REAKSMEY KONGKEA

  Buth Reaksmey Kongkea    The Cambodian police in cooperation with Thai police on February 25, 2023 arrested an American-Cambodian-man after he had murdered his younger wife in a jealous rage with an electric shock in Phnom Penh and then fled to Bangkok.   The murder took place at about 12:30 pm on February 23 at the victim’s villa located in Samrong Krom commune, Phnom Penh’s Porsenchey district. Lieutenant Colonel Heng Bunna named the suspect as Moul Neth, 68, the American-Cambodian-citizen.  The victim was identified as Keo Sreymom, 38, the owner of a Beauty Salon shop from Pursat province’s Krakor district living in Samrong commune.   They were married and had two young children.    Lt Col Bunna said that according to the police’s investigation, the suspect had two wives. His first wife, who is about the same age as him lives in the United States while his second wife (victim) lived in Cambodia.   During the outbrea...

Buth Reaksmey Kongkea   The Supreme Court on February 23, 2023 rejected Candlelight Party (CP) vice-president Son Chhay’s appeal to overturn a lower court ruling ordering him to pay $1 million in compensation to the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) and a fine of $5,000 for defaming the CPP and the National Election Committee (NEC). Presiding Judge Chiv Keng stated that the Supreme Court has decided to uphold the ruling of the Phnom Penh Municipal Court because the verdict was right and in accordance with laws.   Judge Keng said that the lower court’s conviction was appropriate considering the offence the opposition party leader had committed.     Judge Keng said that Chhay, 66, was charged with public defamation under Article 305 of the Criminal Code.   He added that Chhay was sued by the NEC and the CPP over an interview appeared in the Cambodia Daily on June 7, in which he was quoted as saying that the preliminarily results of 2022 communal elec...

Buth Reaksmey Kongkea   Candlelight Party (CP) vice-president Son Chhay on Feb 17, 2023 asked the Supreme Court to overturn the ruling of the lower court which had ordered him to pay $1 million in compensation to the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) and fined $5,000 for defaming CPP and the National Election Committee.     Chhay also asked the Supreme Court to find truth and justice for him. Chhay, 66, is accused of criticising the preliminary 2022 commune election results organised by the NEC on June 5 last year.   He was charged with “Public Defamation” under Article 305 of the Criminal Code and was sued by the NEC and the CPP over an interview in the Cambodia Daily on June 7, in which he was quoted as saying that the preliminarily 2022 communal election results organised by the NEC was not independent and did not reflect the “true will of the people” and “there are ballots theft”.   During the hearing, Chhay confessed that he had really spoken wi...

                                                     Buth Reaksmey Kongkea      A British man was charged and detained by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court on February 19, 2023 over the fatal shooting of a Serbian man during an argument in Chamkar Mon in December. The murder took place at about 11:45am on December 24 at a hotel in the district’s Tonle Bassac commune. A court document identified the accused as Joseph Swartz alias Alex, 28, a British online musician.   The victim was identified as Dackovi Strahijai, 37, a tourist.    Swartz was charged with “murder and unauthorised holding a weapon” under Articles 199 and 490 of the Criminal Code.   If convicted, he faces a jail term of between 10 and 15 years. Lieutenant Colonel Veng Sarith, Municipal Penal Police Department, deputy chief said yesterday...

  Buth Reaksmey Kongkea   Phnom Penh Municipal Court on February 20, 2023  jailed two men for allegedly forging public documents and committing land fraud involving nearly $700,0000 in Kampong Speu province’s Baseth district in 2018. Judge Say Sreyleak named the two accused as Pov Sakhorn, 57, a high school teacher, and  Suon Sophal, 53; a land broker. Both lived Baseth district. Judge Sreyleak said Sakhorn was jailed for one year but his prison term shall be reduced to only two months in the prison with the rest of his sentence completely suspended.    She said that Sophal (who is the mastermind of the fraud) was sentenced by the court to two years in prison. She added that both were charged with two counts of “Fraud and Forgery of Public Document” under Articles 377, 378 and 630 of the Criminal Code.   Judge Sreyleak said that they were arrested on November 15 last year. They were sued by Zhang Chili, 49, a Taiwanese investor ...

