Six drunken German nationals working as volunteers in Cambodia were briefly detained by police early Saturday morning after a security guard caught them ripping down a CPP election poster in Meanchey district’s Boeng Tompun commune, an official from the German Embassy said Monday.
Horst Triller, first secretary at the German Embassy, said the six Germans were in the country as part of an international internship program under the German Ministry of Cooperation and that everyone in the group was released after being educated.
“At about 1 a.m. Saturday morning, a group of six Germans under the influence of alcohol apparently left a party…and one or two of them tore down posters belonging to the ruling party,” Mr. Triller said. “What they didn’t realize is that a night guard standing by informed police…. They at first claimed they didn’t do it, but then the night guard had taken a photo with his mobile phone that showed them.”
Mr. Triller added that the six German nationals were taken to the police station, had their belongings confiscated and were then questioned until about 3 a.m. He also said most of the German nationals were interning at the German Cultural Center MetaHouse and GIZ, the German government’s development arm.
He said he did not know their sex, names or ages, or if the six would face disciplinary action by the ministry or their respective local employers.
MetaHouse director Nico Mesterharm said he was unaware of the incident and GIZ country director Adelbert Eberhardt referred questions to the German Embassy.
National Police spokesman Lieutenant General Kirth Chantharith and Phnom Penh immigration police chief Mom Sitha said authorities had questioned two of the Germans accused of tearing down the poster.
“We questioned two foreigners for about two hours, but we released them because we did not have evidence,” Mr. Sitha said.
Lt. Gen. Chantharith also confirmed that police questioned at least one German national and that the poster pictured Prime Minister Hun Sen, Senate President Chea Sim and National Assembly President Heng Samrin.
Tep Nytha, secretary-general of the National Election Committee, said Monday he was unaware of Saturday’s incident, but that charging the German nationals with a crime would depend on intent.
“We are not sure if they had intent to commit the crime or not. If they did not have intent to do the crime, we just advise them,” he said.
The election law states that campaign posters cannot be destroyed during the 30-day pre-election campaign period.
