11 Activists Arrested While Petitioning US, French Embassies

21 January 2014
The Cambodia Daily
Civil society / Government / Human rights / Social development
Boeng Kak / Bov Sorphea / Cambodian Alliance of Trade Unions / Cheang Thida / Choung Sopheap / Community Legal Education Center / Em Sreytouch / Housing Rights Task Force / Long Kimheang / Nguon Kimleng / Phan Chunreth / Phnom Penh City Hall / Rong Chhun / Song Sreyleap / U.S. Embassy / Yorm Bopha

District security guards this morning arrested 11 political activists taking part in a protest in front of the U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh against the imprisonment of 23 protesters who were beaten and arrested earlier this month. The protesters, including union leader Rong Chhun and prominent Boeng Kak community activist Tep Vanny, had gathered in front of the embassy at 8:15 a.m. in defiance of a recent ban on public assembly put in place after a wave of violent suppression initiated by the CPP government at the beginning of the year. At 8:30 a.m., the security guards, wearing full-faced black helmets, entered the crowd, surrounded Ms. Vanny and pulled her into a nearby unmarked white van before driving away. … He said that in addition to Mr. Chhun and Ms. Vanny, the arrested were anti-eviction activists Song Sreyleap, Phan Chunreth, Bov Sorphea, Yorm Bopha, Em Sreytouch, Nguon Kimleng and Choung Sopheap, as well as Long Kimheang of the Housing Rights Task Force NGO, and Cheang Thida of the Cambodian Alliance of Trade Unions.

 The Cambodia Daily News Staff
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/11-activists-arrested-while-petitioning-us-french-embassies-50916/