Wednesday, 23 May 2012
By May Titthara
Phnom Penh Post
Scores of security forces yesterday stormed the house of alleged
secessionist leader Bun Ratha’s mother in Kampong Cham province
yesterday, confiscating mobile phones and memory cards, his relatives
told the Post.
Bun Ratha, the alleged leader of Democratic
Association, has been on the run since security forces launched a bloody
crackdown on Pro Ma village in Kratie province’s Chhlong district last
week that left a 14-year-old girl dead and hundreds homeless.
His
brother Bun Sithet said yesterday that forces surrounded his mother’s
Chheu Kloem village home in Memot district’s Romchek commune at about
12am on Monday night.
“They threatened us not to use phones and
they accused us of preventing them from searching the house,” he said,
adding that one officer had seized his sister’s camera through the
window while trying to negotiate for a search warrant.
At about
11:30am yesterday, after his mother had asked for a warrant, the force
of about 40 police, military police and soldiers kicked the door in and
confiscated all mobile phones.
“If they had knowledge of law,
they would not do it at night like this, and they were just there to
arrest one person, [so] why did many forces come? What they did is a
threat to my family and other villagers as well not to go against them.”
Kampong
Cham provincial police chief Chhay Kimson said his forces had raided
the house after receiving information that Bun Ratha was inside and
denied they had harassed anyone.
“I went with one prosecutor to
arrest the offender; we did not consider whether it was day or night –
we had to try to catch the offender,” he said.
Ruos Rin, Bun
Ratha’s father-in-law, rejected the allegation he had led a secessionist
plot, arguing he barely had enough money to support his nine-month-old
baby and wife, let alone an autonomous state.
“On the day of
incident, my son [in law] left me a message saying that he did not know
whether he would live or die, but told me to help take care of his son
and help him have good education,” he said.
About 1,000 families live in Pro Ma village, Kampong Damrei commune, where the crackdown took place last Wednesday, many of whom have said Bun Ratha was merely helping them defend themselves in a land dispute.
Eight people have been charged with incitement, though the five “ringleaders” authorities were targeting have all evaded arrest.
To contact the reporter on this story: May Titthara at titthara.may@phnompenhpost.com
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