Military Police Chief Denies Role in Wood Seizure

 Cambodia Daily | 20 June 2016

Authorities in Kompong Chhnang province say a car packed with rosewood was caught Saturday after a chase down National Road 5 led by deputy provincial military police chief Hang Socheat, yet Mr. Socheat claimed he was never there and knew nothing about it.

Toek Phos district police chief Khem Vibol said on Sunday that provincial military police pursued the Toyota Camry and fired five shots before bringing the car to a stop at about 7:30 a.m.

“I heard five shots, and my police officers went to the scene to check out the shooting,” he said. “We saw about 10 provincial military police get out of a pickup truck and stop the Toyota Camry and take it away.”

Before they all left, Mr. Vibol said, “I saw Mr. Hang Socheat there with other military police surrounding the car.”

He said he saw the driver of the car as well as a few pieces of the valuable luxury-grade wood in the trunk of the car before they were taken away to provincial military police headquarters, and that he did not know what happened after that.

Mr. Socheat denied the account, insisting that he and his officers did not stop a car trafficking rosewood on Saturday and refuting unsourced local media reports saying that the driver paid off military police.

“I did not stop a car or release the driver for $10,000; this information is not true,” he said. “We were patrolling along National Road 5, and my commander ordered me to check out the shooting, but we found nothing, and I returned to my office.”

Mr. Socheat said he also called district military police chief Din Sambon about the shooting sounds, but that he did not know anything, either.

However, Mr. Sambon said the military police did indeed stop a car trafficking rosewood and that Mr. Socheat was in charge.

“The deputy military police chief, Hang Socheat, led the operation to stop the car, and he ordered the driver to take the car to the provincial military police headquarters,” he said, declining to comment further.