassador Ray said: « According to the August 2004 USAID-funded corruption assessment, "ordinary Cambodians are subject to a daunting array of small and medium exaction, some paid virtually on a daily basis." That same report highlighted the significant loss in legal revenue due to smuggling, bribes and other illegal practices, which possibly totals as much as all donor assistance.

In light of these statements, it is no exaggeration to view corruption as a cancer that threatens this country's economic, political and social development.

Cambodia should pass an effective anti-corruption law that is based on international standards, as embodied in the United Nations Convention against Corruption.

We must move beyond simple acknowledgement of the problems to demand concrete, verifiable actions to combat the epidemic of corruption directly. »

Read Ambassador's Ray entire speech at
http://www.cdc-crdb.gov.kh/cdc/7cg_meeting/7cg_document/fighting_corrupton_usa_eng.htm

Government spokesman Khieu Kanharith to be removed (3)

Government spokesman Khieu Kanharith who is also Information Minister and the official mouthpiece for the CPP, and who has a reputation of being a drunkard, is causing more and more embarrassment to the Government and the CPP with his often thoughtless remarks. In The Phnom Penh Post, front page January 19 article titled "SRP calls for government bailout, Rainsy claims thousands of jobs lost in financial crisis", Khieu Kanharith again shows he doesn't know what he is talking about. While opposition leader and former Finance Minister Sam Rainsy suggests that the Government prepare a "$500-million stimulus package to cope with the world economic crisis", he is quoted as saying there is no need for such a package because "the government reserves funds in every annual budget for unforeseen circumstances, " before specifying "We have a reserve budget, not only for the global economic crisis but also for other disasters such as floods, and so forth." But he added he could not remember the exact amount set aside in 2009 [actually $144 million versus $132 million in 2008]. Khieu Kanharith's comment shows he doesn't understand a word about what Sam Rainsy was referring to: world financial crisis, macroeconomics, fiscal policy, monetary policy, full-employment equilibrium, aggregate demand, deficit spending and Keynesian economic theory.

On the same topic, in the January 18 edition of Rasmei Kampuchea, another CPP official, National Assembly Vice-President Nguon Nhel is quoted as saying the Government doesn't need to follow Sam Rainsy's recommendation related to the world economic crisis because it has already taken "measures against inflation". Apparently, Nguon Nhel is mixing up inflation with deflation…

See details of Sam Rainsy's proposal at http://tinyurl.com/7urlzy
Read The Phnom Penh Post article at http://tinyurl.com/a564fg
Read Rasmei Kampuchea article at http://tinyurl.com/8fbfbs

Farm products prices have plummeted (1)

Farm products prices have recently plummeted in Cambodia as a result of the world economic crisis.

Prices paid to farmers in January 2009 (versus in January 2008):

• Paddy (unhusked rice): 700 riels per kilogram (1,100 riels per kilogram, - 36%)
• Corn (maize): 350 riels per kilogram (600 riels per kilogram, - 42%)
• Cassava (dry): 280 riels per kilogram (750 riels per kilogram, - 62%)
• Cassava (fresh): 125 riels per kilogram (350 riels per kilogram, - 64%)
• Pepper: 8,500 riels per kilogram (16,000 riels per kilogram, - 47%)
• Latex (liquid rubber, dry equivalent): 2,500 riels per kilogram (6,000 riels per kilogram, - 58%).

Farmers, who represent some 80 percent of Cambodia 's workforce, are intensely suffering from the fall in agricultural prices which determine their revenues and living conditions.

Information from black box from Hok Lundy's helicopter not available (2)

National Police Chief Hok Lundy died in a helicopter crash on November 9, 2008 . Not all questions have been answered regarding the circumstance surrounding his death. Information from the black box (flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder) from the French-built Ecureuil helicopter which he traveled on that day, has not been made public. There are indications that there will be attempts to put all the blame on Hok Lundy for many not-yet-elucidated crimes that have plagued Cambodian politics: the deadly grenade attack in front of the National Assembly in 1997, the assassination of union leader Chea Vichea in 2004, the murder of opposition journalist Khim Sambo in 2008, and other political killings.

