Dissident monk claims his car was attacked to “silence” him

Activist monk But Buntenh's car window, which was smashed yesterday in Kien Svay. Facebook

Wed, 12 July 2017

Soth Koemsoeun

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Prominent activist monk But Buntenh says his car was pelted with stones near a pagoda in Kandal province yesterday evening.

Buntenh, founder of the Independent Monk Network for Social Justice, said yesterday that the incident happened after 10pm near a pagoda in Kien Svay district’s Banteay Dek commune, after he had returned from a trip to Kampong Chhnang province, where he was invited on behalf of villagers who were refusing to hand an ancient statue over to the government.

While the window of his car was broken, he was not in the vehicle at the time and nobody was hurt.

The inside of But Buntenh’s car after a rock was thrown through the window yesterday. Facebook

Buntenh said that the perpetrators, who “have bad intentions by causing insecurity”, were likely trying to “silence” him and intimidate the members of his group because of their involvement in political activities.

“I have not filed a lawsuit for this case because I do not have trust in [the police] to find the offenders,” he said. “Informing the public is better than informing the police. I shall let the public make the judgment and now only all of you can help me.”

Local authorities could not be reached to confirm Buntenh’s account.