The Events Surrounding the Arrest of the Sam Rainsy Party Commune Chief

_ Picture: Sok Pheng.

----------------------------------------------------------------19th March 2008
By San Suwit
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Khmerization

A Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) commune chief from Baray district in Kampong Thom province was arrested by the police on the morning of Tuesday (18th) following the complaint made by Mrs. Tim Norn, a former SRP member who defected to the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP), on the charges that he kidnapped and illegally detained her in a house in Phnom Penh.

In relation to the arrest of this SRP commune chief, Mr. In Kong Chit, an investigator working for the Cambodian Human Rights Centre, by basing his proof on a witness account, said that: “When she went to Sok Pheng’s house, Sok Pheng’s wife gave her $200 in order to help to persuade other SRP members to defect to the CPP. After she received the money, she did not carry out the job. So she feared for reprisal and wanted to return back to the SRP. She fled her house and went to ask a group of SRP officials whom she knew to help her go to Phnom Penh.”
Please be reminded that on Monday Prime Minister Hun Sen has declared publicly for an investigation into the alleged threats against Mrs. Tim Norn, a recent defectors to the CPP, who complained to him that she was kidnapped and detained by someone.

The prime minister said: “I will wait and see what all the human right organisations will say. This case must be investigated until it is thoroughly completed by the relevant authority for the human right non-governmental organisations as well as for the international community to see. When His Excellency Sok Pheng left his MP position from the SRP there were many SRP members and commune officials, including some commune chiefs, who have left the SRP with him. And they detained those people and when they were released back to their homes they were forbidden from saying anything.”

In relation to the arrest of Mr. Tuot Sarong, a chief of Pong-ro commune, on the 18th, the SRP Secretariat has released a statement claiming that the arrest of Mr. Tuot Sarong was carried out after Mr. Hun Sen’s speech on Monday. The statement also stated that there was no detention of Mrs. Tim Norn as was claimed. Instead the SRP was helping to protect Mrs. Tim Norn who feared and was concerned about her personal safety as well as the safety of her husband and her children.

The SRP statement also appealed to the authority and the Kampong Thom provincial court to drop all charges against Mr. Tuot Sarong and to release him immediately and unconditionally and to investigate his case thoroughly in order to find the real culprit who invented a false charge against an innocent person.

In relation to this case Mr. Ou Virak, chairman of the Cambodian Human Right Centre, considers these kinds of charges levelled by the ruling party as a way to oppress, to threat and to invoke fears on the opposition activists.

Mr. Ou Virak said: “This is a pretext used to threaten the opposition parties and, in general, we always see that the ruling party often used pressures on the political freedom of the activists belonging to any party that opposed them, this is the first point. The second point, I am worried that this case is not an isolated case. I am concerned that it will be widened which will lead to the arrests or threats to other opposition activists.”

Mrs. Mu Sochua, Deputy Secretary General of the SRP, denied that the SRP threatened its own members. She also said that the upcoming fourth mandate election will not be free and fair.
Mrs Mu Sochua said: “ the SRP rejected outright all accusations that the SRP threatened its own members. We see clearly with our own eyes that it was the CPP who used all tricks to attract the SRP’s spies (to defect) by providing them with money as well as government positions. We consider this a grave violation of the freedom of individuals to join any political party and, in particular, it destroys the democratic principles. And, as we are approaching national election, I see that this election will not be free and fair.”

Mrs. Mu Sochua has also told Radio Free Asia that Sok Pheng, who was an ex-member of the SRP who defected to the ruling CPP, telephoned her to tell her about the CPP’s black list of a planned arrest of Mr. Tuot Sarong and three other SRP activists in Kampong Thom who refused to defect. She said: “Sok Pheng had telephoned me about 3-4 days earlier. He told me about the names of the people on the CPP’s black list who will be arrested. Sok Pheng accused him (Tuot Sarong?) of threatening that lady (Tim Norn). He made the accusations and a few days later the man he accused was arrested. This is what I see as a CPP’s plan in its attempt to break up the SRP. And a few days later the vice-president (of the SRP’s Kampong Thom branch) was blacklisted to be arrested. So, any of our strong core members, who are refusing to sell out to the CPP, will be blacklisted. And in Kampong Thom, Sok Pheng knew the names of all of our activists there.”

The SRP Deputy Secretary General, Mu Sochu, has also revealed about the CPP’s tricks in using all the SRP defectors to incite other SRP members to defect.

Mrs Mu Sochua said: “I also worry that Mr. Ngor Sovann, who has defected to the CPP, had travelled to Takeo, a province which is under my responsibility, to attempt to persuade others of our members to defect to the CPP by promising to give them jobs at the Council of Ministers and one million riels (equivalent to $US250). And when he arrived home Mr. Ngor Sovann was seen carrying a gun with him. I think this is what we all must pay attention to- and that is, all the tricks and all other anti-democratic practices must be stopped.” //