Kandal beating death spurs concurrent inquiries

A Kandal prosecutor said yesterday that three concurrent investigations will be conducted into the death of a man alleged to have been beaten to death in police custody in Kandal’s Sa’ang district on Friday.

Provincial court prosecutor Lim Sokuntha said that provincial police, the provincial court and the National Police will each investigate the death of 26-year-old Chamroeun Seyha, who was allegedly beaten to death by three police officers after being mistaken as a robber and hauled in by district police officer Chhay Sina, 33.

Authorities initially blamed the beating on a mob of villagers, even as contradictory accounts from witnesses and a survivor began to emerge.

“We have sent a letter to the National Police asking them to launch their own investigation, too,” Sokuntha added. “Once they have finished their probe, they will send us a report.”

National Police spokesman Kirth Chantharith said yesterday that he had not received any such letter, but maintained it was “the duty of the Kandal provincial police to investigate”.

On Tuesday, provincial deputy police chief Roeun Nara rejected claims that the three suspects – Sina, along with district deputy police chief Pheadey Vitou, 33, and district police officer Kheang Songtheng, 31 – had fled town. However, yesterday provincial police chief Eav Chamroeun confirmed the men were indeed at large.

Chamroeun, who on Tuesday insisted the death was the result of a mob beating, acknowledged yesterday that the three officers were under investigation. “Our investigation will continue and if they made the mistake, they will receive punishment.”

Ex-officer denies antagonising Vietnam

Ex-officer denies antagonising Vietnam

Former Khmer Rouge commander Chuon Thy yesterday vehemently denied that his unit encroached on Vietnamese territory in testimony before the Khmer Rouge tribunal, claiming Democratic Kampuchea soldiers only defended Cambodia’s border.

Thy served as one of the commanders of Division 340, created by the Khmer Rouge specifically to defend the border in Svay Rieng province in 1978, prior to the Vietnamese invasion. Others, most recently expert witness and historian Stephen Morris, have accused the Khmer Rouge of harassing the Vietnamese with cross-border raids long before Vietnam decided to invade.

“We were in constant combat,” Thy said yesterday, claiming Cambodian and Vietnamese forces were “attacking one another on a daily basis”, while maintaining that Cambodian troops only fought to protect their territory.

Lysak read from a Vietnamese report claiming Vietnamese forces took captives from the witness’ unit after a Cambodian incursion across the border.

“That is false, we did not enter Vietnam territory; we contained them inside Kampuchean territory,” the witness protested.

Lysak then pressed the witness, asking how the Vietnamese could know the number of his division. The witness acknowledged that his division was “newly established” in 1978 and the number was only known within the military.

Khmer Rouge leaders Khieu Samphan and Nuon Chea are on trial for various crimes against humanity, including alleged atrocities committed against ethnic Vietnamese.

The defence for Nuon Chea has argued that the existence of a legitimate military threat from Vietnam is a key element of its defence, but Chea defender Victor Koppe yesterday argued that alleged crimes committed during excursions into Vietnam are supposed to be outside the scope of this trial.

“Incursions into Vietnam as a crime is not within the scope, but is still relevant in understanding the armed conflict,” prosecuting lawyer Dale Lysak countered. Koppe then claimed he was unprepared to deal with this line of questioning, a statement Lysak called “absurd”.

“Mr Koppe himself has repeatedly tried to tender evidence that it was Vietnam that was initiating conflict,” he said.

The prosecution later asked the witness if he knew of any members of his division who had been arrested and sent to Phnom Penh.

When the witness said he did not, Lysak revealed a list of 16 names of men from Thy’s division who were sent to S-21, including the division secretary. The witness, who testified in 2013 that “people were happy” during the regime, said he did not recognise any of the names and denied having heard of S-21 at that time.

Judiciary law changes brushed aside by CPP

The National Assembly’s permanent committee yesterday shot down opposition lawmaker Son Chhay’s proposed amendments to three controversial 2014 laws regulating the judiciary, ruling the suggested changes were too sweeping.

Parliament spokesman Leng Peng Long said Chhay’s proposed changes were not amendments but a complete revision of the controversial bills, which regulate judges and prosecutors, the Supreme Council of Magistracy – the judiciary’s top body – and court administration.

“Some of the laws have 31 articles, and the CNRP proposed to amend 15 of them. It’s a revision, not amendment. This is why the committee rejected it,” said Peng Long, who did not explain what legal basis the committee used for determining such a threshold.

The parliamentary spokesman also said the CNRP should have also consulted the Supreme Council of Magistracy for input on the amendments.

Responding yesterday, Chhay, the CNRP’s chief whip, said Peng Long’s explanation was baseless.

“There is no such thing prohibiting MPs from having an amendment cover many articles,” Chhay said, adding the committee’s decision not to send the proposal to a plenary session vote had violated parliamentary procedure.

He also noted the he, the author, was never consulted by the parliamentary committee that had supposedly assessed the amendments, which aimed to curtail executive influence over the judiciary.

The committee yesterday also discussed a proposal to better enforce disciplinary measures against lawmakers who boycott parliament or insult other parliamentarians.

 Long said the set of measures – which would see lawmakers’ pay docked for skipping sessions – were not new but a collection of provisions picked from existing legislation and reinserted in a new document that would aid in their enforcement.

