Cambodian police are
having a torrid time lately. Murdered foreigners are turning up at an alarming
rate and the authorities are struggling to catch those responsible.
In mid-February a French woman was found dead. The
25-year-old was naked and had been bludgeoned on the head. Her clothes and the
bike she was riding when she disappeared on a Saturday evening have not been
found. Police say they have no idea who killed her. Her name has not been
released.
Earlier this month, 43-year-old Japanese businessman
Kosei Kitakura was shot dead after being attacked by two men who tried to rob
him while he was getting out of his taxi outside of his apartment on a Sunday
morning. Kitakura fought back, was shot several times and his killers fled on
motorbikes.
And then there was the supposed murder-suicide case of
a French family in September 2011. A team of ten French investigators went to
Cambodia to follow up on the case, however, and the conclusions they shared
this month inspire little confidence in the original story.
Cambodian police had already decided that life had
become too much for 42-year-old Frenchman Laurent Vallier, who they claimed had
killed his four young children, before driving their bodies into a pond behind
the family home where he drowned. That was supposed to be the end of the tragic
matter, but his family and the French embassy in Phnom Penh were far from
convinced.
For several weeks the French team carried out forensic
tests at the site. They found that the driver’s door was open and the state of
the car’s electrics was consistent with the vehicle having been pushed into the
pond.
They also discovered that Cambodian police had failed
to notice that Vallier’s skull was sitting in a suitcase in the back of his
SUV.
The evidence was obviously inconsistent with
murder-suicide and the focus has now shifted to his Khmer in-laws. Police
initially thought there was nothing unusual about Vallier’s brother-in-law
claiming ownership of land that Vallier, a widower, and his two sons and two
daughters had lived on. His wife died during childbirth in 2009.
Police now say they believe three to five people were
involved with the murders.
The French embassy tactfully said in a statement that
the investigation “has led to breakthroughs which are now ruling out the
possibility of suicide.”
This tragic case highlights a problematic trend,
rooted in economics, which is widespread among Cambodia’s police, who are often
accused of corruption and protecting the influential.
Considering the reality that most Cambodian police are
paid little more than U.S. $30 per month, barely enough to make ends meet, it
is clear why many resort to corruption. If those in senior positions are
serious about resolving these tragic killings, however, then it’s time rethink
and reform the Cambodian approach to law and order.
Luke Hunt
Business & Investment Opportunities
Saigon Business Corporation Pte Ltd (SBC) is incorporated in Singapore since 1994. As Your Business Companion, we propose a range of services in Strategy, Investment and Management, focusing Health care and Life Science with expertise in ASEAN 's area. We are currently changing the platform of www.yourvietnamexpert.com, if any request, please, contact directly Dr Christian SIODMAK, business strategist, owner and CEO of SBC at christian.siodmak@gmail.com. Many thanks.
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