Hun Sen’s Royal Government Buys Heng Pov at the Price of $50 Million
“Even if Mr. Heng Pov, ex-adviser to Mr. Prime Minister Hun Sen was sent from Malaysia to be detained in Prey Sar prison, the fact that he was sent hurriedly caused suspicion whether or not there might have been corruption involved. This morning, an overseas radio station quoted a Malaysia immigration official as saying that Hun Sen’s Royal Government spent approximately $50 million, bribing Malaysian authorities to send Mr. Heng Pov to Cambodia, breaking the law and encroaching on human rights.
“Mr. Khieu Sopheak, spokesperson of the Ministry of Interior, used to claim that the Royal Government did not spend any money for having Mr. Heng Pov sent back to Cambodia.
“Mr. Keo Vannthan, first deputy chief of Interpol, also denied the information that the Royal Government spent millions of dollars to have Mr. Heng Pov sent back to Cambodia.
“Both these police officials’ denial was in the reaction to the news published in the French magazine L’Express, claiming that the Royal Government spent millions of dollars to bribe corrupt Malaysian officials to send Mr. Heng Pov back to Cambodia.
“However, an official of the Malaysia Department of Immigration who asked not to be identified by name, said that Hun Sen’s Royal Government had spent $50 million to bringing Mr. Heng Pov from the gate of the Malaysian court back to Cambodia. The same official spoke about Mr. Sat Sophal, who continually investigated Heng Pov’s case since he left Cambodia on 23 July 2006.
“Mr. Sat Sophal said that the journey was well-planned by car to the private plane, from the Court of Appeals after the court’s decision.
“There is also the assurance from the First Secretary of Royal Khmer Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, who told reporters on the day of sending Heng Pov back to Cambodia, that Mr. Heng Pov would have the legal right to appeal.
“Mr. N. Sivanathan, Mr. Heng Pov’s defense attorney, told reporters on Tuesday he would publish a letter from the Royal Khmer Embassy, writing about the promise that Heng Pov had every right for an appeal against the verdict, and that he could choose a defense lawyer as he wished.
“But Mr. Heng Pov was sent back to Cambodia hurriedly [after the Court of Appeals decision was delivered at 11.30am],* and the arrangements were cloaked in great mystery. Even the Federal Court of Malaysia [meeting at 13:20] to hear Mr. Heng Pov’s continued appeal also expressed surprise at that time.
“Mr. N. Sivanathan said the Federal Court of Malaysia was appalled after it realized that the authorities had sent Mr. Heng Pov to return to Cambodia by a private plane [already at 12:30]. Mr. N. Sivanathan asked ‘Why did they do like that? This was unprecedented in Malaysia. I was terribly surprised… we would complain to the Federal Court of Malaysia, in order to issue a warrant to bring the person who was responsible for this to be charged with contempt of court. This was the only thing that we could do. It was sure that the damage was already done, but I did not want the perpetrators to be let off.
“The New Straits Times of Malaysia quoted Mohamad Hanafiah Zakaria, deputy public prosecutor, as saying to reporters that sending Mr. Heng Pov to return to Cambodia was not a breach of Malaysian law.
“But Mr. N. Sivanathan said that democratic and free Malaysia was highly developed among other countries in Asian. It was very humiliating that there seems to be corruption, especially in the case of furtively sending Mr. Heng Pov to return to Cambodia in such a hurried way.
“Mr. N. Sivanathan added ‘I don’t say that corruption exists everywhere. But in this case something smells rotten, though we have no evidence. However, the fact is too obvious. The Federal Court asks that if there were any mistakes, who will be responsible? They cannot claim that they know nothing. Who took Mr. Heng Pov to the Cambodian authorities from inside the court to outside the court?’
