Increasing Police's Brutality against People as Negotiation with Opposition stalled

Security forces deployed to beat up protesters (RFA image)

ដោយខែ្មរវឌ្ឍនកម្មៈ
www.khmerwathanak.blogspot.com

A deadly violent incident in Veng Sreng Road on January 2, 2014 has created a perfect excuse for Hun Sen to ban all political rallies and demonstrations at Freedom Park and across the Capital City, citing the incident on Veng Sreng Road is still on investigation.  Since then, All peaceful protests, rallies, and even municipal election campaigns were violently dispersed by Hun Sen's security forces and mercenaries.  Hun Sen's forces treated innocent people, bystanders, journalists, Member of Parliament, and even Buddhist monks as if animals.  They had no hearts or conscience to think those people at least as human beings who had posed no any threat to them.  On a broad day light, they severely beat up those people with electric and wooden buttons without reason.  Some political observers called those brutal security forces are mercenaries, so their brutal actions may not be responsible by the government.  But, no matter who they are; without Hun Sen's order or approval, they can't act like that on a broad daylight while other regular police forces stood by.  Since the Veng Sreng's deadly incident, at least 30 additional people were severely injured by Hun Sen's brutal security and mercenary forces.  How could such barbaric acts keep going on without consequences?

After the deadly violent crackdown on garment protesters on Veng Sreng Road, Hun Sen's regime has never refrained from using violence and brutality against the peaceful protesters; he increasingly employed more mercenaries and local polices to beat up peaceful protesters indiscriminately, including national and international journalists, opposition MPs, bystanders, and even revered Buddhist monks.  A stalemate political negotiation with the opposition has stoked Hun Sen--a violent prone leader--to embrace more forms of violence, squeezing the opposition (CNRP) to succumb his long dictatorial rule.  As a former Khmer Rouge Commander, Hun Sen usually uses violent mean as his normal mean to settle all crises in the country.  Violence has become his norm to deal with his political opponents and his critics--assassination, bloody coup, violent crackdown, and prison term--over his nearly 30 year iron fist rule.


Nowadays, the country has plunked into a protracted political crisis nearly ten-month long without a foreseeable solution.  However, Hun Sen has tried to make everything going as usual, ignoring all problems and complaints raised by the opposition and the majority of the people who have strongly demanded for change in the country.  He seems immune to all criticisms and grievances brought by human rights advocates, international community, and his own people by following his self-proclaimed slogan, " the dog is bugging as the man is walking." With his heartless and apathetic behavior, Hun Sen has been able to walk through all crises and criticisms over his long time rule.  furthermore, Hun Sen dares to do all things shamelessly disregarding of any one's affection and suffering.  Negotiation with the opposition means to force them to accept his term along with his old trick, breaking up the opposition into pieces by blaming Kem Sokha and praising Sam Rainsy in order to stoke their personal rift.  At the end, he will emerge as a clear winner in political game again.  In the past, he used Earng Moly to fight Son Sann; and Tuon Chay, Ong Hourt, and Ngek Bunchay to fight Prince Ranaridh successfully. And now he tries to play Sam Rainsy against Kem Sokha and vie versa.  But this time he may not be successful as in the past since everyone already learned all his tricks.  Sam Rainsy and Kem Sokha used to be the victims of his political persecution in the past, thus nothing easy for Hun Sen to trick these two veteran opposition politicians.

Hun Sen's security forces' crackdown on peaceful protesters over the past couple months has revealed more police's brutality and unprofessionalism since their job is solely to protect people's safety and social order.  But instead these unprofessional police officers had violated their own professionalism and created more chaos in the society by beating up people indiscriminately inflicting pain and suffering on people physically and emotionally that leads to grudge and more confrontation and social instability.  In democratic society police officers are well trained about human rights, public law and order, and impartial duty.  If they harmed people who had posed no threat to them or beat up helpless people without reason, they would face prosecution in front the court of law.  When polices become more professional and impartial, they gain more trust and praise from the people, for they are viewed as their protectors not gangsters or hooligans.  Hun Sen's police forces are no more than the armed thugs or ruffians who always come to terrorize the peaceful protesters and his political opponents. Most Cambodian people always view Hun Sen's police forces as the armed gangs rather than their protectors as they should be. And some people saw Police's brutality as a reminder of the Khmer Rouge's atrocity in the past.

So to prevent more police's brutality and abuses on people rights, all police officers should be trained vigorously about human rights, law and order before placing them on the streets.  This kind of police officers would face criminal charge if they are in the true democratic countries, but in Cambodia a so-called "Kingdom of Wonder" all unusual things can happen at any time: the criminals are always free to roam around while the victims end up in jail.  The 23 victims of violent crackdown on Veng Sreng Road have become double victims after beating up and torturing by Security forces, they were locked up in jail while the perpetrators have never brought to justice.  Cambodian people have suffered enough physically and emotionally under the Khmer Rouge and Hun Sen's iron fist rule over three decades; now they deserve justice and peace, but there is a grim future ahead since Hun Sen shows no sign of backing down or giving up his undeserved power any time soon after nearly 30 years on power while Thailand just replaced its prime minister again after six-month long political crisis.