BY SAING SOENTHRITH AND VAN ROEUN | DECEMBER 4, 2014
In a raid last night, municipal police arrested the father and mother of a senior Defense Ministry official suspected of being the “mastermind” behind the murder of a prominent businessman in Phnom Penh last month, only hours after the parents announced they had sent their son into hiding.
Major General Thong Sarath, a deputy cabinet chief at the Ministry of Defense, is suspected of coordinating the brutal killing of tycoon Ung Meng Chue, who was shot six times outside a fruit store on the evening of November 22.
Thong Chamroeun, left, and Keo Sary, the parents of Major General Thong Sarath, speak during a press conference at their home in Phnom Penh’s Meanchey district on Wednesday, hours before being apprehended by police. (Siv Channa/The Cambodia Daily)
“Phnom Penh municipal police chief Chuon Sovann said that Oknha Thong Sarath is the mastermind in the slaying of Ung Meng Chue,” says a message posted to City Hall’s Facebook page at about 8 p.m., which was accompanied by photos of police surrounding a house belonging to Maj. Gen. Sarath’s family.
“The authorities are detaining Oknha Thong Sarath’s parents while Oknha Thong Sarath makes an escape,” the post says.
Deputy municipal police chief Chuon Narin confirmed that the general’s parents were arrested at their villa in Meanchey district’s Chak Angre Krom commune, and said they were escorted to municipal police headquarters for questioning.
“We have detained four people and about 8 bodyguards for questioning, and we have confiscated six guns and we are still looking for [Maj. Gen. Sarath],” he said.
Some 50 armed police officers were seen at the Chak Angre Krom residence shortly before 9 p.m., some guarding the house with AK-47 assault rifles, others using flashlights to search for evidence inside.
Police also searched a home in Boeng Tompun commune belonging to Maj. Gen. Sarath, who holds the title of oknha—an honorific bestowed upon wealthy businessmen, typically with close ties to the ruling CPP.
“We have not found [Maj. Gen. Sarath] yet,” City Hall spokeman Long Dimanche said by telephone at about 9 p.m. “The authorities are working.”
On Monday afternoon, municipal police pulled over Maj. Gen. Sarath while he was driving along Street 271 near the Khmer-Soviet Friendship Hospital. They subsequently detained three of his bodyguards at the municipal police headquarters and questioned them over the murder of Ung Meng Chue, but allowed Maj. Gen. Sarath to leave.
Last night’s arrests came hours after Maj. Gen. Sarath’s parents, Thong Chamroeun and Keo Sary, called an afternoon press conference at their home, blasting the municipal police for seeking to arrest their son and demanding that Phnom Penh police chief Chuon Sovann resign from his position over his handling of the case.
Police drive by Borey 999 in Meanchey district’s Boeng Tompun commune while searching for Major General Thong Sarath on Wednesday night. (Siv Channa/The Cambodia Daily)
“If police look down on my son, it is like they look down on Samdech Euv [King Father Norodom Sihanouk],” said Ms. Sary, the general’s mother, explaining that it was the king who had made her son an oknha. She said police were using “wild laws” to implicate him.
Ms. Sary said Lieutenant General Sovann invited her son to municipal police headquarters Wednesday morning to pick up his three bodyguards, causing her to become suspicious.
“Today, Mr. Sovann lied and asked my son to pick up his three bodyguards,” she said. “I did not allow my son to go because of the police’s black heart.”
Ms. Sary said she offered to go to the police headquarters instead, and that Mr. Sovann asked her to bring a fourth bodyguard with her, which she did.
Police then detained the fourth bodyguard and failed to release the other three, Ms. Sary said. After several hours of waiting, she said, she left the station and warned her son to flee.
“I told my son to escape,” she said.
Mr. Chamroeun, the father, told reporters that police should not have “beaten and given money to my son’s bodyguards to confess and place blame on my son.”
“Today, they did wrong by law,” he said.
Ung Meng Chue, who was chairman of the Shimmex Group, whose subsidiaries sell construction materials, jewelry, home furnishings and real estate, was gunned down just after stepping out of his Lexus SUV to buy fruit at a shop in Phnom Penh’s Chamkar Mon district.
Maj. Gen. Sarath, whose family owns a range of businesses including the Meanchey International Investment firm, vehemently denied on Tuesday that his bodyguards played any role in the murder. He said police suspected that one of his bodyguards, whom he identified only as Sna, was behind the crime.
Shortly after 10 p.m. last night, City Hall, again on its Facebook page, identified Sieng Veasna, one of Maj. Gen. Sarath’s detained bodyguards, as the gunman.
“The hitman who killed Oknha Ung Meng Chue is Sieng Veasna,” the post says.
(Additional reporting by Mech Dara and Alex Consiglio)
4 comments:
He can't go to jail because he is a cong choi,Hun sen pray them as god,next day he will be on the street and kick every body even hun sen head.
Begin of Drgunzet's comment.
During Khmer Rouges time, 1975-1978, most intellectual Khmer were murdered. That's why now a day, most Khmer students don't wear eyeglasses. The eyeglass wearing Khmer, the smart ones were murdered.
So, the Khmer in Vietnam are actually smarter than the Khmer in Cambodia. That's because they were under Vietnam's protection.
As the result, the Khmer in Vietnam can do better business in Cambodia. This incurs jealousy from the local Khmer and they try to rip off the good Khmer from Vietnam.
So, give enough time, you will see a large group of smart Khmer being loyal to Vietnam. They will help Vietnam to control the other troublesome Khmer.
I was born very poor and most of my childhood, I had to fight off the evil dark-skinned Asians. I assure you, if the superior Whites came and conquer my area, I would love to be their captain of the guard and rule over all Asians.
