Week 621

A Woman Had Been Temporarily Detained for Around Three Years without Any Hearing Yet, and It Is Suspected that Her Case File Had Been Lost – Friday, 17.7.2009

Norbert Klein Leave a comment

The Mirror, Vol. 13, No. 621

“Banteay Meanchey: A really long waiting continues. A woman is the only [suspected] culprit who has been temporarily detained already for three years and two months in a prison in Banteay Meanchey, but she has not been summoned by the court for a hearing according to legal procedures. A source said that because her case file had been lost, the court has not dealt with her case.

“A source close to that woman told Rasmei Kampuchea on 16 July 2009 that her name is Roeun Sophea, 29 years old, from Palelai village, Poipet; she was arrested on 9 June 2006 and four days later, the Banteay Meanchey court issued a warrant to detain her temporarily in the prison of this province – where she is until now.

“This woman was accused of smuggling 1,130 drug tablets at the above place, and the woman has admitted that she had done what she was accused.

“According to the same source, this woman’s affairs were registered as Case #284, dated 12 June 2006 by the judge Tob Chansereyvuth (now a prosecutor of the Pursat Municipal Court).

“Based on the same source, the woman has never been interrogated about the [suspected] crime, nor has she been informed how long she will be jailed (as she has not yet been prosecuted). The woman has been detained temporarily without knowing how many years the court might sentences her to serve in prison, making her to wait for this information in the prison.” Rasmei Kampuchea, Vol.17, #4948, 17.7.2009

[It is surprising that the report does not mention at all that the maximum pre-trial period, according to Cambodian law, is six months – after that time a suspect has either to be presented to a court or to be released.]

Newspapers Appearing on the Newsstand:
Friday, 17 July 2009

Deum Ampil, Vol.3, #238, 17.7.2009

  • Fifty Nine Houses [of 78 remaining families] of the Group 78 Residents Agreed to Leave accepting a Compensation
  • The Number of People Confirmed with A/H1N1 Increases in Cambodia to Fourteen
  • A Taiwanese Man Is Sentenced to 22 Years in Prison [in Cambodia] and Fined Riel 45 Million [approx. US$11,250] for Drug Smuggling
  • A Japanese Man Is Jailed [in Cambodia] for Six Years for Child Pornography

Kampuchea Thmey, Vol.8, #1998, 17.7.2009

  • Samdech Euv [the former King]: The Cambodian People’s Party Is the Younger Brother of the Sangkum Reastr Niyum Party [created by Prince Sihanouk in 1955]
  • The Ministry of Information Instructs the Public to Stop Advertisements Encouraging People to Talk on the Phone for a Long Time [saying that it affects the studies of students and leads to criminal activities]
  • The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan Grants More than US$400,000 to Clear Mines in Two Communes in Battambang [Ta Sen and Treng]

Khmer Machas Srok, Vol.3, #448, 17.7.2009

  • Global Witness Asks the British Government to Cancel Mr. Hun Sen’s Visa to England [for his travel from France to England to attend the graduation ceremony of his elder son in England]

Koh Santepheap, Vol.42, #6704, 17.7.2009

  • [Him Huy, a] Murderer of the S21 Prison Appeared to Explain the Khmer Rouge Tribunal and the Tightening and the Smashing of Prisoners [which was his task] Following the Orders of [Tuol Sleng, that is S21 Prison chief] Duch and [of another Khmer Rouge:] Huor

Rasmei Kampuchea, Vol.17, #4948, 17.7.2009

  • The Royal Government of Cambodia Promises to Send the Draft Anti-Corruption Law to the National Assembly within Less than Three Months
  • Thailand Removes a Video Clips That Exaggerates the Truth, and Somebody Created http://www.ilovekhmer.org
  • [The Director General of the National Police] Neth Savoeun: Foreigners Praise the Cambodian Police Working so Well: Running after Cars and Trucks to Take Bribes so that Those Cars and Trucks Are Not Stopped. This Must Be Ended Immediately
  • The Cuban Ambassador to Cambodia Calls On Cambodia to Help to Encourage the USA to Release Five Cuban Prisoners [the Cuban ambassador, Ms. Lopes Menteros, calls on Cambodia to help to encourage the Obama administration to release five Cuban prisoners, considered by Cuba to be political prisoners. The President of the National Assembly Heng Samrin responds to discuss it with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the National Assembly]
  • The Phnom Penh Autonomous Port Plans Its Enlargement with [approx. US$30 million] Loans from China
  • A Woman Had Been Temporarily Detained for Around Three Years without Any Hearing Yet, and It Is Suspected that Her Case Documents Had Been Lost
  • Four Sand Dredging Sites Were Closed Down at Tuol Sangkae and Russey Keo Districts [as they did not obey Prime Minister Hun Sen’s recent order – Phnom Penh]

Sereypheap Thmey, Vol.17, #1752, 17.7.2009

  • Civil Society [the Cambodian Center for Human Rights and the Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights – LICADHO] Asked if Those with the Role to Promote and Protect Culture Cannot Express Their Concerns about Culture, Who then Has the Rights to Do So?

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