Family of slain Cambodia activist mark anniversary
PHNOM PENH: As the family of slain Cambodian activist Kem Ley rebuild their lives in Australia, his youngest son, born just months after the assassination, acts as a human timepiece measuring the years since the five brothers lost their father. Kem Ley, a popular analyst and critic who dabbled in grassroots politics, was shot at point-blank range at a gas station cafe in Phnom Penh in 2016.
An unemployed former soldier confessed to the killing and claimed the motive was an unpaid debt, in a trial critics say was a political cover-up. On the eve of the fifth anniversary of his death yesterday, his widow Bou Rachna visited a Melbourne temple to pray. “I always tell my sons about the story of their Dad, I hope they will remember forever the good actions of their father,” she told AFP.
His work bag and laptop are on display in the
family’s Melbourne home, along with his portrait and a pot of incense sticks. Bou Rachna was five months pregnant at the time of the killing and named her fifth son, Kem Ley Vireakboth, after her late husband. “It’s like he is still with us,” she said. Kem Ley Jr is now five years old, and has shown signs of autism. “So even though we keep talking to him (about his dad) he still does not understand yet,” his mother said.
The family moved to Australia in 2018 after being granted refugee status. The widow has struggled to support her children financially - the eldest is at university and was ineligible for a governmentfunded degree and must pay full tuition because the family are yet to gain citizenship. “It’s really difficult for me as a woman who has to look after five children in this situation,” she said, adding that many Khmer-Australians had shown tremendous kindness to her family. “We have changed countries and have found a good place to live. We don’t feel pressure and intimidation.”
‘Scapegoat’
Kem Ley was a vocal critic of Cambodian politicians of all stripes, but he was particularly scathing
about the corruption that blights the country. Shortly before his murder he gave an interview about an investigative report that detailed some of the millions of dollars allegedly amassed by the family of longserving Prime Minister Hun Sen. The Cambodian government strongly denied any role in the killing. —AFP