Injured union official says police forced him to write letter

 Above is the forced confession of Rong Panha which was witnessed by Soy Sopheap, publisher of DAP News.
Cambodian Confederation of Union representative Rong Phanha was injured on head in the clash Wednesday with Police in front of Wat Bottom after presenting petition to Prime Minister Hun Sen.

 

PHNOM PENH (Cambodia Herald) - A union representative who suffered a head injury during a scuffle with police said he was force to sign a letter admitting that he disobeyed police orders. [Watch video of the beatings here].

The letter said Cambodian Confederation of Union representative Rong Phanha on Wednesday joined a strike by Tainan factory workers led by president confederation president Rong Chhun. The group gathered at Wat Botum to present a petition to Prime Minister Hun Sen, it continued.

"Police asked me to return to Freedom Park, but the workers and I rejected the request," the letter said. "I regret the clash with police. I promise that there will never be such clashes again. I leave my fingerprint as evidence."

Speaking at a news conference, Rong Phanha said he was compelled to write the letter by police. "I reject the letter because it did not come from my feelings," he said. "I urgently appeal for a halt to violence and cruelty against protestors."

Phnom Penh Police Commissioner Touch Narong said: "I don’t understand what Rong Panha thinks as he wrote the letter himself and this was witnessed by non-government organization officials ... The authorities asked the workers to leave Wat Botum and Rong Phanha hit police."