phnom thlan muroi, Kampot province – Top military and police officials led a 150-strong military police force to destroy a 3-hectare marijuana field here this week, marking the second crackdown in a week on this province’s pot plantations.
Hok Lundy, director general of National Police, said during the second day of operation Thursday that one Kampot province police official has been suspended and police are investigating others possibly involved in the plantations including a Chinese businessman.
“The first stage of the operation is to completely destroy the cannabis. The second stage is to bring to justice the masterminds of the operation,” said Hok Lundy.
Kampot Governor Ly Sou confirmed Thursday that Keow Tha, Kampot deputy police chief, was suspended Tuesday for suspected involvement in the plantations.
Many more hectares of marijuana may still be discovered in the area, Ly Sou added.
The plantation being destroyed here is 13 km by road from a 7-hectare plantation chopped down last Saturday, police officials said.
Hok Lundy warned that high ranking officials will not be exempt from the crackdown.
“Any people, no matter how high they are, it doesn’t matter. They will be suspended and brought to the court for due process,” said Hok Lundy.
However, an Asian diplomat on Thursday branded the two operations as a public relations move.
According to the diplomat, authorities have known about the Kampot plantations since late last year but did not act because powerful officials were involved.
“[The officials] might have been bought off to sacrifice their marijuana to stage this publicity stunt. Why else would they do this now?” asked the diplomat.
However, Khieu Sopheak, deputy secretary general of the National Authority for Combating Drugs, said Thursday the two operations simply demonstrated the government’s commitment and determination to crack down on marijuana in the area.
Also present at Thursday’s operation was Kun Kim, newly appointed RCAF deputy commander-in-chief. He said the high-profile crackdown was started to set an example that drug production will not be tolerated.
“We will have a zero-tolerance policy and we will look behind the curtain [to see who is involved],” said Kun Kim.
The plantations could not have existed without the support of former Khmer Rouge forces, said Kun Kim, adding the former rebel zones must fall in line with the laws of Cambodia.
RCAF Deputy Commander-in-Chief Pol Saroeun said the operation was a test of the military and police to crack down on areas formerly outside their control.
The 150 military police personnel involved will stay until all of the plants are destroyed, officials said.
(Additional reporting by Saing Soenthrith)