I have not problem of shooting one million dark-skinned Asian to protect one White person. You attack the White, I will mow you down.
-Drgunzet-
To hypocrite Vietnamese poster -Drgunzet- @5 December 2014 4:11 pm:
My question is that, why your evil Vietnamese/Yuon leaders from Hanoi and illegal Yuon/Vietnamese settlers in Cambodian have planned to eliminate Cambodian/Khmer population including myself and my family members at the first place by creating the Killing Fields from 1975 to 1979?
I have seen the fact that you and your Vietnamese secret agents from Hanoi have hidden in Khmer Rouges uniforms during the Killing Fields (1975-1979). Many [thousands] of them [Vietnamese/Yuon secret agents] have dark and light skins with small eyes, wrote, read and spoke Khmer language (with Yuon/Vietnamese accents - just like Nguyen Tan Troy and Keo Sara (Vietnamese woman used Khmer name) and they marched with weapons along the Khmer victims in line walking into the fields or forest - I have seen those motherfuckers Vietnamese secret agents dressing in Khmer Rouges uniforms killed or murdered innocent Khmer people and children.
You have insulted victims every day. How cruel you are? I wish you and I met in person in front of the crow, but you would not dare. You are behind the computer to insult innocent Khmer people who are the victims of your evil Yuon/Vietnamese race. I can seen that some audiences will throw the shoes at your face and you will look stupid. That is true.
I have always thanked for the UN Officials to come down to inspect Cambodia before 1978 before the Cambodian people were wiped out before your Vietnamese/Yuon murders and manslaughters took the entire Cambodia country and control some small Cambodian minority.
Pol Pot had been toppled by the Vietnamese secret agents during the Killing Fields just like Hun Sen who is currently controlled and toppled by the current Vietnamese masters in Hanoi along with the Vietnamese secret agents in Cambodia today. You have seen one of examples of Keo Sary (Vietnamese woman used Khmer name and spoke unclear Khmer language next to her husband Nguyen Troy). So, Hun Sen said to Cambodian people that he does not want to be called "Ah Yong Yuon - Vietnamese/Yuon puppet or dog" and he wants to prevent himself. Hun Sen was installed by his Vietnamese masters in 1984 after Mr. Pen Sovan was taken down by the Vietnamese secret agents and Hanoi masters and was jailed in Hanoi for 10 years plus. Why? Because Mr. Pen Sovan disagreed with Hanoi masters who wanted to let the illegal Vietnamese settlers or immigrants flooding into Cambodia. However, Hun Sen did because his wife Bun Rany is Yuon/Vietnamese. Hun Sen is a good match for Hanoi's dream.
During the Killing Fields (1975-1979), Khmer Rouges soldiers were so busy fighting with evil Vietnamese/Yuon armies led by Ho Chi Minh and some Khmer Vietminh like Hun Sen, Heng Samrin, Ho Nam Hong, etc. in order to get Khmer Kampuchea Krom (today Southern Vietnam) back.
Khmer Yeurng
Cont'd from 5 December 2014 5:28 pm
Pol Pot has refused to sign the border agreement 'Referendum" with your evil Yuon/Vietnamese masters surrounded by Vietnamese secret agents from Hanoi who dressed up or hid in Khmer Rouges uniforms in order to give Cambodian territory and islands like Koh Tral (today Phu Quoc, Viet/Yuon). Then Pol Pot tried to escape and disappear when the Vietnamese secret agents and Hanoi masters to oust Pol Pot from power.
The invasion of Vietnam into Cambodia, because of the UN Officials' visit to Cambodia to inspect the situations of Cambodia after so many complaints from relatives, friends and leaders around the world due to the losses of Communications in Cambodia, had made the Vietnamese secret agents and Hanoi leaders become nervous and afraid of being exposed as the Vietnamese secret killers of the Killing Fields in Cambodia. Then Vietnamese secret agents and Hanoi leaders were hurried in the jungle/forest or back to Vietnam to change the Uniforms from Khmer Rouges soldiers to Vietnamese green military uniforms.
Hun Sen was shot into one of his eyes and he fled into Vietnam for help.
The invasion of Vietnam into Cambodia has made the people of Cambodian and around the world to be fooled and blinded that Vietnamese armies invaded into Cambodia to rescue Cambodian victims from Pol Pot and Khmer Rouges instead. Hun Sen came back into Cambodia along with the invasion of Vietnamese armies into Cambodia.
Before the Killing Fields and during the American war against Communist Vietcong, there are many poor and young Cambodian teenagers and kids were captured by the Vietnamese secret agents and sent to Vietnam for boot camping and being brainwashed. After some years later close to the Killing Fields periods, those brainwashed Khmer kids from Hanoi camp in Vietnam came back with weapons as the Khmer Rouges soldiers, and they did not know anything. Those kids have been manipulated by the Vietnamese secret agents.
Today, Hun Sen is still under the control of his Vietnamese bosses from Hanoi and from Ho Chi Minh. Hun Sen has been ordered or told by his Vietnamese masters and suggested by his Vietnamese advisers working side by side with Hun Sen to achieve something to fulfill his Ho Chi Minh’s dream to swallow Cambodia by slowly killing or murdering Cambodian people (from top to bottom) before to completely control Cambodia in many years to come. Hun Sen has been enjoying the power and wealth over 30 years plus now and Cambodia will be dangerous to be completely controlled by the Vietnamese secret agents hiding in Cambodia along with a few millions of illegal Vietnamese immigrants (like Keo Sary – a Vietnamese female and her illegal Vietnamese folks around her). To add up, there will be an increment of illegal Vietnamese immigrants in the next some years to outnumber Cambodian population in Cambodia just like Khmer Kampuchea Krom ( Southern Vietnam).
Khmer Yeurng
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