Phnom Penh Post
By Buth Reaksmey Kongkea
National Police Commissioner General Neth Savoeun (L, Photograph: Heng Chivoan/Phnom Penh Post); Im Sethy (R)
A case of mistaken identity has become something of an embarrassing
lesson for the National Police, whose officers’ pursuit of extortionists
led them to the home of Minister of Education, Youth and Sport Im Sethy on January 5.
Four-star General Neth Savoeun, director of the general-commissariat
of the National Police, wrote an official letter to the minister on
January 10 apologising for forces wanting to search his property during a
crackdown in the capital that resulted in 81 people – but certainly not
Sethy – being arrested.
“We regret this,” Savoeun wrote in the letter obtained yesterday.
“[Officers] were confused and knocked on your fence because it looked
similar to the residence rented by criminal groups pointed out to our
technical and investigative group.”
A lack of preparation was to blame for the mistake and was something the National Police would learn from, Savoeun said.
“I ask Your Excellency to understand and forgive us,” he wrote.
National Police spokesman Kirth Chantharith said Savoeun’s letter was
a way of showing courtesy to the education minister, but the incident
had not been a major one.
“Our police did not surrounded or enter the minister’s residence.
They had just knocked on his fence door only. The minister did not come
out,” he said.
“But on behalf of the National Police, he has written to apologise for the disturbance.”
Sethy and Ith The, spokesman for the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, could not be reached for comment yesterday.
Most of the 81 arrested in the crackdown are from Taiwan, some are from China and one is from Vietnam.
They have been accused of extorting money from residents of China and
Taiwan, but have not yet been deported as planned because of a lack of
available flights, but will be deported next week, said Major General
Chhay Sinarith, director of the internal security police department at
the Ministry of Interior.
To contact the reporter on this story: Buth Reaksmey Kongkea at
reaksmeykongkea.buth@phnompenhpost.com
5 comments:
វើយ កុំឲ្យគេហៅថា អាវែក។
CAMBODIA is the Kingdom of Wonder and land of opportunity , equality . It is not
surprised to see crooks , thieves who are living in the same kind of the Khmer
ministers' villas, they ( crooks & thieves ) also drive as the same kind of luxury SUV as the ministers have . It's the win-win policy : polices & criminals are winners - no one loose .
I also think that the minister might be behind the extortions. If not, why the extortionists can escape through his house and no one, even the police, can enter to check out. Many robberies and extortions in Cambodia are/were masterminded by powerful people.
I also think that the minister might be behind the extortions. If not, why the extortionists can escape through his house and no one, even the police, can enter to check out. Many robberies and extortions in Cambodia are/were masterminded by powerful people.
The poor and the powerless Khmers are losers .
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