The ploy/plot is very similar to the one aimed at putting all the blame on Pol Pot and only five or six surviving Khmer Rouge leaders for all the crimes against humanity perpetrated under the Khmer Rouge regime (1975-1979).

KI-Media: Most popular Cambodian Web site (1)

KI-Media which was launched in July 2005, has become by far the most popular Cambodia-related Web site, having welcomed 5,000,000 visitors over only 3½ years.

It is an anti-CPP and pro-democracy media managed by overseas Cambodians in North America but with contributors from all over the world. It is being targeted by the Phnom Penh government which is currently drafting a law that will extend current print media rules to other media platforms, including the internet.

Visit KI-Media by clicking at http://www.ki-media.blogspot. com/

[End]

Top Police Officials Appointed [-Welcome to the kingdoom with almost as many police chiefs as there are police officers]

By VOA Khmer, Reporters
Original report from Washington
17 December 2008

Eleven veteran police officials were promoted to high positions within the Ministry of Interior Wednesday, in a reshuffle following the unexpected death of the national police chief in November.

“The promotions and appointments will reduce the violation of law and promote the respect of law,” Interior Minister Sar Kheng told a group of policy at a ceremony.

Police officials were appointed to posts as secretaries of state, a deputy chairman, the anti-drug authority, prisons and administration.

National police chief Hok Lundy died in a helicopter crash in Svay Rieng province in November and was replaced by Gen. Neth Savoeun.

Officials said Wednesday an investigation into the cause of the crash had found poor weather, including rain and lightning.

Witnesses of Hok Lundy’s copter crash arrested [-Even in his death, Hok Lundy still creates trouble to others]

Wednesday, December 03, 2008
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

A witness claimed that cops from the Rumduol district, Svay Rieng province, have arrested 5 witnesses who saw the crash of Hok Lundy’s helicopter. The cops accused these witnesses of stealing objects from the accident location. 47-year-old Hing Phon, a villager from Prey Keav village, Rumduol district, told The Phnom Penh Post that Rumduol district cops arrested him and accused him of hiding Hok Lundy’s belongings. Hing Phon said: “The cops accused us of hiding a ring, a belt and a gun belonging to Mr. Hok Lundy … But, I only saw a money wallet with $70 and some Thai Bath in it only, I only turned it over to the authority at the incident location.” Hing Phon claimed that he was among a group of 5 witnesses who first arrived on the scene of the accident, and he said that the cops will arrest him and send him to the Svay Rieng court to answer to the accusations raised against him. He added: “If we do not confess to it, they will throw us in jail. But, we are very concerned because we did not do anything as they accused us of.” Meas Chork, the Rumduol district police chief, said that he invited 5 witnesses to come over for questioning, if these witnesses took anything from the incident location, they can return them back, but he denied that the cops would arrest them. Kheut Phally, an investigator for the Adhoc human rights group for Svay Rieng province, said that the accusations made by the cops are baseless and cannot lead to arrest.

After Chief’s Death, Police Work Continues

National Police Deputy Chief Lt. Gen. Sok Phal

By Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Washington
25 November 2008

Click here to listen to the Khmer audio program

Cambodian police will continue their counterterrorism efforts with its new national police chief, following the death earlier this month of Hok Lundy, a senior official said.

The late chief, who died in a helicopter crash in Svay Rieng province, was replaced by his deputy, Gen. Neth Savoeun, who will continue cooperation with the US and other police work, said the general’s deputy, Lt. Gen. Sok Phal.

“We have a lot of cases in cooperation with the US that we have not opened for the public to know,” Sok Phal said Monday, as guest on “Hello VOA.”

Cambodia is a willing ally in the US war on terror. The leader of Jemaah Islamiyah, Hambali, sojourned in Phnom Penh prior to his 2003 arrest in Bangkok.

