Prosecutor grills boss of Sokha’s ‘Mon Srey’

Manekseka Sangkum: 

That this investigation falls into the jurisdiction of the Interior Ministry's Anti-Terrorism Unit may offer us a hint as to the Unit's likely involvement in the stalking and illegal recording of its subjects' phone conversations. It would make sense had the subjects been linked to previous acts of terrorism, but as far as we are told this is far from being the case, as the investigation is to do with an alleged extra-marital affair between the suspect [pictured below] and her yet unnamed lover. The US government might be among the Anti-Terrorism Unit's funders, and if so the Unit's activities must themselves be thoroughly investigated. The Cambodian government do not as a rule make clear distinctions between civic and military matters in areas of law and order and security enforcement, between the police and the military, and this non-discrimination and ill-defined jurisdictions of public bodies had frequently led to the use of lethal violence and crackdown of unarmed workers and protesters in incidents such as the crackdown by armed military forces on youths and workers at Veng Streng Blvd in January 2014.

....

Khom Chandaraty, also known as "Mon Srey", appears for questioning at the Interior Ministry last month. Heng Chivoan

Prosecutor grills boss of Sokha’s ‘Mon Srey’

ppp Wed, 6 April 2016

Niem Chheng

The boss of opposition leader Kem Sokha’s purported mistress was questioned yesterday by a Phnom Penh Municipal Court prosecutor probing claims the woman lied to police and worked as a prostitute.

Khmer Angkor Barber Shop owner Tuon Socheat said prosecutor Sieng Sok quizzed him about Khom Chandaraty, also known by her Facebook name ‘Mon Srey’, who authorities say is featured speaking intimately to the Cambodia National Rescue Party acting president in recorded phone conversations leaked to social media.

“Sieng Sok asked about Mon Srey’s activities at my shop such as when she started working with me, how often she took leave and many other things,” Socheat said. “Mon Srey asked me to take leave since March 1, after the recording was circulated on Facebook.”

Since the tapes were leaked, the scandal has snowballed into a corruption investigation and defamation case.

The latter, pursued by anti-terror police, stems from disparaging references made to social media personality Thy Sovantha on the tapes.

Sokha has refused to comment on any aspect of the case.

According to Ny Sokha, chief of investigations at rights group Adhoc, which has advised Chandaraty, authorities are investigating whether the hairdresser, who denies having an affair with Sokha, lied to police during an interview regarding the defamation claim and had worked as a prostitute.

The court will summon her on Friday, he said.