Poipet councillor arrested near Thai border for aiding crossing
THE Banteay Meanchey Provincial Court questioned a Poipet commune councillor on March 30 regarding allegations that he brought five people to the border to cross into Thailand through an illegal border-crossing in Poipet town on March 29.
Prom Theng, the provincial Military Police’s judicial bureau chief, told The Post on March 30 that 47-year-old Yim Nov – a member of the Poipet commune council residing in Samaki Meanchey village – was being questioned by a prosecutor.
“The prosecutor continues to question him and after he’s finished he’ll send him to the investigating judge.
“But it’s already after noon and my officers haven’t returned from the court yet,” he said, adding that he did know about the specific charges.
According to Theng, the suspect has three nieces – one of whom is married to a Thai man. The niece’s Thai husband and his brother had been in Cambodia, but now they, along with Nov’s three nieces, wanted to return to Thailand but could not go through the Poipet international border checkpoint because none of them had passports.
Instead, Nov drove them all to the border in his car and they tried to cross into Thailand via an unofficial corridor in Samaki Meanchey village.
However, as soon as Nov stopped the car to let his nieces and the two Thai men get out he was immediately spotted by Military Police patrolling the corridor.
According to Theng, the Military Police had attempted to arrest the entire group but Nov’s three nieces and the two Thai nationals all fled into Thailand – leaving their backpacks full of clothing behind at the border – along with their uncle Nov, who was then promptly arrested.