Sok Phal also said Cambodia fought its own terrorists, the Cambodian Freedom Fighters, which mounted a small-scale attack in the capital in 2000 and whose leader, Chhun Yasith, is now in a US prison.

Meanwhile, Sok Phal said, “police have a clear plan to protect public order and security and make sure people live in peace and safety.”

Cambodian authorities work to combat drug trafficking, transnational crime and terrorism, with training from the US, he said.

Facing criticism for police officials who are not fired despite wrongdoing, Sok Phal said such officials can be fired, demoted or replaced.

National police work hard, he said, otherwise the prisons would be empty.

Meanwhile, the police continue to defend territory and protect leaders, businessmen, tourists, embassy personnel, residents and members of foreign delegations, he said.

Cambodia remained secure and stable, without separatist groups or proclamations for independent states.

Sihanouk Donates to Late Chief’s Family

By Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Original report from Washington
25 November 2008

Click here to listen to the Khmer audio program

Former king Norodom Sihanouk has expressed condolences for the late police chief Hok Lundy, giving $3,000 to the family for the funeral.

Hok Lundy, who faces myriad rights abuse accusations as chief of national police, died in a helicopter crash earlier this month. He was 58.

Sihanouk called Hok Lundy “a nationalist” and said his death was the loss of a “son” of the nation.

Even in his grave, Hok Lundy still creates visa havoc

Foreigners fear overstay fines as visa renewals put on hold

Monday, 24 November 2008
Written by Brendan brady and Sam Rith
The Phnom Penh Post

Hok Lundy's death creates logistical nightmare for visitors, expatriates who relied on his signature from passport office

FOREIGNERS say they are racking up hefty overstay fines following the death of the visa office's previous boss, police chief Hok Lundy.

While Cambodia's recently deceased top cop was most closely associated with the police force, he also presided over a number of cash-making government offices.

Tep Sovann, deputy director of the Passport Department in the Ministry of Interior, said his agency would remain closed until it received new orders from the top levels of government.

"At the moment, I don't know whether or not there will be charges for overstay because we have not received any orders," he said. "Before we do anything, we must wait until we receive new word."

In the meantime, foreigners are worried they will pay for an administrative gaffe they can't control.

"I am already facing a fine of more than 31 days, and (there's) no end in sight," said Belgian Tom Windelinckx, who has taught English in Phnom Penh for more than two years.

As a rule, foreigners must pay US$6 for every day their visa is expired.

The visa office has refused to process any outstanding visas in its possession, according to Phnom Penh's Lucky Lucky motorbike shop, which said more than 2,000 of its customers are affected by the problem.

The owner of Ana Travel in Sihanoukville, Briton Mick Spencer, railed against the government, saying: "This is a totally corrupt practice that we can do nothing about".

"Even though the visa office has been closed for 10 days and it has not been possible to apply for visa over this period, we (foreigners) will still have to pay."

His wife and co-owner, Cambodian Ana Spencer, was suspicious of government officials' motives in the delay.

"They want to make more money from the overstay fines; it's just another chance to get money."

Affected foreigners and travel agents are hoping the problem will soon end, with a new National Police chief, Neth Savoeun, having been sworn in on Friday.

Sacrava's Political Cartoon: A good Nationalist

Cartoon by Sacrava (on the web at http://sacrava.blogspot.com)

"One night I invited seven monks to bless the village, and then the next day Hok Lundy had his crash [and died]": Blessing fulfilled?

A military police officer lifts a photograph of Hok Lundy at a ceremony commemorating the late National Police chief on Saturday. (Photo by: HENG CHIVOAN)

Hok Lundy's family to buy crash site

Thursday, 20 November 2008
Written by May Titthara
The Phnom Penh Post

The former National Police chief's relatives will erect a monument to the late top cop

RELATIVES of the late National Police chief, Hok Lundy, plan to buy the land where his helicopter crashed and erect a monument there to guard his spirit, says a monk whose mother owns the property.

Keut Sophy, the chief monk of Svay Chek pagoda, near the crash site, said relatives inquired about purchasing the 90-metre-by-80-metre vegetable plot in Svay Rieng province's Romdoul district.