“Regarding the information that the Cambodian authorities spent up to $50 million to bring Mr. Heng Pov back, Mr. N. Sivanathan said that there must have been collaboration between the Department of Immigration of Malaysia and the Royal Government of Cambodia, and this cooperation was not done without considering cost. He said ‘I do not know anything about paying hundreds of dollars and I do not make a comment about this. On the other hand, I can say that the way that was used to send Mr. Heng Pov out of Malaysia clearly shows that there are people inside the Department of Immigration who have cooperated with the Cambodian government, and I also don’t think that this cooperation was done without considering cost.
“Mr. N. Sivanathan further confirmed that Mr. Heng Pov’s case was related to politics and to the economy. This attorney claimed that if Mr Heng Pov would have been sentenced by an independent court, he would be free.
“In the period of more than five months that the exiled Mr. Heng Pov spent in Singapore and in Malaysia when they detained him, Mr. Prime Minister Hun Sen kept silent. However, after deporting Mr. Heng Pov was deported to Cambodia (on 21.12.2006), on 22 December at the weekly meeting of the Council of Ministers, Mr. Hun Sen expressed his anger that Singapore and Finland had not been willing to cooperate and arrest Mr. Heng Pov to deport him to Cambodia.
“Mr. Hun Sen is reported to have said that ‘these bad Singaporeans, these bad Finnish, were not willing to arrest Heng Pov for me. Fine!’
“After having brought him back to Cambodia since more than two weeks, there were no independent news to clarify Mr. Heng Pov’s situation in Prey Sar prison, and it is not known whether Mr. Heng Pov was tortured or was injected with the drugs to make him mentally unsound.” Sralanh Khmer, Vol.2, #297, 5.1.2007
Newspapers Appearing on the Newsstand:
Friday, 5 January 2007
Kampuchea Thmey, Vol.6, #1235, 5.1.2007
∙ Samdech Krom Preah Asks Big Embassies to Help Him if He Is Really Arrested
∙ Chinese Foreman Collects Money Then Returns Home; Workers Protest Opposite [Chinese] Embassy Asking for Intervention [Angk Snuol, Kandal]
∙ Some High School Certificates Are Still Forged in Cambodia
Khmer Amatak, Vol.8, #437, 5.1.2007
∙ NEC [National Election Committee] Seems to Help Only Ruling Party
∙ Sam Rainsy Party Activists Continually Remove [SRP] Signboards in Provinces [because of internal disputes]
Koh Santepheap, Vol.40, #5932, 5.1.2007
∙ Open Message of Samdech Euv [Father King via web site] from Beijing: Crimes by Jealous Love Crazed People and Rape [in Cambodia] Are Horrible
∙ Agreement to Seek Vietnamese Soldiers’ Remains in Phnom Penh
∙ Thailand Arrests and Returns Illegal Khmer Laborers to Cambodia; Khmer Laborers Say Cambodian Officials [at Poipet Border Crossing – Banteay Meanchey] Extort Money from Them
Moneaksekar Khmer, Vol.14, #3054, 5.1.2007
∙ [Former] Khmer Rouge Leaders Should Know that They Are Luckier than Saddam Hussein
Mr. Sam Rainsy Urges Ruling Party and National Election Committee to Check Some Irregularities before [commune] Elections
Rasmei Kampuchea, Vol.15, #4177, 5.1.2007
∙ Prime Minister Hun Sen Will Attend ASEAN Summit in Philippines [which will be held from 12 to 15 January]
∙ Norway Strengthens Cooperation with Cambodia
Reach Seima, Vol.2, #124, 5.1.2007
∙ Ruling Party Prepares New Strategy to Attract Votes from Monks
Sralanh Khmer, Vol.3, #297, 5.1.2007
* Hun Sen Government Bought Heng Pov at $50 Million [from Malaysian authorities – according to an official of the Malaysian immigration department]
∙ Sam Rainsy Party Has 1,595 Candidates for Commune and Subdistrict Council Elections at 1,621 Communes and Subdistricts [nationwide]
* Square brackets like [this] indicate explanatory additions.
