Showing posts with label Touch Naroth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Touch Naroth. Show all posts

Friday, November 26, 2010

Opposition: Kep Chuktema and Touch Naroth must resign

Yim Sovann, SRP spokesman
25 Nov 2010
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Soy

On Wednesday, the opposition party and civil society organizations called on Kep Chuktema, the governor of the city of Phnom Penh, and Touch Naroth, the Phnom Penh city police commissioner, to resign from their position because they were involved in the Koh Pich bridge tragedy. Kem Sokha, HRP president, said: “The government must punish high-ranking officials who are responsible in the administration, otherwise, they have to be removed from their position.” Yim Sovann, SRP spokesman, said: “I am calling on the government to suspend officials responsible for this tragedy in order to perform the investigation. We call on the Phnom Penh city governor [Kep Chuktema] and the Phnom Penh city police commissioner [Touch Naroth] to resign from their position also.”

A-C-C-O-U-N-T-A-B-I-L-I-T-Y: A word unknown by P.Penh police chief Touch Naroth

Touch Naroth: The UNACCOUNTABLE Phnom Penh police chief
Touch Naroth rejects accusations made [against the police]

25 Nov 2010
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Soy

Touch Naroth, the Phnom Penh city police commissioner, rejected all accusations made by the opposition and the civil society organizations. He declared that the deaths were not caused by the inability of the authority to reign in the situation, but that it was due to the stampeded by the huge crowd of people on a narrow bridge. He said: “I believe that the [police] authority completed their duty, they did good in helping and saving the victims on the Koh Pich bridge already. Personally, I worked hard to help them also, but we couldn’t help them on time because there was too many people, and the bridge was narrow so it was difficult to work there.”

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

If the cops in PPenh give trouble, just tell them you're Touch Naroth's relative!

City police chief to offenders: Stop using my name to escape law

Tue, 17 Aug 2010
DPA

Phnom Penh - Phnom Penh's police chief has warned anyone involved in criminal acts to stop claiming they are related to him in order to escape prosecution, local media reported Tuesday.

The Phnom Penh Post newspaper quoted police chief Touch Naruth as saying those doing so would be punished because they were damaging his reputation.

"I won't pardon any criminal because I am the person who enforces the law," he wrote.

The statement comes after three recent incidents where suspects claimed they were Touch Naruth's relatives.

Last week three teenagers on a motorbike crashed into a car and then pretended they were the police chief's nephews in order to escape prosecution. Police are still looking for them.

Earlier this month, three drunk, gun-toting policemen threatened staff at an upscale city massage parlour after they were refused service. One claimed to be a relative of the capital's top cop.

And last month a woman appeared in court after a traffic accident in which she said she was Touch Naruth's niece.

The capital's police chief said enough was enough.

"If I don't abide by the law, who will? If my nephews commit acrime, they must be punished too," he said, making clear that Touch Naruth family ties - real or pretend - were no escape from the law.

Impunity for the rich and powerful has long been a problem in Cambodia, and those with connections are rarely convicted.

Friday, July 16, 2010

Touch Naroth denies having any nephew or niece who would use his name to threaten cops

This thug-woman claimed to be Touch Naroth's niece when she hit a street divider and tried to threaten the cops who showed up. She also trashed the cops' camera (inset). With so much evidence, why does Touch Naroth have to order his cops to look for her? (Photo: DAP news)

16 July 2010
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

General Touch Naroth, the Phnom Penh police commissioner, issued a public declaration that he ordered all the cops working under him to find all the thug-kids who used his name to claim to be their uncle and went on to threaten the Tuol Kok traffic cops and trashed their cameras to destroy (the evidence). Touch Naroth told the Koh Santepheap news that he has no nephew/niece, no younger sibling, and he does not allow any thug to use his name to make people scared of them. The open reaction of Touch Naroth takes place after news reports indicated that a car crashed into a street divider in the evening of 14 July, but when the cops showed up to perform their duties, they were attacked by a group of thug-kids (who drove the car and their friends) and one of the young women claimed that she is Touch Naroth’s niece, and the cops were (indeed) scared of her.

Saturday, January 31, 2009

UN criticises forced evictions in Cambodia

"We did not use violence against them, but tear gas to disperse the people who resisted" - Touch Naroth, PPenh police commissioner
GENEVA, Jan 30 (Reuters) - The Cambodian government is forcing tens of thousands of poor people from their homes in a grave breach of human rights, a U.N. investigator said on Friday.

