Tribunal Rally Leaflet Distributors Detained

Three Sam Rainsy Party acti­vists were detained by police Monday and Tuesday for distributing leaflets that asked people to support the creation of an international tribunal to try leaders of the Khmer Rouge.

The leaflets also invited people to join a demonstration Thursday morning at Olympic Stadium to support the tribunal.

Sam Rainsy said Tues­day that the leaflets are the only way his party could publicize its activities.

“This is definite intimidation,” Sam Rainsy said of the arrests. “This is very particular to an auth­oritarian regime.”

The detentions follow several incidents in the past month of alleged intimidation by opposition party workers.

Two of the workers for the

par­ty—the only opposition party with representatives in the

Nat­ional Assembly and the Senate—were detained Monday at the Phsar Kandal market for distributing leaf­lets. Police confiscated 3,100 leaf­lets.

Mok Sopha, police chief for the Phsar Kandal police post, said Saom Sophal, 25, and Chun So­phal, 32, were detained because they did not inform authorities and obtain permission to pass out leaflets.

Saom Sophal said he was an­gry that police stopped him because what he was doing was legal. He also complained that police held him for two hours.

Sam Rainsy Party worker Tes Sna El, 50, was detained Tuesday for not receiving permission to distribute leaflets in the Chrang Chamres commune in Russei Keo district.

Tim Prosar, the Russei Keo district police chief, said he had not yet received a report on Tes Sna El’s detainment but that his police officers did not infringe on Tes Sna El’s rights.

Last Wednesday, Each Chan­dara, the security chief for the Sam Rainsy Party who is also the brother-in-law of murdered ac­tress Piseth Peaklica, left Cam­bodia, claiming that police on motorcycles had been circling out­side his residence that morning. No suspects have been ar­rest­ed in the death of the film star, and Khmer-language newspapers have reported that a high-ranking government official was linked to the hit.

In July, another Sam Rainy

Par­ty security official, Long Ry, claim­ed he was harassed by po­licemen who followed him to par­ty headquarters before surrounding the building. Police officials denied Long Ry’s allegations.

Additionally, Long Ry and Each Chandara were beaten on July 10 by men identified as military police. Authorities called the beatings a case of mistaken identity.