The CNRP has complained that the recent CPP push to punish absentee MPs is targeted at them, since they have boycotted several plenary sessions in the wake of the assault against two opposition lawmakers outside parliament exactly a year ago yesterday.

Kong Sophea and Nhay Chamroeun were bashed by a mob of at least 16 men from a pro-government demonstration. Only three people, soldiers from the Prime Minister’s Bodyguard Unit, were convicted for the attack, though had their sentences reduced to 12 months.

Rainsy ban to protect airport, official claims

The official who issued the ban on opposition leader Sam Rainsy’s return to Cambodia defended his decision in a radio interview on Tuesday, explaining that the directive was issued to avoid damage to airport infrastructure in the event that demonstrations broke out.

The ban on Rainsy’s return – and even on airplanes allowing him to board inbound flights – was issued by the Council of Ministers earlier this month, nearly a year after the CNRP leader again fled to Paris to avoid arrest. The ban, which amounts to state-sanctioned exile, has been roundly criticised by observers.

Tek Reth Samrach, a secretary of state at the Council of Ministers who issued the ban, said in an interview with Vayo FM that his decision was justified.

“We have to prevent it in advance. We see that his trip to Cambodia in the future under these political circumstances will lead to demonstrations,” Reth Samrach said. “When he enters, he would be arrested. There will be demonstrations, there will protests.”

“At the airport, there is a lot of infrastructure worth hundreds of millions of dollars. And each airplane is worth hundreds of millions of dollars,” the official said. “On behalf of the authorities, you have to take the responsibility to implement your obligations.”

“In this case, I am responsible,” he said. “For example, if he came and the airplane was on fire, who would be responsible? It’s only me in the end.”

តូបចំនួនរបស់អាជីវករខ្មែរនៅផ្សាររុងក្លឿភ្លើងឆេះខាតអស់ជាង២ពាន់លានរៀល

របាយការណ៍សមត្ថកិច្ចបានបង្ហាញថា តូបលក់ឥវ៉ាន់របស់អាជីវករជាជនជាតិខ្មែរលក់នៅក្នុងផ្សាររុងក្លឿ ក្នុងទឹកដីថៃចំនួន៤តូប ត្រូវភ្លើងឆេះកាលពីទៀបភ្លឺថ្ងៃទី២៥ខែតុលាបណ្តាលអោយខាតបង់គិតជាទឹកប្រាក់អស់ជាង១ពាន់លានរៀល។                       គេហទំព័រអគ្គស្នងការដ្ឋាននគរបាលជាតិចុះផ្សាយថា ហេតុការណ៍ភ្លើងឆេះនោះកើតឡើងកាលពីម៉ោង៣និង១៥នាទីទាបភ្លឺនៅថ្ងៃទី២៥ខែតុលា។របាយការណ៍របស់អាជ្ញាធរខេត្តស្រះកែវរបស់ថៃបានអោយដឹងថាភ្លើងឆេះធ្វើអោយអាជីវករជាជនជាតិកម្ពុជាខាតបង់អស់ប្រមាណ១០លានបាត ដែលស្មើរនឹងជាង១ពាន់លានរៀល។                                     របាយការណ៍សមត្ថកិច្ចថៃបង្ហាញទៀតថា ក្នុងចំណោម៤តូបនោះ គឺ២តូបឆេះអស់ទាំងស្រុង និង២តូបទៀត ខូចខាតអស់មួយចំនួន។ជាការសន្និដ្ឋានបឋមគឺសមត្ថកិច្ចថៃអះអាងថា ការឆេះនេះដោយសារបញ្ហាឆ្លងចរន្តអគ្គិសនី៕

Absentee voter clock ticks for US

Absentee voter clock ticks for US

US citizen hoping to cast an absentee ballot for either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump in the upcoming presidential election should act quickly, the US Embassy said yesterday.

While the embassy itself doesn’t impose deadlines on the turning in of absentee ballots, most states require the ballot be received in the appropriate voting precinct by Election Day, November 8.

American citizens cannot vote at the embassy itself, but the embassy will mail absentee ballots to their precincts in the US free of charge.

“While the US Embassy is not a polling place, and same-day, in-person voting is not available outside the United States, embassy staff are available to answer questions about voting and to accept completed ballots for return to the United States,” spokesman Jay Raman said yesterday.

Ballots can be brought to the embassy between 8am and 4pm Monday through Friday.

“As many state deadlines are quickly approaching, US citizens are advised to complete their ballots as quickly as possible,” Raman added.

Factory walkout prompted by pay row

Factory walkout prompted by pay row

Four hundred workers staged a walkout yesterday at the Soo Apparel Cambodia factory in Phnom Penh’s Stung Meanchey district after being denied a 5 percent bonus promised in their contracts.

The workers, who have not received the bonus since August, left the factory floor an hour into their shift yesterday and began to protest outside. Workers on three-month work contracts had been promised a 5 percent bonus payout at the conclusion of the three months, to be paid before renewal of the contract.

“Some workers finished their contracts in August, and for the past three months, they have not received it,” said Thong Soeun, a unionist with the Khmer Union Federation of Workers Spirit.

He said the amount of work had also reduced in the past three months, leading to concerns among the workers that the factory would be shuttered.

Factory worker Dy Na said the management had consistently paid the bonus over the last year, but only stopped doing so in August. “We all agreed to come out and protest because we have no hope the factory will pay us if we keep silent,” she said, adding that if the matter wasn’t resolved they would continue to protest.