Chea Vichea

Chea Vichea
Chea Vichea (ជា វិជ្ជា)
Born Unknown date
Kandal Province, Cambodia
Died January 22, 2004
Phnom Penh Municipality, Cambodia
Occupation FTUWKC Leader

Chea Vichea was the leader of the Free Trade Union of Workers of the Kingdom of Cambodia (FTUWKC) until his assassination on Chinese New Year, 22 January 2004. Following his death, he was succeeded in his position at the FTUWKC by his younger brother Chea Mony.

Vichea was shot in the head and chest early in the morning while reading a newspaper at a kiosk in Daun Penh district, Phnom Penh. He had recently been dismissed by the INSM Garment Factory (located in the Chum Chao District of Phnom Penh) as a reprisal for helping to establish a trade union at the company. He also had close affiliations with the opposition Sam Rainsy Party.

Investigation

A few days after Vichea's killing, and facing mounting criticism for their failure to act, Cambodian authorities arrested two men and charged them with the murder.

The first, Born Samnang, was arrested in Prey Veng Province and transferred to Phnom Penh overnight. He initially admitted to the killing but then publicly retracted, claiming to have been tortured into confessing. Multiple eyewitnesses have placed Born Samnang in a different part of the country at the time of the murder.

The second suspect, Sok Sam Oeun, has consistently denied any involvement and also has alibis placing him in a party with friends at the time of the murder.

The criminal investigation was done by Phnom Penh's Tuol Kork district police and plagued by irregularities. Officers focused on threatening and rounding up those who provided alibis for the suspects, while witnesses were intimidated.'[1]

On 22 March 2004, the case's Investigating Judge, Hing Thirith, threw out the charges against the two men, citing a lack of evidence against them and weak credibility of the police investigation [2]. The next day, Hing Thirith was removed from his position at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court, and his decision to drop charges was subsequently overturned on 1 June 2004 by the Appeals Court Presiding Judge Thou Mony [3].

The trial took place more than a year after the murder while Born Samnang and Sok Sam Oeun remained in custody in Phnom Penh, despite a Cambodian legal limitation that no one be detained without trial for longer than six months. The case has been taken up by both national and international organisations, including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and ILO.

Trial

On 1 August 2005, the Phnom Penh Municipal Courts delivered a judgment which was highly criticized by both local and international organizations, who deemed it unfair and politically biased rather than based on independent and reasonable judgment.

Sok Sam Oeun and Born Samnang were judged guilty after a trial where no witnesses testified against the accused and no forensic evidence was brought to court. Both individuals were sentenced to 20 years in prison and ordered to pay $5,000 compensation each to the family of the victim.

Chea Vichea's family turned down the compensation, stating that they did not believe the two convicted were the real murderers.

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Chea — (Traditional Chinese: 謝, Simplified Chinese: 谢, Hanyu Pinyin: Xiè), is a Chinese surname common in China and Cambodia. Chea is romanized from the Chaozhou or Taishanese dialects of Chinese. Several notable people bear the name Chea , including:… …   Wikipedia

  • List of Cambodians — This is a list of famous and notable people from Cambodia. This would include persons who are known to a large number of people and is not based on the extent of their popularity. Neither is the list viewed from the context of the present. Their… …   Wikipedia

  • Free Trade Union of Workers of the Kingdom of Cambodia — (FTUWKC) ist eine Gewerkschaft in Kambodscha, die vor allem in der Textilindustrie aktiv ist. Sie wurde 1996 gegründet und hat etwa 60.000 Mitglieder. Präsident der Gewerkschaft ist Chea Mony, Generalsekretär Mann Seng Hak. In die Schlagzeilen… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Freie Gewerkschaft der Arbeiter des Königreichs Kambodscha — Die Freie Gewerkschaft der Arbeiter des Königreiches Kambodscha (französisch Syndicat libre des ouvriers du Royaume du Cambodge, englisch Free Trade Union of Workers of the Kingdom of Cambodia; Abkürzung FTUWKC) ist eine Gewerkschaft im …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Cambodia — /kam boh dee euh/, n. a republic in SE Asia: formerly part of French Indochina. 11,163,861; 69,866 sq. mi. (180,953 sq. km). Cap.: Phnom Penh. Formerly, People s Republic of Kampuchea, Khmer Republic. * * * Cambodia Introduction Cambodia… …   Universalium

  • List of Cambodia-related articles — Articles (arranged alphabetically) related to Cambodia and Cambodian culture include:0 9*‎2003 Phnom Penh riots Anti Thai riots over Angkor WatA*ACLEDA Bank privately owned bank based in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. *‎ADHOC human rights organisation,… …   Wikipedia

  • Sam Rainsy — (Khmer: សម រង្ស៊ី; born March 10, 1949) is a Cambodian politician.Sam Rainsy was born in Phnom Penh, son of Sam Sary, a member of Cambodia s government for a time in the 1950s. He moved to France in 1965, studied there and then worked in a… …   Wikipedia

  • Free Trade Union of Workers of the Kingdom of Cambodia — Infobox Union name= FTUWKC country= Cambodia affiliation= members= 60,000 full name= Free Trade Union of Workers of the Kingdom of Cambodia native name= founded= December 1996 current= head= dissolved date= dissolved state= merged into= office=… …   Wikipedia

  • Union violence — When Union violence has occurred, it has frequently been in the context of industrial unrest.[1] Union violence is generally a defensive measure carried out against guards or strikebreakers during attempts to undercut strikes.[1] Violence has… …   Wikipedia

  • Human rights in Cambodia — The human rights situation in Cambodia is facing growing criticisms both within the country and an increasingly alarmed international community. After a series of flagrant violation against basic human rights a feeling of incertitude regarding… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”