REAKSMEY KONGKEA

Buth Reaksmey Kongkea   The land dispute over more than 50 hectares in Kandal province between Prime Minister Hun Sen’s younger sister and the real estate Tycoon, Seang Chanheng was resolved after Chanheng agreed to hand the land back to the premier’s younger sister as the legal property owner of the land.   The solution for the land dispute facilitated by the Senior Minister Chea Sophara, the Minister of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction via the Ministry’s cadastral and geography officials with participation from both parties on January 23, 2023.   According to the directive dated January 5, 2023 of the Council of Ministers , Seang Chanheng and other accomplices were allegedly accused with “use of forged public documents” in occupying and seizing the land belonging to Hun Bunthoeun and Heav Lon committed in November 2022.   The land is located in a government’s airport master plan-construction area in Kandal province’s Sa-ang Phnom district, S...

  Buth Reaksmey Kongkea   Two Chinese men, a Chinese woman and one Cambodian woman, were detained and charged  on January 26, 2023 at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court in connection with possessing and trafficking nearly 100 kilograms of a medley of drugs in Meanchey district.   Anti-drug police officer Lieutenant Colonel Nuon Sambath, named the two Chinese men as Tuan Li, Hao Yichun; the Chinese woman Thaing Yihan; and the Cambodian woman Ra Liya.     Lt Col Sambath said that they were charged with “drug possession, production and trafficking” under Articles 39 and 40 of Cambodian Law on Drug Control and face a jail term up to a life sentence in prison each if convicted.   He said that police in anti-drug department of the Ministry of Interior arrested them on January 22. He added that after their arrest, police searched the condo and seized 2 kilograms of dried marijuana, about 100 kilograms of Meth, Ketamine and Ecstasy and other related...

  Buth Reaksmey Kongkea The Supreme Court yesterday upheld the conviction of a man who murdered a gambling shop cashier during a robbery in Kandal province’s Takhmao City in 2017.   The murder took place at about 5 pm on July 2, 2017 at an online gambling shop named “Krong Net Online” located in Takhmao commune.   Presiding Judge Kem Sathavy named the convict as Ing Chanratanak, 29; who was a heavy gambler, and the victim as Rath Putha, 21, who was from Kampong Speu province’s Kong Pisei district.   Judge Sothavy noted that on the day of the murder, Chanratanak, had gone to gamble at the shop and lost. He later stabbed the victim of 13 times in the stomach with a knife, causing him to die in the shop’s toilet.   She said that after killing the victim, Chanratanak stole the victim’s mobile phone, some money from the cashier till and fled.     Judge Sothavy noted that Chanratanak was arrested by the military police on July 5, 2...

Buth Reaksmey Kongkea A former government official was charged and detained by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court for allegedly forging land documents and defaming the Preah Vihear Provincial Governor and his wife by alleging that “both stole 84 hectares of his lands” by forging the land titles in Prey Veng province last year. A court document   issued by the investigating judge San Bunthoeun identified the accused as Phe Im, 67, a former Prey Veng provincial councilor living in Kamchay Mear district’s Trabek commune. The accused was charged with “public defamation, forgery of public document and use of forged public document” under Articles 305,629 and 630 of the Criminal Code. If convicted, he faces a jail term of between five and 10 years.  Im is now in pre-trial detention in Prey Sar Prison, Phnom Penh.  Ministry of Interior Penal Police Department   police officer said   that Im was sued by Prak Sovann, the governor of Preah Vihear province, and his...

Buth Reaksmey Kongkea  A businesswoman was arrested on  January 22, 2022  by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court for issuing dud cheques worth more than $300,000 to another businesswoman on January 2, a member of the Tong Tin, money saving group.  Deputy Prosecutor Soeu Longdy named the accused as Long Vanny, 35, an online lotion vendor living in Boeng Keng Kang district’s Boeng Keng Kang III commune, Phnom Penh. The accused Vanny, was charged with issuing “dud cheques” under Article 231 of Law on Negotiable Instrument and Payment Transactions, he said. If convicted, she faces a jail term from one to five years in prison.  Police in the penal department in the Ministry of Interior, arrested the accused after the victim, Chhim Phary, 35, a grocery vendor living in the same commune as the accused, filed a complaint, he added. Penal department police officer Major Leang Bunseng said that according to the police’s investigation and the victim’s complaint, in...

  Buth Reaksmey Kongkea The Supreme Court on January 19, 2023   issued an arrest warrant for a high-ranking-military officer working with the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) accused of issuing five dud cheques to settle a debt of more than $600,000 to a private microfinance company in 2019. The arrest warrant was made after he had lost his appeal, through his lawyer, against his conviction in absentia by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court for the offence.   Presiding Judge Nil Nonn named the accused as Lieutenant-General Chea Nusith, 53,  living in Phnom Penh’s Toul Tumpoung II commune.   Judge Nonn said that the accused was sentenced in absentia on October 14, 2020 by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court to 18 months in prison and fined 3 million riels (about $725).  The municipal court also ordered him to pay a total of $677,000 to  the  owner of a private microfinance  company, the plaintiff in the case.   He was charged with ...

