Mystery as Environmental Activists Reportedly Held
- By Phoung Vantha
- June 17, 2021 7:26 PM
Authorities deny detentions over sewage video collection
PHNOM PENH--Four Cambodian environmental activists have reportedly been detained by authorities. However, Phnom Penh and Kandal provincial commissioners have denied any arrests.
San Mala, an advocacy officer at the Cambodian Youth Network said on June 17 he had received confirmation from a National Police spokesman that Sun Ratha, Ly Chandaravuth, and Seth Chhiv Limeng had been arrested. They will be sent to the Phnom Penh Municipal Court to be charged with conspiracy. Charges against Yim Leanghy were not known.
They were held on June 16 in Kandal and Phnom Penh. Yim Leanghy's wife reported that her husband was arrested by Koh Thom district authorities in Kandal province at 11am, Mala said.
Ly Chandaravuth, Seth Chhiv Limeng and Sun Ratha, were arrested by Phnom Penh authorities while they filmed sewage flowing into the river, he added.
Phnom Penh Municipal Police spokesperson San Sokseyha said he didn’t know about the activists being arrested.
"Authorities under the Phnom Penh Municipal Police have not arrested any individual during the last few days," he said.
Kandal provincial police chief Chhoeun Socheth also said that he had not received any information.
National Police spokesman Chhay Kim Khoeun could not reach by publication time.
Soeung Sen Karuna, the senior investigating officer for the rights group Adhoc said his organization and other civil society groups, including UN human rights groups, were monitoring those cases but he had no information yet.
"We, the human rights groups, are very concerned about this,” he said.
"Cambodia has an agreement on forced disappearances, and if they were arrested by the authorities and disappeared, it is a serious human rights violation," he said.
Sen Karuna suspected that the disappearances could be arrests by the authorities while those held were working on environmental issues. He urged authorities to release information about any arrest to the family or the media.
Mala said the cases of the four activists are similar to previous arrests, with authorities hiding information on the first day.
"It may be the authorities' intention to hide the information, lest supporters or families protest in public," he said.
The recent jailing of Mother Nature Cambodia activists for planning a one-woman peaceful protest march is the latest in a string of attacks on civil society members by the government.
Additional reporting by Lay Sopheavotey