The monk said the land was haunted long before it became the death site of Cambodia's top cop. "At night I would dream about a dark magician from Svay Rieng town coming to use magic on my family's land," he said.

"One night I invited seven monks to bless the village, and then the next day Hok Lundy had his crash."

While the monk would not reveal to the Post the property's price tag, a local resident, 47-year-old Hing Phon, said the monk was insisting on the hefty sum of US$150,000.

"That is a very high price for simple agricultural land, but I think Hok Lundy's family is desperate to buy it because Khmer people believe that when someone dies, their spirit remains in that place," he said.

While area residents have been scrambling to catch a glimpse of the crash site, Svay Rieng provincial Governor Chieng Om said police were keeping people away out of respect for the late police chief's spirit.

Relatives of Hok Lundy could not be reached for comment.

The news comes as Hok Lundy's replacement, Hun Sen's nephew-in-law and National Police deputy commissioner, Neth Savoeun, is set to be sworn in Friday, according to a source close to the process.

Hok Lundy’s grave is 10-meter away from his lavish villa

Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Everyday.com.kh
Translation from Khmer by Socheata

The body of General Hok Lundy was buried by his family under the Chinese tradition in a grave located about 10-meter from his lavish villa. This villa is located in Bavet commune, near the Cambodian-Vietnamese border in Svay Rieng province, and it occupies an area of about 1 hectare. Prior to his burial, the rain was pouring down gradually while his 4 children and wife were sitting in front of his grave site. The Chinese MC told the family to slowly drop sand on top of the coffin before the workers would completely bury it. Suddenly, the downpour became torrential. Hok Lundy’s burial site is decorated with a nice surrounding garden, along one corner of the lavish villa where 2 large access roads reach it. In the back of Hok Lundy’s villa, a concrete fence separates it from a helicopter pad capable of receiving 4 helicopters transporting passengers for the Sokha company.

Unable to take his fortune to his grave, Hok Lundy resorts to begging for rice to eat from the netherworld

Dreams of a grandmother living at a village where Hok Lundy’s helicopter crashed

Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Everyday.com.kh
Translation from Khmer by Socheata

67-year-old Grandma Neth Samouth, who lives in the village where the above incident took place, said that two days after the helicopter crash, she had a dream about General Hok Lundy and the other 3 passengers came to beg rice from her. In her dream, the old lady stressed that General Hok Lundy shouted and begged her to give him some rice everyday at the crash site. After her strange dream, Grandma Samuth put some rice near the fence in front of the crash site. Two days later, she had another dream in which she saw the ghost of Hok Lundy coming to thank her. Up until now, the old lady had put rice 4 times for Hok Lundy already. Grandma Neth Samuth lives with her 66-year-old husband, Grandpa Luos Sean, and she said that her family is very pious, she does not want anything in life. Because she had this dream, she had no choice but to put some rice for the general’s ghost to accumulate good deed. She also said that she did not know Hok Lundy, she only saw him once in a while on TV, but she never met him in person. She said that she will make 7 rice offerings for the dead general.

Premier Lost Ally, Not Power, in Chief's Crash

The late Hok Lundy is pictured directly behind Prime Minister Hun Sen as the premier returns from a trip to Beijing in October. (Photo: The Phnom Penh Post)

By Pin Sisovann, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
17 November 2008

Click here to listen to the Khmer audio program

Prime Minister Hun Sen lost a strong ally within the Interior Ministry when the plane carrying late police chief Hok Lundy crashed Nov. 9, but officials say the prime minister's power will not be affected by a replacement.

Officials said last week that the loss of Hok Lundy, who led the national police since 1994, would be great to the government, but they were convinced national stability would not be affected.

"Nothing will change, stability will remain," said Em Sam An, secretary of state for the Interior Ministry, as he greeted a delegation of Vietnamese officials during funeral ceremonies for Hok Lundy last week. "We are sorry to lose the man. But our forces are in place and in good order. No problems will arrive. The situation in our country is getting better."