    Buth Reaksmey Kongkea   Takeo provincial authorities on Monday rescued and transferred more than 100 drug addicts, including a woman, from an illegal private drug addict rehabilitation association in Tram Kok district into the care of their families or to the provincial rehabilitation centre.   The move came after the director of the association and four colleagues were arrested and detained by the provincial court for allegedly forging the public document and posing as military police officers.   Ek Chhenghuoth, the prosecutor of the Takeo provincial court, told Khmer Times that on February 9, Takeo provincial authority raided an illegal Drug Addict Relief Association located in Tram Kok district’s Leay Bor commune.   He said that during the operation, the provincial authority arrested the director of the association and his four colleagues after the authorities had found that they had posed as military police officers and had also establ...

    Buth Reaksmey Kongkea   The Phnom Penh Municipal Court yesterday handed down a verdict in the case of 11 suspected drug traffickers including eight Cambodians, two Thai nationals and one Vietnamese national.   The accused were sentenced in connection with criminal possession and trafficking of about 45 kilograms of ice, ketamine and ecstasy pills in Phnom Penh and Banteay Meanchey provinces.   The court sentenced eight of the accused traffickers to imprisonment from 12 years to 30 years in prison each. Three of the accused were released from because they were proven to be uninvolved with the others.   Presiding Judge Hok Pov named eight Cambodians were accused of trafficking, including Sok Toeng, male, 39; Heng Sarkun, male, 43; Toeun Sarom, male, 41; Muth Sophon, male, 32; Seng Laty, male, 35; Sith Visal, male, 26; Chheng Lay, male, 26; and Sok Kunthear, female, 37. Two Thais were also accused, identified as Weeraphat Hun-Grathan...

  Buth Reaksmey Kongkea    Phnom Penh Municipal Court yesterday retried a former elected commune chief of the former Cambodian National Rescued Party (CNRP) in connection with inciting the people to go against the authorities and overthrow the government via Facebook committed between 2018 and 2021.   Judge Chum Sangva named the accused as Kem Tola, 47, the former Chief of Treng rayoeng commune from the former CNRP’s quota living in Kampong Speu province’s Phnom Srouch district,  Treng Trayoeng commune. Judge Sangva said that Tola was sentenced in absentia on August 10, 2022 by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court to 18 months  in prison with incitement  and the court had also issued a warrant for her arrest.   She stated that Tola’s conviction was linked to Lanh Thavry and Mich Heang ( former CNRP activists) for writing the Facrbook post badly insulted His Majesty the King and the Prime Minister Hun Sen over the border issues and the Victory over...

    Buth Reaksmey Kongkea    A man accused of sexually assaulting three women faced trial at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court on January 30, 2023.   Judge Ouk Rethkunthear named the accused as Khoun Sareth, 47, a traditional healer and spiritual leader living in Prey Veng province.  The alleged sexual assaults were perpetrated against three women. All three are online cosmetics vendors.   Sareth was charged with “sexual assault with aggravating circumstances”. If convicted, the accused faces a jail term between two and five years.   She named the three female victims as Mao Sona, 34; Chea Hang, 20; and an unnamed 14-year-old.  The trio of women live in Dangkor commune, Phnom Penh.   Judge Rethkunthear said that at 8:30 am on August 25, 2022, the accused, who claimed he was the traditional healer and a spiritual leader, drove a motorcycle to sell traditional medicines at the victims’ house in Dangkor commune.   She n...

Buth Reaksmey Kongkea The Phnom Penh Municipal Court on January 30, 2023, sentenced a gay man to a life sentence for allegedly murdering his partner by strangulation in a jealous rage at their rental room in Phnom Penh’s Meanchey district last year.    The murder took place at about 5:30 pm on April 21, 2022 on the outskirts of Phnom Penh in Stung Meanchey III commune’s Damank Thom village.  The owner of the building later discovered the corpse on April 24 after it started to decompose and stink.   Presiding Judge Tiv Kimpisal named the accused as Phou Seanglang, 27, male, who was working as a Chinese interpreter for a Chinese garment factory, from Preah Vihear province’s Choam Ksan district, Teok Kraham commune. Judge Kimpisal named the victim as Khom Vandy, 26, male, working as a deliveryman for a transport company, from Kampong Speu province’s Chbar Mon district.                      ...