Australian police investigating death threat against Kem Ley's widow

Erin Handley | Publication date 22 March 2018 | 12:19 ICT

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Bou Rachana, the wife of murdered Cambodian analyst Kem Ley, speaks as Australian Cambodians gather to protest against Prime Minister Hun Sen at the Asean summit Sydney at the weekend. Police are investigating a death threat made against her and her sons, as well as Victorian state MP Hong Lim. Peter Parks/AFP

Australian authorities on Thursday confirmed they have launched an investigation into a crudely written death threat sent to the family of slain political analyst Kem Ley and Victoria state MP Hong Lim.

The typed letter, reported to Victoria Police last week, appears to be written by someone who claims to be a member of Cambodia’s political elite.

“Victoria Police has launched an investigation following reports threatening letter was delivered to a man in early March,” Sergeant Cameron Scott said in an email on Thursday, responding to questions about reports of a threat received by a state lawmaker and members of the Cambodian-Australian community. Due to privacy regulations, police declined to respond to questions involving specific individuals.

“As the investigation remains ongoing, it would be inappropriate to comment further,” Scott added.

The letter is addressed to the “contemptible” Hong Lim and family, as well as to Ley’s widow, Bou Rachana, and her family. Rachana and her five sons were recently granted asylum in Melbourne, more than 18 months after Ley was murdered in broad daylight.

The letter is also addressed to the families of Chea Youhorn, mayor of the city of Greater Dandenong and head of the Cambodian Association in the state of Victoria, and local Greater Dandenong City Councillor Tak Meng Heang. Dandenong is a suburb of Melbourne.

The Khmer text in the letter translates to: “I will kill all of your groups. I will shoot dead all of you like Kem Ley.”

Ley, a revered political analyst, was gunned down in a brazen public assassination in July of 2016, just days after he had spoken on the radio about a damning report on the wealth and business interests of the family of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen. While the shooter was quickly arrested and convicted, his professed motives were questioned by his own family, and even authorities acknowledged that he likely did not act alone. Nonetheless, the investigation into the shooting was closed with no further suspects identified, and the killing was widely believed to be politically motivated.

The letter refers to the recipients as “dogs of Australia” – a particularly offensive term in Khmer that echoes recent comments made by Prime Minister Hun Sen about Australian protesters – and the letter’s author claims to have a wife and children in Australia and the right to come and go at any time.

“Try to stop me and my family,” the letter reads. “We ruled Cambodia for ever. We will win the election 2018. Will stay in power for ever.”

Victoria MP Lim said he reported the “outrageous” letter to the police and was informed they were taking it “very seriously”.

Late last month Hun Sen threatened to follow Australian protesters home and “beat” them if they dared to burn his image. Protesters promptly responded by burning effigies of the premier and turned out in the hundreds to protest his regime during the Asean-Australia summit in Sydney last weekend.