Hok Lundy was a powerful member of the Cambodian People's Party, appointed by Hun Sen "as part of an internal power play in the CPP" to take control of the police from CPP stalwarts Chea Sim, who is president of the Senate, and Sar Kheng, who is Minister of the Interior, said Brad Adams, Asia director for Human Rights Watch.

Hok Lundy's appointment came at a time of instability, following a failed coup attempt against Hun Sen and then co-prime minister Norodom Ranariddh, in 1994. His death, in a helicopter crash in Svay Rieng province, was a loss of a powerful right hand, but was not destabilizing, Adams said.

"After Hun Sen, he was probably the most feared man in Cambodia," Adams said.

Gen. Neth Savoeun, Hok Lundy's deputy and Hun Sen's nephew-in-law, has been named to replace the late police chief. Hok Lundy faced accusations of murder, extrajudicial killings and human trafficking, as well as collaboration in the 1997 grenade attack on opposition supporters that killed 16 people.

Neth Savoeun, who was the head of the criminal police section in the Phnom Penh Municipal Police, comes from the same security system, Adams said.

"Even in the 1980s, [Neth Savoeun] had a reputation for being among the most violent members of a very repressive security system," Adams said. "He too has been implicated in many serious human rights abuses and other crimes over the past two decades."

That appointment will likely not be challenged by Sar Kheng, Adams said.

Gen. Neth Savoeun declined comment.

Lt. Gen. Khieu Sopheak, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry and adviser to Sar Kheng, dismissed the allegations, saying the police were on a five-year plan to maintain stability.

Even the US had shown Hok Lundy was "clean," he said, and had offered him a visa in 2007 to visit Washington for talks with the FBI.

"We know that Brad Adams has never talked good about our country, Cambodia," Khieu Sopheak said. "The facts differ from what he says."

He denied a factional split within the CPP, citing the party's win of 90 of 123 National Assembly seats in July's elections as proof of unity.

"Brad Adams' comments bear no merit," he said. "I mean, the dog barks, and the CPP cart moves ahead to 90 seats."

Kek Galabru, founder of the rights group Licadho, declined to comment on Hok Lundy's reputation, following Cambodian tradition, but said she hoped the new police chief would better honor human rights.

"I am speaking carefully because he has died, and we should not curse the dead," she said. "Cambodians know His Excellency Hok Lundy, so I don't need to comment more. The US government denied him a visa, so we all know there were a lot of allegations."

Her sentiments were echoed by Lt. Gen. Sok Phal, another Hok Lundy deputy, who warned reporters off strong criticism last week, asking they not "write something irrelevant which would impact the Khmers or our leaders" and should "write proper articles in his name, as the leader of the national police."

Hun Sen: Neth Savoeun was specialized to be the national police commissioner since he was born ... not because he's Hun Sen's nephew-in-law -sic!-

In the executive branch, “I am the one who decides” of transfers and nominations: Hun Sen

17 November 2008
By Duong Sokha
Ka-set
Unofficial translation from French by Tola Ek
Click here to read the article in French
Click here to read the article in Khmer

On Monday 17 November, Prime minister Hun Sen denied rumors spread by the local news media according to which Kep Chuktema, the governor of Phnom Penh, would have been transferred.

“Who decides about it?” Hun Sen asked while adding that a royal decree and another sub-decree would soon confirm Kep Chuktema’s position. “Above me, there’s only the king and the National Assembly! Transfers in the executive branch are my prerogatives!” Hun Sen stormed.

Another barking from Hun Sen: the contest led by some of the successors to the position of national police commissioner which was vacated following the death of Hok lundy who was killed in a helicopter crash on 09 November. Hun Sen reported that the selection of Neth Savoeun, the former deputy police commissioner, to fill in this position was not neutral, “because he is my nephew, they said” (Neth Savoeun is married to the daughter of Hun Sen’s older brother). “Why my nephew can’t fill in this position, whereas since his birth, this is his specialty, and also according to the hierarchy, he was the number two of the police, right after Hok Lundy,” Hun Sen launched.

