Reported by Khmerization
29 people were arrested and temporarily detained on 16th of April for anti-Thai riots at Kamrieng International Checkpoint in Battambang province, reports Koh Santepheap.
The riots occurred after 4 Cambodians were brutally beaten by 40 Thai people at Laem Market on the Thai side of the border on 13th April, 2009.
Rioters said that they came to the aid of the 4 beaten Cambodians but the Thai border guards stopped them. They requested to go to bring back the badly injured 4 Cambodians to the Cambodian side of the border but the Thai guards refused. They then asked the Cambodian border police to intervene to stop the beatings, but the Cambodian guards refused, says Koh Santepheap.
According to sources, up 1,000 Khmer people took part in the riots against the Thai brutality at the Kamrieng International Checkpoint. During the riots, the Cambodian rioters threw stones over the fence breaking windows of the Thai border post. They then burnt Thai flag and the picture of the Thai king which led the Thai border guards to fire many rounds of ammunitions.
Mr. Chhim Kim Hong, police inspector of Kamrieng District said that the fighting broke out between a group of Khmer gangsters and a group of Thai gangsters while the Cambodian youths went to the Thai side of the border the celebrate the New Year festivities. He also said that Cambodian authority cannot intervene to help rescue the injured Cambodians immediately because they have to make legal representations to the Thai side first and it takes time. He said that only two Khmer youths were injured and they were handed over to the Cambodian authority at 7 pm on the same day.
The scenes of the riots and the Khmer police arresting the Cambodian youths who participated in the Anti-riots.
According to Koh Santepheap, despite the anti-Thai riots had subsided, on the morning of 14th April, about 100 youths, angry with the Khmer border guards who refused to intervene to save their friends, gathered at Kamrieng Border International Checkpoint. They rioted and, according the police, they turned against the Khmer authority by throwing stones at the police and damaging public properties. 29 youths were arrested and charged with injuring police and damaging public properties.
The arrested youths claimed that the police came to their house the next morning, manhandled, beaten, robbed them of their money and mobile phones and then arrested them.
Left: The Cambodian youth who was one of the victims of the Thai beatings and the arrested youths were seen bundled into the pick-up trucks and taken to Battambang detention centre awaiting trials.
The 29 arrested youths had been sent to Battambang court, but Mr. Koy Kanya, prosecutor for Battambang District Court, said that, among the 29, only 4 of them will be charged because of proof beyond reasonable doubt.
According to Koh Santepheap, many people were very surprised that, while refusing to intervene to help rescue the injured Cambodians, the Khmer authority had turned on those who wanted to help the Cambodian victims by beating them, arresting them and jail them. It is very painful indeed, they said.
According to Koh Santepheap, despite the anti-Thai riots had subsided, on the morning of 14th April, about 100 youths, angry with the Khmer border guards who refused to intervene to save their friends, gathered at Kamrieng Border International Checkpoint. They rioted and, according the police, they turned against the Khmer authority by throwing stones at the police and damaging public properties. 29 youths were arrested and charged with injuring police and damaging public properties.
The arrested youths claimed that the police came to their house the next morning, manhandled, beaten, robbed them of their money and mobile phones and then arrested them.
Left: The Cambodian youth who was one of the victims of the Thai beatings and the arrested youths were seen bundled into the pick-up trucks and taken to Battambang detention centre awaiting trials.
The 29 arrested youths had been sent to Battambang court, but Mr. Koy Kanya, prosecutor for Battambang District Court, said that, among the 29, only 4 of them will be charged because of proof beyond reasonable doubt.
According to Koh Santepheap, many people were very surprised that, while refusing to intervene to help rescue the injured Cambodians, the Khmer authority had turned on those who wanted to help the Cambodian victims by beating them, arresting them and jail them. It is very painful indeed, they said.
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