PPP 12th Jul 2013
THE family of a Kampot provincial Cambodia National
Rescue Party activist charged with threatening to murder was approached by
ruling party officials with an ultimatum – vote for the Cambodian People’s
Party or your son stays in jail – family and an NGO said.
Yun Phally, a Kampot provincial monitor for the rights
group Licadho, said Ouk Soth, 40, the mother-in-law of CNRP activist Hong
Viravuth, reported that five members of her family had been asked to defect to
the CPP and vow not to vote in exchange for her son’s release.
“She confirmed with us that if her son would have been
released before the election, then all her family members wouldn’t go to vote,
but she did not agree [to the deal], because the CPP activist vowed to release
him only after the election,” he said.
Viravuth, 41, was charged with threatening to kill
leaders of the CPP, but has since maintained that he had lent his phone to a
friend during the period in which he had allegedly made the threats. According
to Phally, Soth said the activists had been sent by Chum Bunthan, who is
closely connected with CPP official Pen Simorn, the director of the Department
of Tax and Customs.
Both Bunthan and Soth could not be reached for comment.
However, Or Chanthan, an adopted brother of Viravuth,
confirmed Soth’s story.
“A CPP activist named Virak, who was formerly with the
SRP, he went down to my parent’s house and took the number of their ID cards,
and asked them to defect to the CPP and not to go to vote, and said that after
the election, my brother would be released, but we didn’t believe him,”
Chanthan said.
Kampot Governor Khoy Khunhour cautioned the family to
investigate the matter before leaping to legal action.
“I am finding out about this allegation now because it
affects the reputation of the ruling party, and I strictly ordered CPP
activists not to do such a stupid thing like that,” he said.
Chea Poch, a CNRP activist in Kampot, said he was
planning to file a complaint to the commune election committee.
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