Once bitten, twice shy; Hun Mana’s Bayon TV9 was part of a conspiracy to kill Hok Lundy?

Hun Sen cancels visit to the province of Kampot

By Ung Chamroeun
Cambodge Soir Hebdo
Translated from French by Tola Ek
Click here to read the article in French

Due to bad weather forecast for the upcoming days in the south of the kingdom, the prime minister preferred to renounce his official visit to the province.

Following the announce by the Phnom Penh meteorology department warning the population of the arrival of Tropical Storm Noul along Cambodia’s coasts, Prime minister Hun Sen decided to cancel his participation at the inauguration of a hydraulic structure in the province of Kampot. In a speech given on Monday 17 November, Hun Sen declared that “one must be prudent, because 4 national heroes have perished in the helicopter accident caused by bad weather.” Hun Sen also blasted Bayon TV Channel 9 [owned by Hun Mana, his daughter], which on 09 November – the day the accident took place and in which national police chief Hok Lundy was killed – broadcasted by mistake the 07 November weather forecast rather than the correct one. On 07 November, the weather forecast was rather mild as opposed to what really happened on 09 November.

All that Hok Lundy could take with him to the netherworld were burned paper offerings

Hok Lundy buried in Bavet

Monday, November 17, 2008
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

The body of 4-gold-star general Hok Lundy, the national police commissioner, was taken in a funeral procession out of Phnom Penh toward Svay Rieng province in the morning of Saturday 15 November 2008. His body was buried at his birthplace at 3:05 PM on the same day. Local newspapers reported that Hok Lundy’s body was buried at his villa located in Bavet village, Bavet commune, Chantrea district, Svay Rieng province. Among the guests of honor were Sar Kheng, the minister of Interior; 4-gold-star general Mrs. Men Sam An, the vice-prime minister; Yim Chhay Ly, another vice-prime minister; 52 monks and 102 Buddhist religious nuns and followers, as well as government officials from the ministry and from the province government, about 3,000 of them altogether. The report indicated that along the road to Svay Rieng, several onlookers came out of their home to stand along the road to see the funeral procession. What was surprising was when Hok Lundy’s body was lowered into the ground, an unexpected torrential rain poured in and it took everybody by surprise.
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KI-Media note: The Cambodia Daily, in its 17 November edition, reported about 2,000 mourners assisted at Hok Lundy’s burial. Keo Samoeun, director of the the Svay Rieng provincial information department, indicated that a number of high-level Vietnamese officials also attended Hok Lundy’s funeral. The Cambodia Daily quoted 28-year-old Chan Sophea who came to mourn Hok Lundy as saying: “I want to see the celebration and procession conducted by senior officials to compare the difference between senior and ordinary people.” During the travel from Phnom Penh to Svay Rieng, one of the SUV in the funeral motorcade hit and injured three villagers along National Road 1. Kong Lim, the undertaker for the chief’s funeral, said that the funeral ceremony was derived from Chinese tradition. A torrential downpour took place during the burial ceremony sending all mourners running for shelter, except for Hok Lundy’s immediate family who remained on the spot while organizers tried to shield them from the rain. Following the burial, Sar Kheng and other high-ranking officials had to walk in ankle-deep water in Hok Lundy’s villa muddy lawn to lay flowers while funeral organizers burn paper offerings for Hok Lundy’s soul. The Cambodia Daily also indicated that Dy Rotha, Hok Lundy’s 19-year-old son, expressed concern for the safety of Cambodian people now that his father is six feet under.

Bondasa Hor 3 - "The 3H curse": A Poem in Khmer by Srey Sra'em

Click on the poem in Khmer to zoom in

Poem in Khmer by Srey Sra'em

Goodbye Mr. Hok Lundy, we are certain that a lot of company is anxiously waiting for you wherever you go

Hok Lundy's funeral procession left his home on Saturday morning, his body will be buried in Bavet commune, Chantrea district, Svay Rieng province. (Photo: Everyday.com.kh)