  Buth  Reaksmey Kongkea (18 th  January 2023) The Phnom Penh Municipal Court on January 18, 2023 sentenced in absentia exiled political analyst Kim Sok to 18 months in prison over defamation and incitement charges committed in Phnom Penh, 2017. Court’s Judge Seng Socheath said, Kim Sok, 42, was charged with two counts of  “incitement to commit a felony or cause social unrest and the public defamation” under Articles 494, 495 and 305  of the Criminal Code and was sued by the government’s lawyers group chief, Ky Tech on February 16, 2017, he said.   “The Court has decided to sentence the accused in absentia to 18 months in prison and fined him of 8 million riels (approximately $2,000) to put in the state's budget,” Judge Socheath said. “The Court also ordered him to pay 50 million riels (approximately $12,500) in compensation to the representative of Prime Minister Hun Sen, Ky Tech, the plaintiff in case. The Court also issued an ...

Tep Nayak Prime Minister Hun Sen has instructed the National Election Committee (NEC) to build its headquarters (HQ) on the property illegally occupied and returned by the top advisor of the Candlelight Party (CP) Kong Korm to the government. Kong Korm voluntarily returned his house and land a day after the Prime Minister Hun Sen alleged that he had forged land deed to own the property originally belonged to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and asked the Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) to determine the ownership of the land. Prime Minister Hun Sen has decided to hand over the seized land and house spread over 5,000 square metres on Sothearos Street, Tonle Bassac commune, Chamkar Morn district, to the NEC for the construction of its headquarters. The decision was made at the Plenary Meeting of the Council of Ministers on  January 13, 2023. While returning the land on January 12, Kong Korm acknowledged that the land did not belong to him and blamed his...

Buth Reaksmey Kongkea Police arrested a woman who hired an assassin to her husband for having an extramarital affair in Kandal province on January 15, 2023.   In a coordinated operation, the police in the penal department of the Ministry of Interior and Kandal provincial police have also arrested the man she had hired for $ 1,000 to carry out the murder. Penal Office Police Deputy Chief Lieutenant Colonel Meng Sothy named the woman as San Thida, 34, a hairdresser living in Phnom Penh; and her aide as Thuon Ravy alias Vy, 39, a construction worker living in the Kandal province. Lt. Col. Sothy named the victim as Khem Phally, 33, a loan officer who was working with a private microfinance company in Pursat province and living in Phnom Penh. Kandal provincial penal police officer Major Sath Bunthoeun yesterday said that the suspects were charged with “premeditated murder” and face a jail term up to a life sentence in prison each, if convicted. During her confession, San Thi...

  Buth Reaksmey Kongkea           Phnom Penh Municipal Court on January 16, 2022 arrested and jailed Thach Setha, the vice-president of main opposition Candlelight Party, who evaded arrest since 2019 in a dud cheque case. The investigating judge Tith Dalin said that the accused Thach Setha was charged with “issuance of dud cheque” under article of 231 of Law on Negotiable Instrument and Payment Transactions. If convicted, the accused Thach Setha faces a jail term from one to five years in prison. She said that Thach Setha was issued two arrest warrants previously on 28 February, 2021, and 22 June 2021. But he refused to appear before the court in accordance with the arrest warrants issued for a crime he committed in Phnom Penh in 2019. She said that therefore, the court has issued a fresh order to bring the suspect Thach Setha before the investigating judge for questioning. Colonel San Sok Seiha, spokesman for the Phnom Penh Municipal Police, co...

Buth Reaksmey Kongkea Kampong Speu Provincial Court on December 22, 2022 imprisoned a former high-ranking military officer to a total of three years for assaulting a former lover following an argument in 2021.   Judge Sour Lina identified him as Soy Chansoeun, 48, a former Major General and Deputy Director of General Command Development Department in the Ministry of National Defence. She named the victim as Duong Hemalis, 41, the owner of a construction materials and sand supply company.                                                                                                   She noted that the victim suffered serious injuries during assaults which took place first in Kandal and then in Kampong Speu provinces on Jan...

  Buth Reaksmey Kongkea    The Supreme Court on Friday upheld the conviction of 15 years in jail for a Chinese man entangled in a surrogacy case that dates back to 2016, and caught the attention of international media then.   Although Cambodia does not have a specific law on surrogacy, it is a criminal offence as per the existing laws in the country. Presiding Judge Nil Nonn said, “The Supreme Court upholds the punishment meted out to 43-year-old convict Wu Wenjun because the Judges’ Council of the Supreme Court had confirmed him guilty under Article 16 of the Law on Suppression of Human Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation shall be punished with imprisonment from 15 to 20 years in prison.” Judge Nonn said that Wenjun, a Chinese national and former owner of a Chinese-owned-garment factory who was living in Phnom Penh’s Sen Sok district, hired a Cambodian woman to bear his child and then ‘smuggled’ the baby to China in 2016.   Denying child trafficking...

Buth Reaksmey Kongkea Lieutenant General Chhay Kimkhoeun, spokesman for the National Police, said yesterday that the national crime rate has dropped by 9% compared to the previous year, adding, however the crackdowns have increased across the country. Lt Gen Kimkhoeun said that law enforcement agencies have cracked down a total of 2,565 cases, and arrested 3,889 suspects in 2022. Most of the offences were drug trafficking, thefts (or robberies), acts of intentional violence (beating), unlawful confinement, murder and frauds.  “We managed to crack down on more crimes and arrest more perpetrators because the General Secretariat of National Police had adopted right measures and action plan for the police units, including municipal and provincial police, and other relevant authorities,” Lt. Gen. Kimkhouen told Khmer Times. “For 2023, we have already instructed all the police units to abide by the action plan because several important big events such as the SEA Games...