[NOTICE: The AHRC have developed a new automatic letter-sending system using the “button” below. However, in this appeal, we could not include e-mail addresses of some of the Cambodian authorities. We encourage you to send your appeal letters via fax or post to those people. Fax numbers and postal addresses of the Cambodian authorities are attached below with this appeal. Thank you.]
CAMBODIA: Extra-judicial killing; torture; corruption; impunity; non-functioning policing system
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Dear friends,
The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that on 2 October 2006, a 26 year-old man named Nhor Nhek was allegedly tortured and murdered by a police officer using an illegal weapon at a private rubber plantation in Chrap village, Veal Mlu commune, which is in the Ponhea Krek district of Kompong Cham province, Cambodia.
According to the information we have received, Nhor Nhek and his brother-in-law Yoarn Yeurn had gone to a private rubber plantation in the hopes of finding discarded residue to sell. When police officer Khim Mean discovered the two men on the plantation he fired his gun five times in the air to stop them from taking the leftover rubber. Nhor Nhek and Yoarn Yeurn fled the scene in a panic; however, Nhor Nhek was caught by the officer who then began to allegedly beat the victim with end of his assault riffle. Yoarn Yeurn witnessed the brutal assault on his brother-in-law and heard another gunshot while he was fleeing.
The following day on October 3, Nhor Nhek’s wife and his family found Nhor Nhek’s body at the scene covered in blood. The victim was shot once in the back, with the bullet wound exiting his posterior. His body was also full of black bruise, while his nose and right eye were broken. After the police officer fled the scene he allegedly hid the murder weapon at his police post.
Meanwhile, the plantation’s owner Eung Sisat Vrak has denied any responsibility over the murder and continues to misuse his power as a wealthy land owner by maintaining the practice of hiring police officers as personal security guards.
This is not the first time a police officer has allegedly murdered a civilian on a rubber plantation. Since 2005, other police officers have allocated their services to private rubber plantation owners and have allegedly also been involved in the extra-judicial killings of four other victims. Other victims have been murdered in Thmor Pich and Krek district, while two were killed in the Chamca Andung district, Kompong Cham province. Regrettably, none of the murderers have been brought to justice.
Poor villagers have been also facing drastic legal measures without any support from the government for their right to life. The AHRC has previously reported a case regarding eight poverty-stricken villagers, including two women and two minor girls, who were facing trials after being charged with robbery for stealing scrap rubber left uncollected on the ground at a state rubber plantation of Krek, in Pohnea Krek district, Kompong Cham province, Cambodia (See further: UA-242-2006 and UP-155-2006).
The AHRC deplores this murder and expresses its deep concern over plantation owners being able to privately hire police officers to guard their property. Likewise, the alleged perpetrator who is a police officer was able to conduct such a grievous act using a banned weapon. Plantation owners must not be able to hire police officers as security guards and must take full responsibility for the murders that are committed by their security on their own land.
The AHRC urges the Cambodian government to immediately order an independent investigation to bring the perpetrator(s) to justice. Since the alleged murderer is a police officer, the AHRC demands that the investigation is conducted by a fully independent investigation team that has no ties with the Kompong Cham district authorities. The AHRC also urges the Cambodian government to pressure rubber plantation owners to become more accountable for the victims death and to help the families that have suffered such lose. We also urge the Cambodian authorities make greater efforts to ensure that gun control remains a high priority so that illegal weapons are not readily available throughout the country.
SUGGESTED ACTION:
Please send a letter to the relevant authorities mentioned below and urge them to institute immediate remedies and conduct an investigation into the police officer so that he may be brought to justice.
To support this case, please click here: SEND APPEAL LETTER
SAMPLE LETTER
Dear ________,
CAMBODIA: Man allegedly shot dead after being tortured by a police officer guarding a rubber plantation in Kompong Cham province
Name of victim: Mr. Nhor Nhek, aged 26, living in Chrap village, Veal Mlu commune, Ponhea Krek district, Kompong Cham province
Alleged perpetrators: Mr. Khim Mean, Veal Mlu commune police officer, Kompong Cham province.
Date of incident: 2 October 2006
Place of incident: Chrap village, Veal Mlu commune, Ponhea Krek district, Kompong Cham province
I am writing to show my deep concern over the murder of a 26 year-old man named Nhor Nhek who was allegedly tortured and killed by a police officer using an illegal weapon. The incident took place on 2 October 2006, at a private rubber plantation in Chrap village, Veal Mlu commune, which is in the Ponhea Krek district of Kompong Cham province, Cambodia.
According to the information I have received, Nhor Nhek and his brother-in-law Yoarn Yeurn had gone to a private rubber plantation in the hopes of finding discarded residue to sell. When police officer Khim Mean discovered the two men on the plantation he fired his gun five times in the air to stop them from taking the leftover rubber. Nhor Nhek and Yoarn Yeurn fled the scene in a panic; however, Nhor Nhek was caught by the officer who then began to allegedly beat the victim with end of his assault riffle. Yoarn Yeurn witnessed the brutal assault on his brother-in-law and heard another gunshot while he was fleeing.
