The Ministry of Interior is seeking to arrest the former head of the municipal anti-trafficking bureau, who went missing following his suspension last month for allegedly extorting money from foreigners, an official said Monday.
Meng Say was suspended from work on Jan 19 after being accused of arresting South Koreans to extort money from them.
“The Interior Ministry is looking to arrest him,” said Municipal Police Commissioner Touch Naruth, adding that the ministry has invited Meng Say for questioning but he has failed to attend.
“He has run away,” Touch Naruth said, adding that the South Korean Embassy has filed a complaint against the former police official.
A series of municipal police officials have been arrested in recent weeks, on charges including beating a woman to death in custody, assassinating judge Sok Sethamony in 2003 and attempting to kill both National Military Police Commander Sao Sokha and Municipal Court Chief Prosecutor Ouk Savouth.
Former municipal minor crime police chief Hong Setha, who is accused of involvement in the woman’s death, was replaced on Monday, Touch Naruth said.
Hong Setha was replaced at a ceremony at municipal police headquarters by Song Ly, former deputy police chief at the Interior Ministry’s anti-human trafficking office, Touch Naruth said.
Meng Say was also replaced, by Rith Sokha, a former deputy police chief at the municipal anti-drug trafficking bureau.
A heretofore unknown group of eight NGOs called The Committee Strict Law Enforcement for Human Rights in Cambodia released a statement condemning the treatment of the imprisoned municipal police officers.
The statement, received on Monday and signed by Cambodian National Research Organization President Heang Rithy, appealed for their release and alleged that Ly Rasy, deputy municipal minor crime police chief, has been tortured in custody.
