anlong veng district, Oddar Meanchey province – Residents attending Prime Minister Hun Sen’s speech Friday were not only searched for weapons before the event, they were also patted down for pens and paper.
Yuon, who only gave his first name, said local authorities took away a bottle of water and small pieces of paper used to roll up cigarettes before he was allowed to attend Hun Sen’s speech.
“The authorities said it was part of the order,” he said.
Anlong Veng residents said a few days before Hun Sen’s visit, they were called to a meeting by local authorities, who told them they were not allowed to give the prime minister any pieces of paper that voiced complaints about living conditions.
“Most of the people want to send complaints to Hun Sen about problems we have with land and other issues,” said Ton, another Anlong Veng resident. “But the local authorities called us to have a meeting and told us not to report our problems. We suffer a lot and we are fed up.”
A restaurant owner was even reluctant to give customers a bill for fear of being accused of giving a complaint to pass to Hun Sen.
Peouy Saroeun, deputy district chief of Anlong Veng, denied that paper and pens were taken from those at Hun Sen’s speech.
“Those people are exaggerating,” he said. “We checked only for weapons and ammunition.”
Men Ly, deputy police chief of Oddar Meanchey province, said the order to check residents did not include searching for and confiscating pens and paper. “I will punish anyone who did this,” he said. “We will investigate this.”
