Wake Held; Police Chief's Crash Investigated
Hundreds of officials on Monday paid tribute to national police chief Hok Lundy, a powerful ruling party figure who died in a helicopte
Hundreds of Cambodia'stop officials, including Prime Minister Hun Sen, attended a wake for Hok LundyMonday morning, following a deadly helicopter crash that is underinvestigation. Hok Lundy, a close associate of Hun Sen and the nation's toppolice official, died when his helicopter crashed in Rumduol district, SvayRieng province, late Sunday night. Maligned by critics as a brutal police commander high among theranks of the ruling Cambodian People's Party, Hok Lundy had been accused by rightsgroups of serious violations, including murder and torture, and in2006 was denied US entry on suspicion of involvement of human trafficking. He rejectedall charges made against him. His lieutenant, police Lt. Gen. Neth Savoun, was named actingnational police chief Monday. A separate ceremony for Lt. Gen. Sok Sa Em, deputy commanderof RCAF infantry, and two pilots, Tep Setha, 44, and Horn Ratha, 46, was heldat Wat Lanka. "I would like to express my deepest sympathy for the death ofGen. Hok Lundy," said Lt. Gen. Sok Phal, deputy national police chief. "We've lost a high-ranking official in thegovernment.... Right now we've sent a team of investigators to the crash site." He declined to speculate on the cause of the crash. Aviationofficials have said poor weather was likely a factor. Hok Lundy's personal driver for more than 20 years, ChanPov, told VOA Khmer Monday that before the helicopter crash the general haddined with businessmen Kith Meng and Meng Sreang in Phnom Penh. Chan Pov said his boss decided to visit Svay Rieng "at thelast minute," for undisclosed reasons. Chan Pov drove Hok Lundy to the militaryairbase adjacent to Phnom PenhInternational Airport,where he watched him board a Sokha Airlines helicopter. Prior to takeoff, the pilots looked to the sky, where starswere visible, and said a flight to Svay Rieng would be no problem, Chan Povsaid. Fifteen minutes after the helicopter took off, the driver received a callfrom Sokha Airlines's office warning of heavy rain over Svay Rieng. By then,Hok Lundy could not be reached by phone, Chan Pov said. The driver was later able to reach one of the pilots, who told himthey would arrive in Svay Rieng "in seven minutes." Five minutes later, around7:40 pm, he could not reach the pilots either. Five minutes after that, Phnom PenhInternational's tower reported the helicopter had crashed. Svay Rieng Governor Cheang Am said witnesses around the crashsite reported hearing "roaring from the engine" over Doung Sar village, in Rumduoldistrict. The helicopter crashed 15 kilometers outside the village. Witnesses told the governor the helicopter glanced off asmall hillside, as flames burned from its tail, before it crashed. Hok Lundy'sbody was found 5 meters from the wreckage, Cheang Am said. Hok Lundy, who was born in 1950 in the same district where he died, rose topower through the 1980s and became a central committee member of the CPP in1997, following his promotion to national police chief in 1994. Human Rights Watch accused him of collaboration in thedeadly 1997 grenade attack on opposition protesters, extrajudicial killings in the 1997CPP putsch and the trafficking of drugs and prostitutes. He was awarded a medalby the FBI for counterterrorism in 2006 and visited top Bureau officials in Washington in 2007. On Monday afternoon Hun Sen, who has so far withheld publiccomment on Hok Lundy's death, set a wreath of flowers next to general's body, which was lying in state, covered by a red cloth, on the floor of his Phnom Penh villa. Hok Lundy is survived by his wife, two sons and twodaughters, including Hok Chindavy, who is married to Hun Sen's son, Hun Manit. Hok Lundy will be buried on Saturday in his hometown.