Official chided over prison phone
PRIME Minister Hun Sen in a speech on Tuesday scolded an official for allegedly allowing opposition figure Meach Sovannara to use a mobile phone in prison and ordered them to remove it “immediately”, while telling Sovannara he would never “come out”.
During a speech at the National Institute of Education, Hun Sen confronted Deputy National Police Commissioner Chhay Sinarith, who was in attendance, saying: “Why do you allow Meach Sovannara to talk on the phone every day? Go quickly to take it from Meach Sovannara within one hour.”
Sovannara has been serving a 20-year sentence in Prey Sar prison since 2015 for allegedly leading what the government described as an “insurrection” after an opposition protest at Freedom Park turned violent. He recently sent the premier a letter congratulating him on his wedding anniversary, which Sovannara’s assistant described as a “soft” request for a pardon. But on Tuesday, the prime minister warned him: “From prison, no day will you come out.”
S ov a n n a r a’s c o n v i c t i o n forced him to leave the Cambodia National Rescue Party following controversial amendments to the Law on Political Parties. The party – the country’s only viable opposition – was forcibly dissolved at the government’s behest last year.
Hun Sen also ordered officials to review call logs to see with whom Sovannara had communicated. He said Sovannara“does politics” via his phone, though it was unclear of what nature.
If officials do not resolve the issue, Hun Sen threatened to remove the prison chief and his subordinates. “When the prison director cannot control, change [the director] . . . Now [if ] he talks on the phone, I will remove the police chief, and remove all,” the premier said.
Prisons Department Operations Director Be Tealeng said his department was searching for culprits and the phone. “The result we do not know yet,” he said.