Raquel Rolnik, United Nations special rapporteur on adequate housing, called for a halt to the evictions in the Southeast Asian country.

"The increase in forced evictions throughout Cambodia is very alarming," Rolnik said in a statement.

Cambodian police fired teargas to move more than 130 families last weekend from a Phnom Penh slum facing the Mekong River, without giving them prior notice, she said. It was the latest of a series of land disputes in the country where garment factories and hotels are springing up fast.

Rolnik, a Brazilian architect and urban planner, said those evicted from the site that the Cambodian government had sold to a private company should be compensated for losing their homes.

Witnesses said an elderly woman and a boy were hit by a bulldozer during the nightime eviction, and other residents were injured by clubs and stones, some seriously.

Police denied using excessive force against the group who had waged a 3-year battle against their eviction.

"We did not use violence against them, but tear gas to disperse the people who resisted," Phnom Penh police chief G. Touch Naruth told Reuters.

In her statement, Rolnik said Cambodia sould stop the practice that results in increased homeless and destitution.

"Forced evictions constitute a grave breach of human rights. They can be carried out only in exceptional circumstances and with the full respect of international standards," she said.

(Reporting by Laura MacInnis; Editing by Angus MacSwan)

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Sok Kong and Chheung Sopheap (aka Yeay Phu) dole out red envelopes stuffed with cash to city cops

Penny-pinching Sok Kong dole out red envelopes containing $2.50 only to city cops ...
whereas, his rival, the famous Chheung Sopheap (aka Yeay Phu, seen here with her CPP-senator-tycoon-land-grabber husband Lao Meng Khin) doled out red envelopes stuffed with $25 bribes gifts.

27 Jan 2009
KI-Media

The Cambodia Daily reported in today’s edition, that to mark the Chinese New Year celebration “with flair” in Phnom Penh on Monday, two of Samdach Dek Cho Hun Sen’s cronies, Oknha Sok Kong and Oknha Chheung Sopheap (aka Yeay Phu or Grandma Phu) doled out red envelopes stuffed with cash to city cops who gathered at their residences. Sok Kong is the owner of the Sokha Hotel Group and the giant Sokimex company, whereas Yeay Phu is the tycoon owner of the Pheapimex land concession company. However, cops who presented themselves to Yeay Phu’s residence received $25 in their red envelopes, whereas cops who went to Sok Kong’s residence only received a paltry amount of $2.50 (after all, Sok Kong has to be more penny-pinching to own more than Yeay Phu). Touch Naroth, the Phnom Penh police commissioner said that he did not take part in this generous cash dole out and he did not believe his officers would take the generous red envelopes either. Poor chief, little did he know what his officers are doing behind his back … or maybe, he chose to look away, just as the city cops always do.

Wednesday, December 05, 2007

Kun Kim Said Behind Timber Smuggled in Boats Towing Dragon-Boats to Phnom Penh

Left to Right: 4-star General Kun Kim, Chan Sarun, and Touch Naroth

23 Nov 07
By Savery
Sralanh Khmer

Translated from Khmer and posted online

The crime of transporting good quality timber from the provinces to timber depots in Phnom Penh takes place everyday before this timber is smuggled out of the country and sold in Vietnam, China, and a number of other foreign black markets. The timber transporting traders claim that they enjoy the backing of the wives of high-ranked government officials, police or army generals, or relatives of Prime Minister Hun Sen, as well as senior officials in the Agriculture Ministry.

During the recent Water and Moon Festivals this year some of the large motorboats that towed the dragon-boats for the race in Phnom Penh hid luxury wood in their hulls with some of them reportedly smuggling hundreds of cubic meters of high-priced timber in this manner. In the timber shipment via the motorboats towing the dragon-boats to Phnom Penh this time some timber merchants claimed that four-star General Kun Kim, deputy supreme commander of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces and one of the officials closest to Prime Minister Hun Sen, was the main share holder in their business.

Sources said that there were about 10 motorboats towing the dragon-boats to Phnom Penh and each of them carried hundreds of cubic meters of luxury wood arranged at the bottom of the hulls with tree saplings placed atop. The dragon-boat rowers were arranged to sit atop the tree saplings in a bid to deter inspection by the authorities. The sources said that these timber carrying motorboats moored in Tonle Sap River off Phsa Toch Market close to the Caltex gas station. Both the Economic Police [EP] officers and Forest Administration [FA] officials were said to be afraid to search the boats. In fact, they were afraid not of the power of Kun Kim but of the power of the timber traders' dollars.

