Phnom Penh Post
By Kim Sarom
A suspected thief is beaten unconscious by a villager after an
attempted motorbike robbery in Por Sen Chey district on Saturday, Nov.
26, 2012 . Photograph supplied
A 23-year-old man was beaten
bloody and unconscious by a group of villagers in Phnom Penh’s Por Sen
Chey district after he and another man allegedly stole a motorbike on
Saturday.
Phann Phoeun, police chief of Por Sen Chey’s Kambol commune, said the villagers, who were alerted to the motorcycle’s theft when its owner shouted for help, unleashed unrestrained vigilante retribution on the suspect before handing him over to police.
The incident began when the bike’s owner heard his vehicle’s engine start, rushed out of his apartment to investigate, and saw two men making off with the bike, Phoeun said.
A large group of villagers whose number Phoeun could not specify heeded the victim’s cry and followed the two alleged thieves until the stolen bike that the fleeing men were riding pitched into a hole in the road and knocked its two passengers to the ground.
One of the two escaped, and the mob of villagers beat the other with fists, feet and sticks until he passed out.
“People expressed their anger by beating the robber,” Phoeun said. “When police arrived, they took the suspect to the hospital for treatment.”
Phoeun said that the beaten man had been jobless and renting a home in Kambol market.
He added that no villagers were arrested for the beating because they had assisted the police in making his arrest.
In past mob violence cases, police and observers have emphasised the difficulty in differentiating those involved in mob violence from mere bystanders and therefore in making appropriate arrests in such cases.
Phann Phoeun, police chief of Por Sen Chey’s Kambol commune, said the villagers, who were alerted to the motorcycle’s theft when its owner shouted for help, unleashed unrestrained vigilante retribution on the suspect before handing him over to police.
The incident began when the bike’s owner heard his vehicle’s engine start, rushed out of his apartment to investigate, and saw two men making off with the bike, Phoeun said.
A large group of villagers whose number Phoeun could not specify heeded the victim’s cry and followed the two alleged thieves until the stolen bike that the fleeing men were riding pitched into a hole in the road and knocked its two passengers to the ground.
One of the two escaped, and the mob of villagers beat the other with fists, feet and sticks until he passed out.
“People expressed their anger by beating the robber,” Phoeun said. “When police arrived, they took the suspect to the hospital for treatment.”
Phoeun said that the beaten man had been jobless and renting a home in Kambol market.
He added that no villagers were arrested for the beating because they had assisted the police in making his arrest.
In past mob violence cases, police and observers have emphasised the difficulty in differentiating those involved in mob violence from mere bystanders and therefore in making appropriate arrests in such cases.
Vong Sereivuth, Por Sen Chey district deputy police chief, said
yesterday that the alleged thief, following hospitalisation, was in
police custody for questioning and that authorities were looking for his
accomplice.
“We will send the suspect to court, in accordance with procedure,” he said.
The incident follows a spate of mob attacks and is the fourth in as many months.
In Kampong Cham in October, villagers beat to death a man who had snatched an elderly woman’s necklace.
In September, a Phnom Penh mob killed two robbers who had shot and wounded a gold seller’s family members.
And in August, a group of Phnom Penh residents attacked a suspected motorbike thief.
Civil society groups have attributed mob violence in Cambodia to lack of faith in the justice system.
Adhoc director Thun Saray said last month that the trend over the years showed a decline in mob violence but that he was concerned by the recent upsurge.
“We will send the suspect to court, in accordance with procedure,” he said.
The incident follows a spate of mob attacks and is the fourth in as many months.
In Kampong Cham in October, villagers beat to death a man who had snatched an elderly woman’s necklace.
In September, a Phnom Penh mob killed two robbers who had shot and wounded a gold seller’s family members.
And in August, a group of Phnom Penh residents attacked a suspected motorbike thief.
Civil society groups have attributed mob violence in Cambodia to lack of faith in the justice system.
Adhoc director Thun Saray said last month that the trend over the years showed a decline in mob violence but that he was concerned by the recent upsurge.
To contact the reporter on this story: Kim Sarom at newsroom@phnompenhpost.com
With assistance from Justine Drennan
With assistance from Justine Drennan
2 comments:
Barbarism action from the citizen.
They have no right to beat other people to dead like animals.
The authorities should send both and not just the victims to the court.
Did not hear from the Human right group ?
This kind of street justice has been practiced in Cambodia since Hun Sen ruled Cambodia. No one has the right to punish anyone, including an accused. Only the court can. Those who beat this accused man must be punished severely.
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