Clash between Police and Mu Sochua’s Supporters During March

Violence took place on the morning of Tuesday 4 August, 2009 at around 9:20 AM, near Langkar Pagoda and Independence Monument on Sihanouk street after authorities, including Municipal police, Interior police, criminal police, military police and police from Tourism department in different uniforms around 200-300 were subsequently trying to suppress a march held by Sam Rainsy Party.

The march started from Phnom Penh Municipal Court after the police had not allowed Mrs. Mu Sochua to hold press conference there. The police had pushed and suppressed the crowd by whistling and using sticks and shields. The crowd moved forward little by little into Monireit street and Sihanouk one, passing around Olympic market; and then walked straight up to SRP office. On the way some 150 policemen in the same mixed uniforms; especially black one, were trying to break off the group again and again by using different strategies whenever they had got orders from their boss; for instance, ran into the group, blocked the street by using bypassing travelers and pulling out the crowd one by one and sometimes yelling and intimidating.

When reaching the violated place, the voice from Radio phone to say that, “You guys have three to four times more than them, why can’t you break them down?” After the voice, a few police chiefs started to shout at their subordinators to pull them one by one. Then the situation could not be controlled. At that time, a bodyguard of Yont Tharo, SPR lawmaker was one of their targets to take out from the group, but he was shouting that, “I am his bodyguard, so I have to protect them.” But the police did not listen to him and answered back, “What do you want? Who are you?” There a man in civil uniform ordered them to take out the bodyguard and said, “Bring him out and put him in the car.” When hearing that the man was trying to escape from being arrested. On the way he was running, he was jumping into the air and handed out into a policeman’s shield. Seeing that some 20 police officers shouted, “Oh, that man hit the police!!!” Then they were running up to him, hitting, kicking and kneeing.

In the event, 3 men were arrested and released immediately after they had been asked to confess his fault not listening to the order to the government authority. H.E Yont Tharo was hit three times. H.E Chan Cheng was once hit and kicked in the chest. Mrs. Mu Sochua’s hair was pulled out. A man, named Ho Sirin, was strangled and taken out to the pathway of the park nearby. An old lady, 70, named Yeay Ma was hit from behind on her back and waist. Whereas some other people were minor suffered of the violence.