Premier Lost Ally, Not Power, in Chief's Crash
The death of police chief Hok Lundy, who was appointed during a time of instability and violence, was not expected to weaken the prime 
Prime Minister Hun Sen lost a strong ally within theInterior Ministry when the plane carrying late police chief Hok Lundy crashedNov. 9, but officials say the prime minister's power will not be affected by areplacement. Officials said last week that the loss of Hok Lundy, who ledthe national police since 1994, would be great to the government, but they wereconvinced national stability would not be affected. "Nothing will change, stability will remain," said EmSam An, secretary of state for the Interior Ministry, as he greeted adelegation of Vietnamese officials during funeral ceremonies for Hok Lundy lastweek. "We are sorry to lose the man. But our forces are in place and in goodorder. No problems will arrive. The situation in our country is gettingbetter." Hok Lundy was a powerful member of the Cambodian People'sParty, appointed by Hun Sen "as part of an internal power play in the CPP" totake control of the police from CPP stalwarts Chea Sim, who is president of theSenate, and Sar Kheng, who is Minister of the Interior, said Brad Adams, Asiadirector for Human Rights Watch. Hok Lundy's appointment came at a time of instability,following a failed coup attempt against Hun Sen and then co-prime ministerNorodom Ranariddh, in 1994. His death, in a helicopter crash in Svay Riengprovince, was a loss of a powerful right hand, but was not destabilizing, Adamssaid. "After Hun Sen, he was probably the most feared man in Cambodia," Adamssaid. Gen. Neth Savoeun, Hok Lundy's deputy and Hun Sen'snephew-in-law, has been named to replace the late police chief. Hok Lundy facedaccusations of murder, extrajudicial killings and human trafficking, as well ascollaboration in the 1997 grenade attack on opposition supporters that killed16 people. Neth Savoeun, who was the head of the criminal policesection in the Phnom Penh Municipal Police, comes from the same securitysystem, Adams said. "Even in the 1980s, [Neth Savoeun] had a reputation forbeing among the most violent members of a very repressive security system," Adams said. "He too has been implicated in many serioushuman rights abuses and other crimes over the past two decades." That appointment will likely not be challenged by Sar Kheng,Adams said. Gen. Neth Savoeun declined comment. Lt. Gen. Khieu Sopheak, a spokesman for the InteriorMinistry and adviser to Sar Kheng, dismissed the allegations, saying the policewere on a five-year plan to maintain stability. Even the UShad shown Hok Lundy was "clean," he said, and had offered him a visa in 2007 tovisit Washingtonfor talks with the FBI. "We know that Brad Adams has never talked good about ourcountry, Cambodia,"Khieu Sopheak said. "The facts differ from what he says." He denied a factional split within the CPP, citing theparty's win of 90 of 123 National Assembly seats in July's elections as proofof unity. "Brad Adams' comments bear no merit," he said. "I mean, thedog barks, and the CPP cart moves ahead to 90 seats." Kek Galabru, founder of the rights group Licadho, declinedto comment on Hok Lundy's reputation, following Cambodian tradition, but saidshe hoped the new police chief would better honor human rights. "I am speaking carefully because he has died, and we shouldnot curse the dead," she said. "Cambodians know His Excellency Hok Lundy, so Idon't need to comment more. The USgovernment denied him a visa, so we all know there were a lot of allegations." Her sentiments were echoed by Lt. Gen. Sok Phal, another HokLundy deputy, who warned reporters off strong criticism last week, asking theynot "write something irrelevant which would impact the Khmers or our leaders"and should "write proper articles in his name, as the leader of the nationalpolice."