A Phnom Penh FA official told Sralanh Khmer that in the night of 21 November 2007 a few FA officials and EP officers drove cars and piloted outboards to negotiate with and take bribes from the tycoons behind the shipment of sawn timber in motorboats from Kampong Cham and Kracheh provinces that were at anchor off Phsa Toch Market. When the local police officers came to question and inspect the boats, the timber traders told the workers who were unloading the timber to tell the police that Kun Kim had shares in their stocks.

The sources said that one of the timber smuggling motorboats that night was named Vatthanak-Sambat. Another motorboat mooring nearby, named Chey Chumneah II, was also suspected of transporting good quality wood. However, the names of the other motorboats in that area were covered up with pieces of cloth.

A witness of this incident said that before 9:00 PM in the night of 21 November outboards of the FA officials and those of the EP officers were seen racing behind these 10 motorboats that were towing the dragon-boats. Three large motorboats suspected of transporting hundreds of cubic meters of wood (in each boat) left the Phsa Toch Market mooring place and sailed to drop anchor at another place in Prek Phneou. It was suspected that these boats were taking their shipments of timber to a timber depot belonging to a businesswoman named Chae Moy.

The sources said that this wood smuggling incident was also reported to Phnom Penh Police Commissioner Touch Naroth, Agriculture Minister Chan Sarun, FA Director-General Ty Sokhun, and the EP bureau head and deputy heads. But these men did not dare to stop the boats. They instead sent representatives to negotiate with the timber merchants. After pocketing the bribes, they just let them go, presuming that Kun Kim was behind these shipments of timber to Phnom Penh.

The sources said that luxury wood transported by motorboat, car, and train come to Phnom Penh everyday with the merchants who are waiting to buy the timber ready to pay off the EP officers and FA officials each time a shipment reaches Phnom Penh. However, if the timber smugglers fail to pay the bribes their shipments would be immediately sequestered. No matter where the smuggled timber is hidden, the EP and FA know about it. And each time there is an arrest and confiscation the media would be invited to take pictures and telecast the captured goods with these officials and officers acting as if they have just made a big score in suppressing forest crime. In reality, this usually follows the failure in the negotiation to extort bribes from the timber traders.

Sralanh Khmer yesterday was unable to contact General Kun Kim and many other figures involved for clarification on these criminal shipments of luxury wood through motorboats towing dragon-boats from the provinces that were moored off Phsa Toch Market in the night of 21 November.

It should be noted that a number of local newspaper reporters were beaten up by unidentified persons and powerful officials and some of them were given death threats in Pursat province just because they took pictures of cars transporting timber and published news about the illegal logging and timber transporting in Pursat. Concerning these warnings and persecutions, the authorities have never discovered and arrested any criminals behind them.

Friday, September 28, 2007

Cops warned not to accept bribes

Thursday, September 27, 2007
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy

General Touch Naroth , the Phnom Penh police commissioner, warned his police officers that they will be removed from their position in punishment for accepting bribes from people who needs to obtain their identification cards, or address books. During a meeting of police officers, Touch Naroth said that any police officers who are continuing to demand bribes from people who come to apply for their identification cards or address books, will be removed from their position and will be punished with jail time just like (what the law did to) the underground society. Touch Naroth’s reaction came after it was learnt that a small group of police officers are demanding from people between $10 to $150 before providing them with identification cards or address books. As he is issuing his order to local police officers telling them to stop demanding bribes from people, Touch Naroth also advised his local police officers to push the population to apply for their identification cards starting from 26 September, so they can vote during the upcoming 2008 general election.

Saturday, August 11, 2007

Mok Chito Said Most Likely To Replace Touch Naroth as Phnom Penh Police Chief

31 Jul 07
By Srei Ka
Moneakseka Khmer

Translated from Khmer and posted online

Recently there was a report that two-star General Thong Lim might replace Phnom Penh Municipal Police Department [PPMPD] Commissioner Touch Naroth, who is to be transferred to a service in the Ministry of Interior [MoI]. However, a senior MoI official said that Touch Naroth's replacement will not be Thong Lim but someone else.

