A critic of the Cambodian government has been shot dead Phnom Penh.
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“I order the authorities to find out the perpetrator (s) and accomplice (s) in order to bring them for prosecution in accordance with the law”, the prime minister said during the inauguration ceremony of premises at the National Military Police’s headquarters here.
Luon Sovath, a monk and prominent rights activist who has himself repeatedly been the target of government intimidation, noted that Ley had spoken at length the previous day about a highly provocative Global Witness report that revealed some of Prime Minister Hun Sen’s family’s fortune and vast business empire. “We are working on this case”. He says the suspect claimed to have carried out the shooting because Kem Lay allegedly failed to pay him back for a loan.
A hearse carrying the body of Kem Ley, an anti-government figure and the head of a grassroots advocacy group, is surrounded by his supporters on the way to a pagoda for a Buddhist ceremony after he was shot dead in Phnom Penh July 10, 2016.
Meanwhile, National Police spokesman Kirt Chantharith said that a 38-year-old male suspect, whose shirt was stained with blood, was arrested with a glock pistol shortly after the crime.
“I hope that other politicians will not politicise this case to incite (people), that would lead the nation into chaos”, he added.
Last week, Kem Ley welcomed the report in a radio interview, saying it would help voters and foreign investors better understand how Cambodia’s political elite became so wealthy.
Onlookers set up makeshift memorials and refused to let ambulances remove the body. He was also frequently quoted in the country’s handful of independent newspapers.
It condemned the killing and called on authorities to conduct a serious investigation to give justice to his family.
The popular public figure was an outspoken critic of the government and the founder of the Grass Roots Democracy Party.
In a video taped confession circulating online, the suspect bizarrely claimed his name was Chuab Samlaap, which translates to “meet death” in Khmer.
“The circumstances surrounding Kem Ley’s death have left many searching for answers and suspicious of ulterior motives, particularly given his vocal criticism of Cambodia’s political leaders”, Charles said in a statement on behalf of APHR on Monday morning.
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In recent months the government has made sweeping arrests of opposition members and outspoken members of civil society, repeatedly threatened the media and launched a sustained attack on deputy opposition leader Kem Sokha.
