Chea Mony under threat?

Cambodge Soir
22-08-2008

The Union leader said he received an explicit email. He called on several NGO as witnesses without taking the matter to the police.

The president of the Free Trade Union of Workers of the Kingdom of Cambodia (FTUWKC), who is also a strong opponent to the government, remains on his guard. “I feel threatened” claims Chea Mony since he received, on August 18, an anonymous self explanatory email: “Watch out...”.

Nevertheless the president did not file a complaint to the police explaining that "[he] do[oes] not trust the police". But he informed Human Rights NGOs such as UNHCR, Adhoc and Licado in the hope they may serve as "witnesses".

“I do not fear these threats, I am not in hiding, I still live as before to show that I am brave. If the author of these threats is as brave as I am, he just needs to state when and where he will shoot so that I can be there”, he added slightly bragging.

Touch Naroth, the commissioner of Phnom Penh police is puzzled by the matter. “I do not really know what we can do as he does not inform us and we do not know if his declarations are true” the policeman stated.

He thinks that Chea Mony’ statement does not make sense. Touch Naroth talked further about the allegations--printed in the press--mentioning that Chea Mony had refused to defect to the CPP. “The CPP won 90 seats and probably not thanks to the votes of the FTUWKC workers” highlighted the commissioner.

In January 2004, Chea Mony’s older brother, Vichea Mony, president at the time of the Free Trade Union of Workers of the Kingdom of Cambodia, was shot dead in the street. Two suspects were arrested and sentenced respectively for 20 years in jail. But neither Chea Mony, nor Norodom Sihanouk or the NGOs consider them as the real killers.