The following day on October 3, Nhor Nhek’s wife and his family found Nhor Nhek’s body at the scene covered in blood. The victim was shot once in the back, with the bullet wound exiting his posterior. His body was also full of black bruise, while his nose and right eye were broken. After the police officer fled the scene he allegedly hid the murder weapon at his police post.
It has also come to my attention that the plantation’s owner Eung Sisat Vrak has denied any responsibility over the murder and continues to misuse his power as a wealthy land owner by maintaining the practice of hiring police officers as personal security guards.
It upsets me to learn that this is not the first time a police officer has allegedly murdered a civilian on a rubber plantation. Since 2005, other police officers have allocated their services to private rubber plantation owners and have also allegedly been involved in the extra-judicial killings of four other victims. Other victims have been murdered in Thmor Pich and Krek district, while two were killed in the Chamca Andung district, Kompong Cham province. It saddens me to learn that none of the murderers have been brought to justice.
I strongly deplore this murder and express my deep concern over plantation owners being able to privately hire police officers to guard their property. Likewise, the alleged perpetrator who is a police officer was able to conduct such a grievous act using a banned weapon. Plantation owners must not be able to hire police officers as security guards and must take full responsibility for the murders that are committed by their security on their own land.
I strongly urge you to order an independent investigation to bring the perpetrator(s) to justice. Since the alleged murderer is a police officer, I would expect that the investigation is conducted by a fully independent investigation team that has no ties with the Kompong Cham district authorities. I also urge you to pressure rubber plantation owners to become more accountable for the victims death and to help the families that have suffered such lose. I also hope that you understand that gun control must remain a high priority for the authorities in order to ensure that illegal weapons are not readily available throughout the country.
Sincerely yours,
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PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTER TO:
1. Mr. Samdech Hun Sen
Prime Minister
Cabinet of the Prime Minister
No. 38, Russian Federation Street
Phnom Penh
CAMBODIA
Tel: +855 23 21 98 98
Fax: +855 23 36 06 66
E-mail: cabinet1b@camnet.com.kh
2. Mr. Sar Kheng
Deputy Prime Minister
Minister of Interior
275 Norodom Blvd.
Phnom Penh
Cambodia
Fax/phone : +855 23 72 19 05/72 60 52/72 11 90
E-Mail: info@interior.gov.kh or moi@interior.gov.kh
3. Mr. Ang Vong Vathna
Minster of Justice
No 240, Sothearos Blvd.
Phnom Penh
CAMBODIA
Fax: + 855 23 36 41 19/21 66 22
E-mail: moj@cambodia.gov.kh
4. Mr. Henro Raken
Prosecutor General
Court of Appeal
No. 14, Boulevard Sothearos
Phnom Penh
Cambodia
Tel: +855 23 21 84 60
5. General Hok Lundy
National Police Commissioner
General-Commisariat of National Police
Phnom Penh
CAMBODIA
Tel/Fax: +855 23 21 65 85/22 09 52
6. Mr. Hun Neng
Kompong Cham provincial governor
Provincial cabinet
Village 7, Kompong Cham commune,
Kompong Cham district, Kompong Cham province
CAMBODIA
Tel: +855 12 42 3333
Fax: +855 42 941 241
7. Justice Plang Chhlam
Kompong Cham provincial court
Village 7, Kompong Cham commune,
Kompong Cham district, Kompong Cham province
CAMBODIA
Tel: +855 12 675 888
8. Mr. Noun Samin
Kompong Cham police commissioner
Village 7, Kompong Cham commune,
Kompong Cham district, Kompong Cham province
CAMBODIA
Tel: +855 12 828 179
Fax: +855 42 941 232
9. Ms Margo Picken
Director
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights – Cambodia
N¢X 10, Street 302
Sangkat Boeng Keng Kang I
Khan Chamcar Mon
Phnom Penh
CAMBODIA
Tel: +855-23-987 671 / 987 672, 993 590 / 993 591 or +855 23 216 342
Fax: +855-23-212 579, 213 587
10. Prof. Yash Ghai
Special Representative of the Secretary-General for human rights in Cambodia
Attn: Ms. Afarin Shahidzadeh
Room 3-080
OHCHR-UNOG
8-14 Avenue de la Paix
1211 Geneva 10
SWITZERLAND
Tel: +41 22 91 79214
Fax: +41 22 91 79018 (ATTENTION: SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE CAMBODIA)
11. Mr. Philip Alston
Special Rapporteur on Extra-judicial, Summary, or Arbitrary Executions
Attn: Lydie Ventre
Room 3-016
c/o OHCHR-UNOG
1211 Geneva 10
SWITZERLAND
Tel: +41 22 917 9155
Fax: +41 22 917 9006 (ATTN: SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR EXECUTIONS)
Thank you.
Urgent Appeals Programme
Asian Human Rights Commission (ahrchk@ahrchk.org)
