The only police officer recognized by a trucker who was allegedly beaten by police and military police along with his assistant last week in Prey Veng province denied Wednesday he was involved in the attack.
The driver, Nen Sida, said that on March 19 he and his assistant, Thoeun Noeub, were beaten and hog-tied after coming under fire from pursuing police and military police officers after they drove through two checkpoints in Tbong Khmum province.
Mr. Sida said he was questioned Tuesday by a military police commission set up to investigate the incident.
“The commission asked me if I recognized the face of the shooters and people who hit me,” Mr. Sida said. “I told them that I recognized…Roeung Phallin, a [Prey Veng] provincial economic police official.”
Mr. Phallin said he did not take part in the beating. “I was busy helping [ease] traffic jams after the incident,” he said.
“But I did see about 10 military police and police from a weigh station in Tbong Khmum and Prey Veng surround the truck drivers and kick them when their arms were tied behind their backs with kramas.”
