Journalists arrested on suspicion of extortion

By Buth Reaksmey Kongkea

Two Cambodian journalists, including the deputy head of a local press association, were arrested yesterday on suspicion of extorting a commune chief after accepting money from undercover police officers.

Sok Sovann, president of the Press Council of Cambodia, said the journalists were arrested at the Sorya bus station in Phnom Penh by police posing as middlemen in a transaction.

He said the arrested journalists include Kang Arun, vice-president of the PCC, and Prum San, a reporter with the Kampuchea Sachak newspaper.

The police, he said, were acting on a complaint received from Leng Horm, the chief of Pram Yam commune in Kampong Cham province’s Srei Santhor district. Leng Horm alleged the two journalists forced him to pay US$300 in return for not publishing stories about his poor management of the commune.

“[The journalists] were arrested while receiving a total of US$200 from policemen who disguised themselves as taxi drivers and brought money from the commune chief for them in Phnom Penh,” said Sok
Sovann.

He said the accused had been sent to Kampong Cham provincial police headquarters and would appear at provincial court today.

“I am now very concerned about these two journalists’ fate because the police have strong evidence to punish them within the law,” said Sok Sovann. “I’m afraid that they will not avoid charges.”

Sok Sovann said he would send a letter to the Kampong Cham police chief, on behalf of the PCC, to keep the accused from being charged.

Leng Horm could not be reached yesterday.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Laotian gets life for drug trafficking

Image
Buth Reaksmey Kongkea The Phnom Penh Municipal Court has sentenced a Laotian drug trafficker to life imprisonment after the 42-year-old was convicted of trafficking about 7 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine. Presiding Judge Sin Sovannroath said Houa Choua was from Champasak province’s Moeung Khong district, Laos.     “The Phnom Penh Municipal Court has decided to sentence the accused Houa Choua to a life sentence and a fine of 100 million riels,” Judge Sovannroath said in his judgment yesterday.   He said that the accused was charged with “drug possessing, transport and trafficking” under Article 40 of Cambodian Law on Drugs Control and with “money Laundering” under Articles 38 of the Law on Anti-Money Laundering and Financing.   Judge Sovannroath stated that Houa Choua was arrested by police at a guesthouse in Por Senchey district’s Kakab commune on October 16, 2022, night.  Houa Choua was detained after he had transported the drugs by car from the Cambodia-Lao border in
Read more

Sorn Elit, the Tallest Cambodian Taekwando Champion

BY BUTH REAKSMEY KONGKEA There are 18 Taekwondo fighters on the national team, according to Hem Samnang, Secretary General of the Cambodian Taekwondo Federation (CTF). He was speaking to The Southeast Asia Weekly on July 22. The Secretary General said that Sorn Elit, 22, is currently the best Taekwondo fighter in Cambodia. He has attended many competitions both at home and abroad and has achieved success in both fields. In 2008, he won the national heavyweight title in the Taekwondo championships. “I am very proud of Sorn Elit as he is the best fighter in Cambodia,” Samnang said. “I believe that he will continue to bring honor to the country, the sport and himself as he competes in still more competitions at home and in the international fighting arena. He is completely committed to his training schedule and is a credit to the sport.” The Secretary General said that to improve Elit’s skills, the CTF sent him to get Taekwondo training in South Korea over two weeks in 2007. The CTF plans
Read more

Chan Tra: Life of a Cambodian Traditional Tattoo Artist

BY BUTH REAKSMEY KONGKEA Among tattooists in Cambodia, Chan Tra, 46, is the only tattoo artist to retain the ability to ink a wide range of subjects in different styles. His modern counterparts are limited in their repertoire in comparison. His subjects include the human form, birds and abstract patterns. Chan Tra is now an expert in drawing Ankor Wat on the skin of foreign clients, thus turning them into walking, talking promotional materials for Cambodia’s tourist sector. Chan Tra was born in 1963 in Sihanouk province and has two sons and one daughter. He is an orphaned and a Survivor of the Khmer Rouge regime. He lost his entire family during the years of terror between 1975 and 1979. “I have loved drawing and painting ever since I was a child and practised my art every day before the arrival of the Pol Pot regime. Consequently, I like the art of tattooing and it makes a solid source of income to keep my wife and kids happy,” he told The Southeast Asia Weekly during a personal i
Read more