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| Military police stand in formation to listen to speeches from their leaders in Phnom Penh on Wednesday. On Monday, Deputy Commander Vong Pisen told forces to be on high alert. Cam Post |
Military Police put on alert
Phnom Penh Post | 8 September 2017
The National Military Police have been put on alert and are
ready to intervene to defend the legal government and prevent any
attempts at a “colour revolution” in the country – or such was the
message coming from the force’s Deputy Commander Vong Pisen a day after
the surprise arrest of opposition leader Kem Sokha on Sunday.
The Cambodia National Rescue Party president was arrested around midnight on Sunday,
and has since been charged with “treason” and placed in pre-trial
detention in a Tbong Khmum province prison, for saying in a 2013 video
that he had received assistance from the United States to plan his
political career.
The next day, Pisen ordered personnel in Phnom Penh and the provinces
to be on alert and await any order from higher ups to deploy their
“forces”, “trucks and armoured vehicles” for a crackdown.
“All Military Police units must respect and adhere firmly to the
government’s orders, the Ministry of Defence, Royal Cambodian Armed
Forces and National Military Police Commander to protect the legal
government and be determined to prevent the colour revolution from
happening in Cambodia,” he said in Phnom Penh.
Colour revolution has become a buzzword among government and military
officials, and refers to the largely peaceful citizen movements that
have toppled regimes in the former Soviet Bloc and Middle East. In
recent days, the term has picked up greater currency, with conspiracy
theories about a US-backed colour revolution swirling on
government-aligned media ahead of Sokha’s arrest.
Pisen asked his officials to control the information flow about
Sokha’s arrest by offering “education” to lower officers and staffers
about US involvement in the Lon Nol-led coup in 1970, and to help them
identify the “tricks of the enemy” attempting a colour revolution.
The diktat also follows a stream of violent rhetoric employed prior
to and following the commune elections in June. Before the poll, Defence
Minister Tea Banh vowed to “smash the teeth” of protesters who disputed
the election results, and Prime Minister Hun Sen told his opponents to
“prepare their coffins” because he was ready to kill hundreds to
maintain stability.
The Military Police has also had a chequered record for its involvement in violent crackdowns, including the violent dispersal of opposition supporters and garment workers
during demonstrations following the 2013 election, as well as its
suppression of an alleged “secessionist” movement lead by independent
radio station owner Mam Sonando in Kratie province.
Military Police spokesman Eng Hy would only say that Pisen was
reiterating the Military Police’s “obligations”, and refused to answer
whether the remarks were a direct threat aimed at the CNRP. “The
Military Police will follow the Military Police’s role,” he said.
CNRP lawmaker Cheam Channy said the Military Police were only
following the country’s current political narrative, but refused to
comment further on the issue.
However, political commentator Meas Ny said that in light of increased support for the CNRP
in the June commune elections – in which it took an unprecedented 489
communes – the government wouldn’t hesitate to use the armed forces to
quell any “uprising” or “rebellion”.
“Second, if this uprising becomes severe, the government has the
right to declare an emergency in the country and it will affect the
elections. It might be like the military regime in Thailand,” he said.
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