Thousands gathered yesterday at the grave of a prominent Cambodian critic who was gunned down a year ago in a murder that sparked widespread anger and skepticism over the alleged killer’s motives.
Kem Ley, a popular and charismatic political analyst, was shot twice in the head as he sipped coffee in Phnom Penh — a brazen assassination that sent shockwaves through the country’s already beleaguered activist community.
Unemployed former soldier Oeuth Ang admitted carrying out the killing and was sentenced to life in prison in March after a brief trial.
Photo: AFP
His declared motive, that the murder was revenge for an unpaid US$3,000 debt, caused broad disbelief and was not cross examined in court because he effectively admitted his guilt.
“I don’t know whether they made up that debt story but I don’t believe it at all,” Kem Ley’s 77-year-old mother Phok Se, said as well-wishers began gathering at the family home in Takeo Province.
“There has been no justice for us so far,” she added, echoing the sentiments of many at the ceremony.
In a joint statement to mark the anniversary more than 100 local and foreign organizations called on the government to reopen the case after a “flawed trial.”
“There has been no transparency in the murder investigation and there are still many unanswered questions in this case,” the statement read, adding there was “compelling evidence” Oeuth Ang had accomplices.
Many friends and supporters find it hard to believe Oeuth Ang, who rarely held down a job, could afford to lend US$3,000 — more than twice the average annual salary in Cambodia.
“One year has passed and yet we are nowhere near uncovering the full picture of what happened to Kem Ley,” said Chak Sophea, who works for the Cambodian Center for Human Rights.
Cambodia has been ruled by strongman Prime Minister Hun Sen for 32-years and has a dark history of usually unsolved activist killings. In the 1990s and early 2000s such assassinations were common, but they had become rarer in recent years.
Spooked that the bad days may have returned, tens of thousands turned out for Kem Ley’s funeral in scenes that rattled the government.
Kem Ley criticized Cambodian politicians of all stripes, but he was particularly scathing about the corruption that blights the country. Shortly before his murder he gave a radio interview about an investigative report that detailed some of the millions of dollars amassed by Hun Sen’s family.
The government has strongly denied any responsibility in his killing.
PHISHING: The con might appear convincing, as the scam e-mails can coincide with genuine messages from Apple saying you have run out of storage For a while you have been getting messages from Apple saying “your iCloud storage is full.” They say you have exceeded your storage plan, so documents are no longer being backed up, and photos you take are not being uploaded. You have been resisting Apple’s efforts to get you to pay a minimum of ￡0.99 (US$1.33) a month for more storage, but it seems that you cannot keep putting off the inevitable: You have received an e-mail which says your iCloud account has been blocked, and your photos and videos would be deleted very soon. To keep them you need
For two decades, researchers observed members of the Ngogo chimpanzee group of Kibale National Park in Uganda spend their days eating fruits and leaves, resting, traveling and grooming in their tropical rainforest abode, but this stable community then fractured and descended into years of deadly violence. The researchers are now describing the first clearly documented example of a group of wild chimpanzees splitting into two separate factions, with one launching a series of coordinated attacks against the other. Adult males and infants were targeted, with 28 deaths. “Biting, pounding the victim with their hands, dragging them, kicking them — mostly adult males,
The Israeli military has demolished entire villages as part of its invasion of south Lebanon, rigging homes with explosives and razing them to the ground in massive remote detonations. The Guardian reviewed three videos posted by the Israeli military and on social media, which showed Israel carrying out mass detonations in the villages of Taybeh, Naqoura and Deir Seryan along the Israel-Lebanon border. Lebanese media has reported more mass detonations in other border villages, but satellite imagery was not readily available to verify these claims. The demolitions came after Israeli Minister of Defense Israel Katz called for the destruction of
SUPERFAN: The Japanese PM played keyboard in a Deep Purple tribute band in middle school and then switched to drums at university, she told the British rock band Legendary British rock band Deep Purple yesterday made Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s day with a brief visit to their high-profile superfan as they returned to the nation they first toured more than half a century ago. Takaichi’s reputation as an amateur drummer, and a fan of hard rock and heavy metal has been well documented, and she has referred to Deep Purple as one of her favorite bands along with the likes of Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden. “You are my god,” a giddy Takaichi said in English to Deep Purple drummer Ian Paice, presenting him with a set of made-in-Japan
RSS