This official said that the order to appoint a new PPMPD commissioner has already been signed. The public announcement is expected to be made in the next two weeks at the most.

The same MoI official said that Thong Lim is a two-star general. He cannot be PPMPD commissioner because this post is for a one-star general only. Therefore, because Thong Lim's rank is too high for this post he cannot take it.

The PPMPD commissioner's post is for a one-star general only but even three-star generals would love to have it. If being a two-star general is too high for the PPMPD commissioner's post Thong Lim would wish one of his stars be taken away. Being a big shot in a ministry without posts or with posts that are not lucrative, one would prefer being just a one-star general. Many have regretted that they get promotion too fast and exceed the requirement for the post of municipal police chief.

For example, if Thong Lim is only a one-star general, maybe he would be given the post of PPMPD commissioner; but he would not since he is above this position. So, he cannot sit in the PPMPD commissioner's chair.

According to the same MoI official, the person who would take over the PPMPD commissioner's post is a one-star general who works at the MoI.

When Heng Pov was still at large, there were rumors that Sar Kheng's man Ek Kret could fill Heng Pov's chair as PPMPD commissioner. At that time, Ek Kret was police commissioner of Kandal province. However, because Ek Kret was negligent in his work and was never aware of Hun Sen's itineraries and goings and comings in Kandal province, Hun Sen fired him by removing him from the post of police commissioner of Kndal province. He then transferred Ek Kret to the MoI Intervention Police Unit.

Yesterday, when asked if Ek Kret was to be Touch Naroth's replacement, the same MoI official claimed that it was not Ek Kret but someone else. There could be two candidates for the PPMPD commission's post. One is Chhai Sinarith, head of the MoI General Information Department and the other is Mok Chito, head of the MoI Penal Department. However, according to the MoI official, Mok Chito is most likely to be chosen, for he has successfully served Hok Lundy.

Mok Chito used to be head of the Serious Crime Squad of the PPMPD and the government also used to assign him to carry out many jobs with efficiency, especially during the 1993 election. Therefore, Touch Naroth's replacement could be Mok Chito more than Chhai Sinarith. Besides, Chhai Sinarith was claimed to be very indecisive and incapable of handling important missions. He is incompatible with the police work, which requires a man with the characteristics of a leader or a man with plenty of male ego, which Chhai Sinarith lacks.

Mok Chito was transferred by Hok Langdi from Pailin City to the MoI to head its Penal Department in order to eliminate Heng Pov and his gang. Since acceding to the post of head of the MoI Penal Department Mok Chito has worked most efficiently in wiping out the entire Heng Pov gang. This quality is most appreciated and it could oblige Hok Lundy to appoint Mok Chito as Touch Naoth's replacement.

According to the same MoI official, the current situation in Cambodia, especially in Phnom Penh, calls for a person like Mok Chito, who knows when to play it rough and when to be nice. Therefore, Touch Naroth's replacement is most likely to be Mok Chito than anyone else. Besides, Mok Chito is also a general with only one star.

Some police officers agreed that it is more likely that Mok Chito would replace Touch Naroth. Therefore, the news that Thong Lim is coming to the PPMPD commissioner's office is not true.

The MoI official said that the decision on the PPMPD commissioner's post will be known next week or the week after that.

Friday, July 27, 2007

It's now Touch Naroth's turn to be removed, after he took over Heng Pov's position for almost 2 years

Police commissioner Touch Naroth could be replaced

Friday, July 27, 2007
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

According to a report by the Rasmei Kampuchea newspaper, police commissioner Touch Naroth, could be replaced by a general coming from the Ministry of Interior (Moi). The newspaper reported that Brigadier general Touch Naroth could be replaced by 2-star general Thong Lim who is currently the director of the MoI department of immigration. The information reported that the decision for this replacement has already been made and that it only awaits an official announcement only. Rasmei Kampuchea said that Touch Naroth refused to reply to questions in the afternoon on 26 July, claiming that he was too busy, he then hung up the phone. Touch Naroth was the former police commissioner in Kompong Chhnang province, and he was moved to the same position in Phnom Penh to replace Heng Pov for almost 2 years. During the era of the People’s Republic of Kampuchea, Thong Lim was the deputy police commissioner for Phnom Penh city in charge of criminal cases, and he is currently the director of the MoI department of immigration.